Easy, hearty and delicious 30 Minute Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs. A classic dish done quick in the Instant Pot for easy entertaining or a wholesome weeknight meal. 

Spaghetti and Meatballs, though it has Italian roots, it has evolved into a classic American dish that evokes childhood memories for many. This 30 Minute Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe gives you all the comfort of what your grandma used to make in way less time. The meatballs and spaghetti sauce are homemade from scratch, but it’s done in just 30 minutes with minimal cleanup!

What makes a good meatball?

1. flavor – meatballs need to be packed with flavor, in this particular case we are flavoring them with Worcestershire sauce, garlic, garlic salt, oregano, nutmeg and black pepper.
2. stick – meatballs need to stay together, it can be hard to keep them round and not falling apart, so you need to add things that will keep them together. For these meatballs we add eggs and bread crumbs to help them stick.
3. moist – no one likes a dry meatball, so you have to be careful how you cook them. The Instant Pot really helps us out here. By browning them and then pressure cooking them in the Instant Pot we don’t cook out or lose any of the fat or flavor making them perfectly moist.

How to make Spaghetti and Meatballs in the Instant Pot:

Once your meatballs are mixed up and ready to go you will use those tools that came with the Instant Pot (you know those spoon looking things you thought you would never use?!) to drop the meatballs into the oil that you will heat up on sauté mode. In this step you brown the meatballs on all sides. It’s quick, you won’t cook the meatballs through during this stage.

Remove the meatballs and set them aside and then use the same oil to sauté the onions, carrots and garlic for the sauce. Then you will switch the Instant Pot to “pressure cook” mode and add the rest of the sauce ingredients (crushed tomatoes, spices, sugar, tomato paste and water). Once the sauce is all mixed together you will add the browned meatballs back to the Instant Pot on top of the sauce. At this point you will pressure cook the sauce and meatballs for 5 minutes on high.

While the Instant Pot is pressure cooking you will make the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Then when the sauce and meatballs are done you will toss the spaghetti with 3/4 of the sauce, split the noodles into 4 bowls, top with meatballs, more sauce, cheese and fresh basil and Voila! A delicious Spaghetti and Meatball dinner in just 30 minutes, but as if you slaved over a hot stove all day.

Why You Should Invest in an Instant Pot if You Don’t Already Have One: 

1. It’s Easy – The Instant Pot allows you to make things like this 30 Minute Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs, something that would take much longer and a lot more effort without the capability of pressure cooking.
2. Less Mess – Being able to sauté and pressure cook in the same pot cuts WAY back on messy dishes. In this recipe we brown the meatballs and sauté the vegetables all in the Instant Pot prior to pressure cooking. To me, this is the best part 🙂
3. Delicious Meals  – Pressure cooking locks in moister making everything you cook in the Instant Pot moist and delicious.

Don’t have an Instant Pot, but thinking about getting one? I have this model in the 6-quart size. I love it, it’s not too big that it’s hard to store, but it’s large enough to easily make meals for 4-6.

30 Minute Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

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• Author: Sprinkles & Sea Salt
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 bowls 1x

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Description

Easy, hearty and delicious 30 Minute Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs. A classic dish done quick in the Instant Pot for easy entertaining or a wholesome weeknight meal. 

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Meatballs

1.5 pounds ground beef

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp nutmeg

dash of black pepper

2 large eggs

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup olive oil

Spaghetti and Sauce

1/2 cup white onions, chopped

1/2 cup carrots peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp white sugar

1 tsp oregano

dash of nutmeg

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup water

1 pound dry spaghetti noodles

1/2 cup parmesan cheese (optional)

fresh basil (optional)

fresh parsley (optional)

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Instructions

Meatballs

Add ground beef to a large bowl

Mix in Worcestershire sauce

Add garlic, mix

In a small bowl combine salt, oregano, nutmeg and black pepper, mix

Add spice mixture to meat

Add eggs, mix until fully combined

Add breadcrumbs

At this point you may want to use your clean hands to mix to make sure everything is evenly incorporated

Form the meat into large meatballs, about 3-4oz*

Turn Instant Pot on “Sauté” mode high

When it beeps to indicate it’s “on” add 1/2 cup olive oil

Allow oil to heat up 1-2 minutes

Using the large spoon like utensils that come with the Instant Pot, drop the meatballs in 1 at a time, make sure they are not on top of each other, they should all be able to fit at once

Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side**

Once meatballs are browned remove them and set them aside***

Spaghetti and Sauce

Add the onions and carrots to the Instant Pot

Sauté for 3-4 minutes

Add the garlic, sauté 1-2 more minutes

Hit “cancel” on the Instant Pot and then select “Pressure Cook” high

Set the time to 5 minutes

Add the crushed tomatoes, red wine, salt, sugar, oregano and nutmeg

Mix in the tomato paste

Add the water, mix

Carefully add the meatballs back to the instant Pot on top of the sauce

Lock the top into place on the Instant Pot and switch the vent to “sealing”

While the sauce and meatballs finish cooking prepare the pasta according to package instructions, set aside

Once the Instant Pot completes the 5 minutes of pressure cooking allow it to natural release pressure for 5 minutes, then you can fast release the remaining pressure by switching the pressure valve to “venting”

When it’s safe to do so, remove the top of the Instant Pot

Using the clean spoon tool remove the meatballs, set aside

Put cooked spaghetti in a large bowl, add 3/4 of the sauce, toss to coat all of the noodles evenly

Divide the pasta into 4 large serving bowls, top each with 2 meatballs and some of the remaining sauce

Sprinkle with cheese, fresh basil and fresh parsley if desired

Enjoy

Notes

*You should make about 8 meatballs, if you prefer to make them smaller you can also make them half the size. I find it’s easier to work with them in the Instant Pot when they are larger.

**I turn them 3 times to try to get them browned all the way around)

***They will not be cooked through, just browned on the outside

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Method: Instant Pot
• Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: #30minutemeals, #instantpotrecipes, #homemadespaghettiandmeatballs

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Want more easy Instant Pot Dinners? Check out these recipes:

Quick Instant Pot Pork Belly Ramen

Easy Instant Pot Fresh Onion Soup

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