This Creamy Instant Pot Spaghetti is a super easy dinner recipe done in a pressure cooker in about 30 minutes! My kids love this recipe, and will even gobble up cold left overs.
This Instant Pot Spaghetti recipe has been on Simple Joy for some time and has gotten great reviews. It is very easy to make, and full of delicious flavor. It is the definition of comfort food, and exactly what you want at the end of a long day.
Recently, Nathan was out of town and I was a single mom for a week. How do all the single parents out there do it? This simple Instant Pot dinner recipe definitely came to the rescue. It was fast to make while the kids were doing homework with enough for left overs the next day too. It was a total win.
We love spaghetti and try many recipes to find THE ONE. When my husband tasted this recipe he said from now on this is it. This is THE ONE. I whole heartedly agree. It is rich, flavorful and super easy to make. A huge plus with my work schedule to make a homemade meal. Easy enough for my husband to make if I’m not home.
How to Cook Spaghetti in the Instant Pot
- Turn on the Instant Pot: We are going to sauté the ground beef in the base of the pressure cooker before we add everything else. It takes a bit to get hot, so this is a great time to measure out the rest of your ingredients.
- Sauté the ground beef: Once the Instant Pot says “Hot” add the ground beef, breaking it up and stirring it well to ensure that none of it sticks to the bottom. Once it is broken up and mostly browned, remove the inner pot (carefully, it will be hot), and drain the excess grease.
- Add ingredients in this order: It is important that you add the ingredients in the correct order, otherwise they could scorch during cooking. Add spices, chicken stock, tomato sauce, and then uncooked spaghetti (broken in half).
- Cover spaghetti: Do not stir the ingredients. Rather, gently push down the spaghetti to ensure that it is completely covered with liquid.
- Close the Instant Pot and cook: Make sure that the release valve is set to sealing and then set the pressure cooker to high for 5 minutes. It will take some time for it to come to pressure. Once it is done cooking, release the valve and allow the steam to release before opening the instant pot.
- Add the cream cheese and parmesan: Now stir in a brick of cream cheese and some freshly grated Parmesan. (It is essential that you wait until it is done cooking to add the cream cheese.)
Creamy Spaghetti Sauce
It is the cream cheese that makes this recipe rich and creamy. It is a simple trick that you just throw in at the end that put this recipe over the top.
That being said, you could absolutely skip the cream cheese and just add the Parmesan. The recipe will still work great, and it will still be delicious. If you are watching fat and calorie content, you could also substitute the cream cheese with a low fat version.
Substitutions and Variations for Instant Pot Spaghetti
- Change the pasta: If you have little ones in your house, the spaghetti might be difficult for them to eat. You can use any pasta in this recipe and it will work just fine.
- Use ground turkey: If your family prefers ground turkey (or chicken) to beef, you can substitute with that. You will need to add a little oil to your pressure cooker before sautéing it.
- Make it vegetarian: You can skip the meat all together and make this a vegetarian dish. Swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock. Be sure to be aware of the order you add the ingredients. Make sure that the tomato sauce is added after the stock.
- Use reduced fat cream cheese: As mentioned above, if you are looking to cut calories or fat, you can use reduced fat cream cheese. I don’t normally recommend that swap in baking recipes, but in a recipe like this it will work great.
- Leave out the cream cheese: You can also make this just plain Instant Pot Spaghetti by leaving out the cream cheese and Parmesan at the end.
FAQ
I have this 6 quart Instant Pot.
I recommend using your family’s favorite jarred spaghetti sauce. You could also use this Homemade Spaghetti Sauce. It makes 6 cups, which will be more than enough for this recipe.
Yes, you can replace the noodles with gluten free noodles.
Yes. This recipe is delicious without the dairy.
Yes! You will need to add 2 more cups of spaghetti sauce. Cook on high for 4 hours.
If you make this Instant Pot Spaghetti recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Creamy Instant Pot Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 cups chicken stock (or beef stock)
- 4 cups spaghetti sauce (homemade or store bought)
- 1 pound spaghetti broken in half
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces cream cheese
Instructions
- Turn your pressure cooker on sauté. When it says "Hot" add the ground beef and sauté until broken up and beginning to brown stirring to ensure that none of it is sticking to the bottom. Very carefully remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot, and drain the excess grease.
- Return the pot to the Instant Pot and stir in the spices. Then add in the chicken stock and then the tomato sauce. Add the dry spaghetti. Do not stir, but just gently press down so that the liquid is covering the spaghetti.
- Put the top on your Instant Pot and make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set to High Pressure for 5 minutes. (It took about four minutes to come to pressure for me and begin counting down the 5 minutes.) Once the Instant Pot has counted down the 5 minutes, use a manual pressure release, turning it to venting. Once the valve has fallen, remove the lid.
- Give the spaghetti a good stir. Then stir in the cream cheese and parmesan until melted.
David W. Covell Jr. says
I can’t wait until I try this! I hope it tastes as good as it looks.
Beth says
Without a doubt, the best instant pot spaghetti recipe out there … and I’ve tried quite a few. My go to recipe and everyone asks for more.
I’m so happy you liked this!!
Jamie says
This recipe is a huge hit in our family so THANK YOU!! However, I get a burn notice every time and can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. I’ve tried to cook the meat and onions in the IP and separate and unfortunately get a burn notice!
Gah, that’s so frustrating, I’m sorry. So, when I was first developing this recipe that happened to me and the solution was to add everything in the correct order and not stir it. Could that be the answer for you too?
Tina Malia Miller says
Fantastic recipe, my new favorite way to make spaghetti. Thank you so much for sharing this!
I’m so glad you like it!
Beth Z. says
We love spaghetti and try many recipes to find THE ONE. When my husband tasted this recipe he said from now on this is it. This is THE ONE. I whole heartedly agree. It is rich, flavorful and super easy to make. A huge plus with my work schedule to make a homemade meal. Easy enough for my husband to make if I’m not home.
I’m so glad you like this recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and tell me.
Tara says
This was so good. I’m not sure I’ll ever eat it any other way. Whole family loved it even my picky eater!
I’m so glad everyone liked it so much!
Jamie Chisolm says
I forgot to circle back and see your response so I’ve made this meal numerous times without knowing your secret advice. I just tried it tonight like you advised and it worked perfectly. Thank you so much!! It’s delicious and our family fave!
I’m so glad your family likes it! Do you mean the order of the ingredients? Maybe that needs to be highlighted better in the instructions.
Doug says
My son ate so much, he got sick…..🤢 I guess that’s a good sick. By far the best spaghetti our friends and family ever had.
Doug, oh boy! I’m sorry he got sick, but I’m so glad that it was a hit with everyone.