Instant Pot Spaghetti & Meatballs

Yumna Jawad

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Instant Pot Spaghetti & Meatballs is a simple, one-pot meal that eliminates the need for separate pasta cooking. Just let the IP do the work!

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Sometimes, I forget about how much I love my Instant Pot. It’s recipes like this that make me remember exactly how great it is. This Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs actually comes together in just the multi-cooker. That’s right: even the noodles cook in the Instant Pot!

Spaghetti and meatballs recipe in an Instant Pot, garnished with fresh parsley.
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Before this Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs, I’d never thought about cooking pasta in the appliance before. But it’s kind of genius: The noodles are broken in half so they fit in the Instant Pot and they absorb the marinara sauce as they cook, making them super flavorful!

I really love the meatballs in this recipe, too. They have just 7 ingredients and are tender and delicious (thanks to Italian seasoning and garlic powder!). You brown them in the Instant Pot, which adds flavor, then add the marinara sauce and noodles. The meatballs finish cooking along with the pasta! See? Genius!

Recipe At a Glance

Cuisine Inspiration: Italian
Primary Cooking Method: Instant Pot
Key Flavor: Beef and marinara sauce
Skill Level: Easy

Why This Is So Good

  • Minimal dishes (and cleanup!): Making traditional spaghetti and meatballs often calls for several pots and pans. Because everything in this recipe cooks in the Instant Pot, there’s way less cleanup!
  • A great weeknight dinner: Because this Instant Pot spaghetti and meatballs recipe uses a shortcut jazzed-up jar marinara and the IP speeds up cooking time, I love making it on a weeknight. It takes just 45 minutes!
  • Crowd-pleasing: I don’t know a single person (including my kiddos!) who doesn’t love spaghetti and meatballs. When I want a no-fail recipe, I know I can count on it.

Ingredients to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and meatball ingredients on a countertop top: pasta, marinara sauce, ground beef, breadcrumbs, herbs, spices, olive oil, egg, and water.
  • Egg and breadcrumbs: These help the meatballs stick together!
  • Milk: Just a little milk adds moisture, ensuring the meatballs are tender.
  • Parsley: Fresh, chopped parsley adds a fresh flavor! You could use another herb, like basil or oregano if you like.
  • Italian seasoning and garlic powder: These also add easy flavor! If I have the time, I like to make my own Italian seasoning. It tastes fresher and is cheaper!
  • Beef: I like to use lean ground beef so it’s not too greasy!
  • Olive oil: You’ll use olive oil to brown the meatballs. Browning = flavor!
  • Spaghetti: Breaking the spaghetti in half allows it to fit in the Instant Pot and cook faster.
  • Marinara sauce: You can use jarred or homemade marinara sauce.
  • Water: You’ll need to cover the pasta with enough water for it to cook properly!
  • Parmesan cheese and basil: I love spaghetti and meatballs with a good amount of grated Parmesan and chopped fresh basil on top.
  • Make it gluten-free. You can use gluten-free breadcrumbs and spaghetti!
  • Use a different meat. Try ground turkey, chicken or plant-based ground meat.  
  • Add in veggies. Try mixing in grated zucchini, carrot, chopped spinach, or kale into the meatballs! This is a sneaky way to add vegetables!
  • Make it cheesier. I love cheese-stuffed meatballs. You can add a small cube of mozzarella inside each meatball for a cheesy center! It’ll melt as the meatball cooks.

How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

Making these Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs is so simple. You’ll start by making meatballs, then browning them in the Instant Pot, adding the spaghetti and marinara, and cooking on high pressure until everything’s done!

Spices, herbs, milk, egg, and breadcrumbs in a large glass mixing bowl.
Step 1: Beat the egg in a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, milk, parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine.
Meat balls on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Step 2: Add the ground beef and mix again to combine. Form into meatballs.
Meatballs in an Instant Pot after browning on each side.
Step 3: Once hot, add the olive oil to the Instant Pot, add the meatballs, and cook until browned all over.
Broken pasta on top of meatballs.
Step 4: Add the broken spaghetti directly on top of the meatballs.
    Marinara sauce added on top of uncooked noodles.
    Step 5: Add the marinara and water on top of the meatballs; do not stir.
    Spaghetti and meatball in an Instant Pot.
    Step 6: Cook on high pressure and release the pressure manually. Stir the pasta and sauce so everything is well combined.

