Description
Sizzling Italian comfort meets modern convenience in this Instant Pot Spaghetti Meatballs recipe. Hearty homemade meatballs and perfectly cooked pasta merge in one pot, delivering a quick, delicious meal that brings Mediterranean warmth to your kitchen.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 pound meatballs (raw, cooked, or frozen)
- 1 (24 ounces / 680 grams) jar spaghetti or marinara sauce
- 12 ounces / 340 grams spaghetti noodles
- 1 (14 ounces / 400 grams) can diced tomatoes, drained (optional)
- 3 cups water or broth
Cheese and Herbs Garnishes:
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Fresh parsley or basil
Instructions
- Arrange raw meatballs uniformly across the bottom of the Instant Pot liner, ensuring they create a single layer without overlapping.
- Carefully halve spaghetti noodles and distribute them atop the meatballs in an uneven pattern to prevent pasta from clumping together during cooking.
- Gently pour water or broth over the noodles, ensuring complete coverage, then add diced tomatoes and spaghetti sauce, coating the pasta thoroughly.
- Secure the Instant Pot lid, set valve to sealing position, and program the device to high pressure for 9 minutes (7 minutes for al dente texture), allowing approximately 10-12 minutes for pressure buildup.
- Once cooking completes, execute a cautious quick release, opening the valve in short intervals to prevent sauce from erupting, and gently stir contents to separate any adhered pasta strands.
- Transfer the spaghetti and meatballs to serving dishes, sprinkling generously with grated parmesan cheese and freshly chopped herbs like basil or parsley, accompanied by warm crusty bread.
Notes
- Strategically place meatballs in a single layer to ensure even cooking and prevent clumping.
- Breaking spaghetti and spreading randomly helps prevent noodles from sticking together during pressure cooking.
- Completely submerge pasta in liquid to guarantee uniform cooking and prevent dry or undercooked sections.
- Release pressure slowly and carefully to avoid sauce splattering, which can create a messy cleanup.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 21 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch, Snacks
- Method: Pressure Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 58 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg