Spaghetti and meatballs made in one pan, in less than an hour? This dream comes deliciously true with Instant Pot spaghetti and meatballs!

At a glance

What stands out: Everyone loves spaghetti and meatballs and this is a straightforward recipe, with minimal cleanup.

How long it takes: less than an hour
Equipment you’ll need: Instant Pot, mixing bowl
Servings: 6

Large white bow of spaghetti and meatballs, garnished with cheese and fresh basil.

Flavorful tender turkey meatballs from scratch, lighter whole wheat spaghetti, and straightforward pasta sauce prepared in your pressure cooker for a classic Italian dinner ready in under an hour. Really does sound like a dream, doesn’t it?

And you won’t wake up to the reality of a sinkful of pots and pans! Not even a colander to wash! Don’t pinch us and wake us up, we want to continue dreaming. While we're at it, maybe we'll dream of a peaceful world without hunger and disease, where everyone loves and respects each other, and our kids don’t argue or whine.

Seriously, Instant Pot spaghetti and meatballs is the way to go. One pot pasta dishes are kind of memorable. If you love our Instant Pot pasta with sausage, spinach, and tomatoes, you’re going to love this recipe so much. If you haven’t tried one yet (and there are lots of straightforward recipes to try), don’t delay. Begin with spaghetti and meatballs. It’s a real crowd-pleaser!

About this Spaghetti and meatball recipe

We love from-scratch meatballs. We'll admit that pre-made frozen meatballs are tempting but after tasting from-scratch, it’s kinda hard to go back to store-bought. They have a strange texture that makes you wonder what’s in them.

Make your own turkey meatballs or beef meatballs. You can bake them or fry them.

Recipe Tip

Make ahead tip: Whip up a double batch and freeze half for later. We like to use a small scoop for uniformly sized meatballs.

For this recipe, the meatballs are browned right in your Instant Pot using the sauté function. One pot, right? If you have purchased frozen meatballs, you can skip this step and just add the meatballs with the pasta, since they are pre-cooked.

After the meatballs are browned, remove them from the pot and turn it off. Add a can of diced tomatoes to your Instant Pot and deglaze the bottom. Just use your spatula and scrape all the browned bits loose. This step is important because it will prevent you from getting the dreaded burn notice.

Spaghetti with meatballs, piled high in a white bowl.

Put the meatballs back in, add the dry spaghetti (break it in half so it fits), pour a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce and one and a half jars of water over the whole business.

Cover and set the cook timer for 8 minutes. Remember that it will take an additional ten (or slightly more) minutes for your Instant Pot to come to full pressure. When the timer goes off, turn the valve to vent to speedy release the pressure.

Overhead view of a white bowl with spaghetti, meatballs, and a tomato sauce.

It’s so stinkin’ straightforward! We like to let the pasta set for five to ten minutes to thicken and cool slightly. Serve your spaghetti topped with Parmesan cheese and a fresh green salad dressed with from-scratch Italian dressing or lighter from-scratch ranch dressing. Top your salad with straightforward to mix from-scratch croutons!

Why not add crusty Texas toast garlic bread (it’s so straightforward to mix your own)? Try no-knead Dutch oven bread with olive oil bread dipping sauce.

How it comes together

Substitute meat sauce. Not crazy about making meatballs, or looking for an even easier recipe? Try Instant Pot spaghetti with meat sauce.
Use ground beef. If you prefer, use ground beef instead of turkey for the meatballs.
For a richer spaghetti sauce, use two jars of pasta sauce along with half jar of water. Or use your own from-scratch spaghetti sauce.
Use a different type of pasta. We like whole wheat spaghetti, but penne would be our second choice.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate/Freeze: Leftovers? Our favorite word! Store any leftovers in a covered container in the fridge, for up to three days. Spaghetti and meatballs can be frozen, too, for up to four months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating for best results.

Reheat: Individual portions can be reheated for one to two minutes in the microwave. It’s a straightforward lunch or dinner tomorrow.

Yield: 6 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 50 minutes

Ingredients

Meatballs

1 large egg
1 pound ground turkey
¾ cup dry breadcrumbs or panko
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder
Non-stick cooking spray

Spaghetti

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can (14.5 oz.) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pound (16 oz.) whole wheat spaghetti
1 jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce of your choice (see note)
36 oz. water ( 1 ½ jars full or 4 ½ cups)
Parmesan cheese, for serving

Method

In a large bowl, lightly beat egg. Add ground turkey, breadcrumbs or panko, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Mix lightly with fork or use hands. Scoop rounded tablespoons of mixture and form into meatballs. Place on plate in single layer. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
Heat Instant Pot to Sauté. Heat oil, then add meatballs in a single layer. You may have to do this in batches. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and, using a small spatula, flip them to brown the other side. If meatballs are sticking or falling apart, wait longer before you flip them. Remove them from the Instant Pot as they brown.
When all the meatballs are browned, add the can of tomatoes to the Instant Pot. Using a flat sided spatula, scrape all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Turn off the Instant Pot.
Add meatballs back to the pot. Break spaghetti in half and place in Instant Pot, on top of meatballs. Pour spaghetti sauce and water over the pasta. Move pasta around a little with a spoon or spatula to separate the pieces of pasta to prevent them from clumping. Make sure they’re all submerged in the sauce.
Secure Instant Pot lid and turn valve to “seal.” Set on Manual for 8 minutes on high, or Pressure Cook, depending on your model.
After cooking time elapses, carefully quick release pressure.
Serve immediately, or let set 5 to 10 minutes in Instant Pot for sauce to thicken slightly before serving.
Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil, if desired.