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This easy Instant Pot Spaghetti recipe features delicious sauteed bacon and onion in a homemade meat sauce with tender spaghetti noodles. It’s all made extra fast and extra easy, thanks to the Instant Pot!
The Easiest Spaghetti You’ll Ever Make
Okay, so spaghetti is already a pretty easy meal to make. I get it! But, if you’re as hooked on Instant Pot cooking as I am, you’ll understand why I had to try making spaghetti in there! Eliminating the pasta-boiling and sauce-simmering part of the spaghetti process just makes an easy meal that much easier.
On top of that, the sauce and pasta come out so flavorful! By cooking the pasta in the actual sauce, you’re allowing each noodle to absorb the flavors of the sauce. And, the sauce absorbs some of the pasta starch, making it extra thick and hearty.
Finally, there’s speed! They say a watched pot never boils, and if you’ve ever stood around waiting for the pasta water to heat up, you’ll probably agree! This takes out that step. The Instant Pot does all the work!
What You’ll Need
Thanks to the addition of sauteed bacon and onion, this spaghetti is full of amazing flavor. It’s an irresistible dish that tastes like it was simmering all day.
- Bacon: You’ll need four slices of bacon, diced.
- Onion: Finely dice one small yellow onion. If you’d like, you can substitute white or sweet onions.
- Ground Beef: For this recipe, I used one pound of ground beef.
- Garlic: Mince two cloves of fresh garlic.
- Spaghetti Pasta: You’ll need 8 ounces of dry, uncooked spaghetti. Please note that this recipe hasn’t been tested for alternate pastas like lentil or quinoa.
- Salt & Pepper: Half a teaspoon of each, or to taste.
- Tomatoes: You’ll need 1 large can of crushed tomatoes
- Water: Have 2 cups of water ready to go. You can also use one cup of beef broth and one cup of water.
- Tomato Paste: I used 2 tablespoons of tomato paste; I recommend getting the kind in a tube, because it’s easy to save the rest for another recipe.
- Dried Basil & Oregano: You’ll need 1 teaspoon of each.
- Grated Parmesan & Chopped Fresh Parsley: For garnish.
Can You Use Frozen Beef in the Instant Pot?
- Yes! Frozen beef works for this recipe – you’ll just have to cook it for a little bit longer, making sure to stir frequently.
- Once the beef has browned and no longer has any red areas, it’s fully cooked.
How To Make Instant Pot Spaghetti
This recipe is simple to prepare. You just have to do a bit of sautéing, then close the lid and cook!
- Saute Bacon: Press the “Saute” button on the Instant Pot. Add the diced bacon and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set it aside on a plate. DO NOT drain the bacon grease from the Instant Pot.
- Saute Onion & Ground Beef: Add the diced onion to the bacon grease and cook for 2 minutes, or until translucent. Crumble the ground beef into the Instant Pot along with the onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until browned and no longer pink.
- Add Remaining Ingredients: Stir the garlic into the ground beef mixture. Break the spaghetti pasta into thirds and add it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper, and pour in the crushed tomatoes, water, tomato paste, basil and oregano. Stir gently to combine it all together. Push the spaghetti down to make sure they’re completely covered in the liquid.
- Cook: Seal the Instant Pot. Select the “Manual” button and set it for 5 minutes at HIGH PRESSURE. When the 5 minutes are up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes. Turn the knob to venting and release the remaining pressure. Remove the lid and gently stir everything together.
- Serve: Taste the finished spaghetti for salt and pepper and adjust as needed. Garnish with the previously prepared bacon, parmesan cheese and parsley.
- Enjoy!
Tips for The Best Instant Pot Pasta
Making spaghetti in the Instant Pot is definitely a different process than making spaghetti on the stove. To help you make sure it turns out awesome, I’ve collected some helpful tips.
- Submerge the Pasta Completely: If you don’t ensure that the spaghetti noodles are well-covered by liquid, they won’t cook properly in the Instant Pot, and they may come out dry and crunchy.
