Love spaghetti and meatballs? Want to make it in the pressure cooker? Find out how easy it is to make pressure cooker spaghetti and meatballs.
This recipe for Instant Pot Spaghetti and meatballs is all homemade, even the sauce. You do this in steps, but you’ll have some left over, and the flavors are totally worth the time. Where this authentic and delicious tomato sauce, or gravy as it’s referred to in Italy, would normally take hours and hours to simmer, the Instant Pot does it in 30 minutes! It literally bursts with flavor, is so delicious, everyone will be glad you made it. Total time for the sauce and the meatballs will take you about 2 hours or maybe a little more, depending on how fast you work, but you can make this ahead, and you can make the sauce a day or two ahead, refrigerate it, and make the meatballs just before you’re ready to serve this dish. If you have a really busy and hectic schedule, you can make this all ahead, in steps, and finish it off with a delicious successful dish. Trust me, you’re going to love this one.
What to Serve with Pressure Cooker Spaghetti
Spaghetti and meatballs can be served with just about anything. Start dinner with a side salad and add:
- Texas Toast Garlic Bread
- Homemade Garlic Bread
- Quick and Easy Garlic Knots
- Cornbread with Cheese and Bacon
Variations to Spaghetti
If you want to change this recipe you can:
- Ground chicken or turkey – Add ground chicken or turkey instead of ground beef for a lighter version.
- Add pork – Pork can be used as a swap for either ground beefs and it adds a great taste
- Ground Chorizo – This adds a great flavor to this recipe.
Ingredients in Pressure Cooker Spaghetti
- sweet onion
- garlic
- Olive Oil
- butter
- tomato sauce
- stewed tomatoes
- tomato paste
- Italian seasoning
- sweet basil
- oregano
- garlic salt with parsley
- seasoned salt
- seasoned pepper
- brown sugar
- ground sirloin
- ground round
- Ritz crackers
- egg
- Ketchup
- Worcestershire sauce
- chili powder
- oregano
- flour
- olive oil
- butter
- spaghetti
How to Make Pressure Cooker Spaghetti
FOR THE SAUCE:
Turn the Instant Pot to the Saute setting, and add the olive oil and butter. When the butter melts, add the chopped onion, and cook until it caramelizes, or is golden brown (about 5 minutes). Add the minced garlic, and cook 1 – 2 minutes. Turn off the Instant Pot. Add the tomato sauce, the stewed tomatoes, the tomato paste, and 1 ½ cups of bottled water. Add all spices, and stir well, making sure to scrape the bottom of the stainless steel liner to the Instant Pot, to loosen any onion or garlic. Stir until all ingredients are well blended.
In the Pressure Cooker
Place the lid on the Instant Pot, until it beeps and locks, and MAKE SURE the pressure valve is set to ‘SEALING’, AND NOT VENTING. Press the manual button and set the timer to ’30’ minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to build and release pressure automatically, do not manually release pressure. This is what will infuse the flavors into the sauce. Once the Instant pot has released the pressure, and beeps, check to make sure the pressure button is down, and carefully, and with a pot holder, turn the pressure valve gently to VENTING, making sure all the pressure has been released. Remove the lid from the Instant Pot, and stir the sauce.
How to Store the Sauce
It will have thickened during cooking and maybe a little thicker in the bottom of the pot. Stir to blend. All sauce to cool, and pour into a covered container, or into glass jars. If you’re using jars, you’ll need more than 1 or 2, depending on how large the jars are. If they’re 16-ounce jars, you may need 4 or more. Refrigerate the sauce up to 7 days. You can freeze the sauce for later use, up to 4 months.
NOTE: This makes a great hostess gift, or house warming gift.
How to Make the Meatballs
You’ll need a large bowl, a large piece of waxed paper or foil to put the meatballs on, the Ziploc bag, and a large spoon. In a large bowl, combine the sirloin and ground round, and mix well. Add all ingredients, except for the crushed Ritz crackers, adding those last.
Blend all together, using clean hands, and roll in balls, about 2 inch balls, and lay on waxed paper or foil. Add the flour to the Ziploc bag and set aside. When you’re done rolling the meatballs into balls, and washed the tomato sauce from the Instant Pot liner, place about 10 of the meatballs in the Ziploc bag, and shake gently to coat the meatball in the flour.
Cooking the Meatballs
Turn the Instant Pot to ‘SAUTE’, and add the olive oil and butter. Working in small batches, when the butter melts, add the meatballs from the Ziploc bag to the Pot, and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes (I used a curved fish spatula to turn the meatballs). When they’re browned, and done in the middle, remove them to a plate, and set aside, and continue to coat the meatballs in the flour and brown and cook until all meatballs are done. When the meatballs are all cooked. Turn the Instant pot off.
Meatballs in the Sauce
Add 1 ½ cups of water to the Pot, stir and scrape the bits that may be stuck on the bottom of the pot, until they’re loosened. Add about ½ cup of the tomato sauce to the water, and stir well. Open the package of Spaghetti, and break it in half, and add it to the Instant Pot, placing it in the water, and stir well to cover Spaghetti as much as possible. Place meatballs on top of Spaghetti, and cover meatballs in tomato sauce, about 1 ½ cups.