    Tips for Making the Best Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs with Jar Sauce

    1. Make sure the Instant Pot is hot before adding the oil. This will make sure the meatballs don’t stick to the cooking pot!
    2. Check your seasoning! Many jarred marinara sauces are fairly high in sodium. Give your sauce a taste, if it is fairly well seasoned, do not add any additional salt. If you feel it’s mild in flavor, feel free to add salt to taste. You can also add some Italian seasoning to the marinara if needed.
    3. Resist the urge to stir! It will feel very unnatural not to stir the pasta before cooking, but the layering here is key to cooking noodles that are not mushy. 
    4. Use frozen meatballs. If you want to make this faster, you can make a batch of my meatballs and freeze them to use here, or you can buy a 16-ounce bag of frozen meatballs. It works perfectly as a substitute in this recipe.
    5. Pay attention to the pasta. If it’s bronze cut, it may require extra cooking time, so I would recommend 11 or 12 minutes of cooking time instead of 10 minutes.
    Instant pot spaghetti and meatballs in two shallow bowls garnished with fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese with a fork dipped into bowl.

    What to Serve With Easy Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How do you store and reheat Instant Pot spaghetti and meatballs?

    Kept in an airtight container in the fridge, leftovers will last for up to 3 days. I like to reheat the spaghetti and meatballs in the microwave! You can start at a minute or so, adding 30-second increments as necessary.

    How do I know when the meatballs are done?

    Because the Instant Pot cooks under pressure and so quickly, you don’t really have to worry whether or not the meatballs are done! They’ll be cooked when the pasta’s ready.

    What do if the meatballs are sticking to the Instant Pot?

    If you didn’t heat up the Instant Pot enough before adding the oil and browning the meatballs, they might stick! Once this happens, there’s not a ton you can do. However, the meatballs will still be delicious—they just might not look as pretty!

    Fork lifting up a bite of spaghetti with a meatball on it over a bowl of pasta.

    I can’t believe it took me this long to cook pasta in my Instant Pot! This Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs is so good: the noodles are saucy, the meatballs are so tender, and there’s barely any cleanup to do after dinner’s done.

    More Pasta Recipes:

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    Instant Pot spaghetti and meatballs recipe.
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    Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

    Instant Pot Spaghetti & Meatballs is a simple, one-pot meal that eliminates the need for separate pasta cooking. Just let the IP do the work!
    No ratings yet
    Author Yumna Jawad
    Servings 6 servings
    Course Entree, Pastas
    Calories 543
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 40 minutes
    Total Time 45 minutes
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    Ingredients
      

    For the meatballs

    • 1 egg
    • ½ cup bread crumbs
    • 2 tablespoons milk
    • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
    • 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 pound 85% lean ground beef

    For the spaghetti and sauce

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 pound spaghetti broken in half
    • 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce
    • 3 cups water
    • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
    • Fresh Basil for serving

    Instructions

    • To make the meatballs, beat the egg in a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, milk, parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. Add the ground beef and mix again to combine. Form into 16-24 meatballs and set on a plate.
    • Set InstantPot to ‘sauté’ setting. One hot, add the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the prepared meatballs and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until the meatballs are browned all over. Hit ‘cancel’ to turn the machine off.
    • Add the broken spaghetti directly on top of the meatballs, doing your best to create an even layer of pasta. Add the marinara and water on top; do not stir.
    • Add the InstantPot lid and set the valve to ‘seal’. Cook at manual high pressure for 10 minutes. As soon as the cooking timer is up, release the pressure manually.
    • When you are able to remove the lid, open the pot and gently stir the pasta and sauce so everything is well combined. Serve topped with grated Parmesan and fresh basil.

    Equipment

    Notes

    Storage: Kept in an airtight container in the fridge, leftovers will last for up to 3 days. I like to reheat the spaghetti and meatballs in the microwave! You can start at a minute or so, adding 30-second increments as necessary. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1.33cup, Calories: 543kcal, Carbohydrates: 70g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 79mg, Sodium: 871mg, Potassium: 783mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 660IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 84mg, Iron: 5mg

    Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

    Cuisine Italian
    Course: Entree, Pastas

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    Comments

    1. Ashley says:

      Do I need to increase the cooking time if I use frozen meatballs?

      Reply
      1. Yumna J. says:

        Hi Ashley, you may need to sauté the meatballs for more than 4-5 minutes. Cook them until they’re browned all over, however long that takes. The rest of the recipe will be exactly the same!

        Reply