- Don’t Stir Too Much: Stirring the pasta before cooking it can cause the finished dish to be very sticky, so be gentle!
- Skip the Extras: To save time, you can omit the bacon and onions. Just cook the other ingredients for an ultra quick and easy meal.
Serving Suggestions
Looking for tasty sides to serve with your delicious entree? Awesome! I’ve rounded up a few that work really well with spaghetti, and are easy to make as well.
- Bruschetta: Everyone loves garlic bread, and you can bet they’ll love my Easy Garlic Bread Bruschetta even more. It’s so good!
- Green Beans: Green beans are just such a classic side dish. They go with everything! This recipe for Sauteed Garlic Butter Green Beans is super flavorful and super simple!
- Fries: But not your average fries! I’m talking about Crispy Air Fryer Parmesan Zucchini Fries. They’re as satisfying as breadsticks, but they bring an extra serving of wholesome veggies to the table.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Place leftovers in food storage containers or bags and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To reheat, place the leftovers in a covered skillet or saucepan, and reheat on low until heated through. Add a splash of water during cooking if the spaghetti seems dry.
Can I Freeze Spaghetti?
- Yes, you can freeze leftover spaghetti with sauce. Just place the cooled leftovers in a freezer container or bag, and mark it with the date. Freeze for up to two months.
- Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Instant Pot Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon,, diced
- 1 small yellow onion,, finely diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic,, minced
- 8 ounces dry spaghetti,, (uncooked)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups water,, you can also use 1 cup beef broth + 1 cup water
- 2½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1.5 teaspoons dried oregano
- Grated parmesan cheese,, for garnish
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Press the “Saute” button on the Instant Pot.
- Add diced bacon and cook for 3 minutes, or until crispy.
- Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate. DO NOT drain bacon grease from the Instant Pot.
- Add diced onion to the bacon grease and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until translucent.
- Crumble the ground beef into the Pot; cook for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned and no longer pink.
- Stir in garlic.
- Break spaghetti into thirds and add to the pot.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add in crushed tomatoes, water, tomato paste, basil, and oregano.
- Stir gently to combine it all together.
- Push the spaghetti down and make sure they are completely covered in the liquid.
- Seal the Instant Pot.
- Select the “Manual” button and set it for 5 minutes at HIGH PRESSURE.
- When 5 minutes are up, allow for pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes.
- Turn knob to venting and release remaining pressure.
- Remove lid and gently stir everything together.
- Taste for salt and pepper and adjust.
- Garnish spaghetti with previously prepared bacon, parmesan cheese, and parsley.
- Serve.
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Other Easy Instant Pot Dishes
It’s no secret that I love cooking with my Instant Pot. These are some more of my favorite things to make!
I love how easy my Instant Pot makes meals like this! This looks delicious.
I hope you enjoy it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Love how easy this is! Spaghetti is my favorite
I hope you enjoy it! Thank YOU! 🙂
This was so delicious and the bacon adds such a great extra boost of flavor! Such a great family dinner
I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
My teens have been looking for a recipe like this to make for dinner! Can’t wait to give this a try and to show my daughter! So excited! Looks amazing and so delicious!
I hope they enjoy them! Thank YOU! 🙂
Pasta is always a favorite in our house! Everyone will love these spaghetti!
That’s great! I hope everyone enjoys them! Thank YOU! 🙂
Easy dish to make – and so tasty! The bacon is a really nice touch!
Can this recipe be done on the mini 3qt instant pot?
Same measurements or cut In half? Looks Delicious
I honestly can’t say because I haven’t tested this recipe in a smaller Instant Pot.
We make this w gluten free noodles. For cook time, divide pkg cook time in half and add 1 min. The rest is the same. So good!
This is a great recipe. I don’t have an Instant Pot but do have a Ninja which works basically the same. I will definitely make this recipe again.
Thank YOU! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