Cooking the Spaghetti
The sauce will run down onto Spaghetti, which will help keep it moist as it cooks. Place lid on Instant Pot until it beeps and locks, and make sure the Pressure Valve is set to SEALING. Press the manual button, and set the time to 6 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to build and release pressure automatically. When Instant Pot is done, make sure the pressure button is down, and turn the valve to ‘VENTING’ to make sure all pressure has been released. Remove lid to Instant Pot, and with a large utensil, such as a large spoon, remove the meatballs to a platter. Remove the Spaghetti to the same platter. Stir the Sauce in the Pot, and add additional sauce to the Pot and Saute for 4 or 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Ladle the Sauce over the Spaghetti and meatballs. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
52 Weight Watchers SmartPoints on the Freestyle Program
Pressure Cooker Spaghetti and meatballs
Ingredients
SAUCE:
- 1 large sweet onion chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic pressed and minced
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 28 ounce cans tomato sauce
- 2 14 – 15 ounce cans stewed tomatoes
- 1 5 – 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon dried sweet basil
- 1 Tablespoon ground oregano
- 1 Tablespoon coarse ground garlic salt with parsley
- 1 Tablespoon seasoned salt
- 1 Tablespoon seasoned pepper
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
MEATBALLS
- 1 ¼ pound ground sirloin
- 1 ¼ pound ground round
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers crushed
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup Ketchup
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic salt
- 1 Tablespoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground oregano
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup flour
- Ziploc bag
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 pound spaghetti
Instructions
FOR THE SAUCE:
- Turn the Instant Pot to the Saute setting, and add the olive oil and butter. When the butter melts, add the chopped onion, and cook until it caramelizes, or is golden brown (about 5 minutes). Add the minced garlic, and cook 1 – 2 minutes. Turn off the Instant Pot. Add the tomato sauce, the stewed tomatoes, the tomato paste, and 1 ½ cups of bottled water. Add all spices, and stir well, making sure to scrape the bottom of the stainless steel liner to the Instant Pot, to loosen any onion or garlic. Stir until all ingredients are well blended.
- close
In the Pressure Cooker
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, until it beeps and locks, and MAKE SURE the pressure valve is set to ‘SEALING’, AND NOT VENTING. Press the manual button and set the timer to ’30’ minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to build and release pressure automatically, do not manually release pressure. This is what will infuse the flavors into the sauce. Once the Instant pot has released the pressure, and beeps, check to make sure the pressure button is down, and carefully, and with a pot holder, turn the pressure valve gently to VENTING, making sure all the pressure has been released. Remove the lid from the Instant Pot, and stir the sauce.
How to Store the Sauce
- It will have thickened during cooking and maybe a little thicker in the bottom of the pot. Stir to blend. All sauce to cool, and pour into a covered container, or into glass jars. If you’re using jars, you’ll need more than 1 or 2, depending on how large the jars are. If they’re 16-ounce jars, you may need 4 or more. Refrigerate the sauce up to 7 days. You can freeze the sauce for later use, up to 4 months.
- NOTE: This makes a great hostess gift, or house warming gift.
How to Make the Meatballs
- You’ll need a large bowl, a large piece of waxed paper or foil to put the meatballs on, the Ziploc bag, and a large spoon. In a large bowl, combine the sirloin and ground round, and mix well. Add all ingredients, except for the crushed Ritz crackers, adding those last.
- Blend all together, using clean hands, and roll in balls, about 2 inch balls, and lay on waxed paper or foil. Add the flour to the Ziploc bag and set aside. When you’re done rolling the meatballs into balls, and washed the tomato sauce from the Instant Pot liner, place about 10 of the meatballs in the Ziploc bag, and shake gently to coat the meatball in the flour.
Cooking the Meatballs
- Turn the Instant Pot to ‘SAUTE’, and add the olive oil and butter. Working in small batches, when the butter melts, add the meatballs from the Ziploc bag to the Pot, and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes (I used a curved fish spatula to turn the meatballs). When they’re browned, and done in the middle, remove them to a plate, and set aside, and continue to coat the meatballs in the flour and brown and cook until all meatballs are done. When the meatballs are all cooked. Turn the Instant pot off.
Meatballs in the Sauce
- Add 1 ½ cups of water to the Pot, stir and scrape the bits that may be stuck on the bottom of the pot, until they’re loosened. Add about ½ cup of the tomato sauce to the water, and stir well. Open the package of Spaghetti, and break it in half, and add it to the Instant Pot, placing it in the water, and stir well to cover Spaghetti as much as possible. Place meatballs on top of Spaghetti, and cover meatballs in tomato sauce, about 1 ½ cups.
Cooking the Spaghetti
- The sauce will run down onto Spaghetti, which will help keep it moist as it cooks. Place lid on Instant Pot until it beeps and locks, and make sure the Pressure Valve is set to SEALING. Press the manual button, and set the time to 6 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to build and release pressure automatically. When Instant Pot is done, make sure the pressure button is down, and turn the valve to ‘VENTING’ to make sure all pressure has been released. Remove lid to Instant Pot, and with a large utensil, such as a large spoon, remove the meatballs to a platter. Remove the Spaghetti to the same platter. Stir the Sauce in the Pot, and add additional sauce to the Pot and Saute for 4 or 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Ladle the Sauce over the Spaghetti and meatballs. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
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