This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
Dinner doesn’t get much better than this quick and healthy Instant Pot spaghetti meat sauce! A hearty homemade sauce in just 20 minutes! The perfect weeknight dinner win!! Toss it with your favorite pasta, zucchini noodles, or spaghetti squash and you’ve got a meal everyone will love.
Spaghetti is always a classic in our house: comforting, hearty, and met with excitement every single time I make it! I love that this recipe not only gives me a delicious dinner, but also stretches into leftovers for another night. And the best part? The Instant Pot takes away the need for hours of simmering, while still giving you that rich homemade flavor. Just set it, walk away, and come back to a dinner that tastes like it cooked all day!!
As a nutritionist, I’m always creating Instant Pot recipes that are healthy, easy, and family-friendly. I know how busy life gets, and the last thing you need is another complicated dinner. This recipe is exactly what I turn to when I want something wholesome on the table without hovering over the stove.
How to make Instant Pot Spaghetti Meat Sauce
Start with sautéing. Turn your Instant Pot to the sauté function and heat a little oil. Add in chopped onion, garlic, ground beef, and sausage. Cook for about 5–6 minutes, stirring often, until the meat is browned and nearly cooked through. Then press cancel.
Deglaze the pot. Pour in red wine vinegar (or broth if you prefer) and scrape the bottom of the pot well with a wooden spoon. This step prevents anything from sticking and keeps the Instant Pot from giving you a burn notice. If your pot tends to be extra sensitive, you can also splash in a bit of water here.
Build the sauce. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and a mix of dried herbs with salt. Everything comes together so quickly and already smells incredible at this stage!
Pressure cook. Secure the lid, set your Instant Pot to high pressure, and cook for 7 minutes. Walk away and let the magic happen.
Finish and serve. Release the steam quickly, open the lid, and stir. Your rich, hearty spaghetti sauce is ready to ladle over pasta, zucchini noodles, or spaghetti squash — all in less than 20 minutes!!
Variations
- Swap the sausage for turkey, chicken, or Italian pork sausage.
- If the tomatoes taste a little too acidic, stir in a small pinch of sugar.
- Use chicken or beef broth instead of vinegar for a slightly different flavor.
Serving Suggestions
This sauce is perfect with traditional spaghetti, but I also love pairing it with spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles for a lighter twist. Add fresh basil, parmesan cheese, or crushed red pepper flakes to finish it off.
Looking for sides? Try my Asparagus and Spinach Salad, or Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad. And of course, garlic bread is always a must!!
Storing + Meal Prep
This sauce makes fantastic leftovers. Keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 4 months. Just thaw overnight and reheat on the stovetop for an easy, stress-free dinner anytime.
The BEST Instant Pot Spaghetti Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp avocado oil, or olive oil
- 1 medium sized white/yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground sausage
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 28 oz cans San Marzano Tomatoes*
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1 tsp sea salt, + more to taste
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- Crushed red pepper, optional
- Fresh basil to taste
- 1/4-1/2 cup water**, (see note)
Instructions
- Set your instant pot to saute. Once hot, add oil. Coat the pot, then add both meats, onion, and garlic. Mix around until beef is almost cooked (a little pink is fine). Now select cancel.
- Pour vinegar over meat mixture. Using a wooden spoon, be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent any of the onion/garlic sticking. This will help prevent the burn signal! See the note below, as some IP's are sensitive to the burn signal and this sauce may require a bit of water.
- Now add tomatoes, paste, salt, and spices. Secure the lid. Select the manual function and cook on high pressure for 7 minutes.
- Use a quick release, and make sure steam is completely released before removing lid.
- Serve over noodles and squash. Add crushed red pepper, additional salt to taste, and garnish with fresh basil.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Fantastic! Everyone loved it from ages 2-50. Thank you for all your recipes. They are great!
Hi Amy;
I cant find a nutritional label for this. I absolutely love this recipe! I’m trying to find the sodium content or potassium.. per serving. My father has only 1 kidney so reduced sodium is a must. Do you know what I can use for tomato’s for instance that would get close to that flavor?
Hi there! Just updated the recipe with the nutrition facts! They are listed at the bottom of the recipe card in the Notes section.
Just wanted to say that this recipe has become a weekly staple in my household! I don’t eat it since I’m vegetarian, but it’s the perfect simple yet delicious dinner for my meat-loving boyfriend. Every time I make it, he asks if we can have it every night, haha! Other than using regular spaghetti noodles and sometimes halving the portions, I follow this recipe exactly as written – no changes needed! This is seriously such a stellar recipe! Thank you SO MUCH for providing me with a quick and easy weeknight meal solution for those times when I’m too tired or busy but still want to make something yummy and fulfilling for my boyfriend 🙂
How would you recommend adjusting this recipe for a slow cooker
Soooo…..I would brown the meat in a regular pot with the onion. Than transfer everything to a slow cooker. Set for low 4-5 hours.
This turned out AMAZING.
I didn’t have canned tomatoes, but had cans of spaghetti sauce on hand, so I substituted. Everything else was pretty much the same though
I believe I know why it said burn. I forgot to coat the pot with the oil, and just put the oil in the bottom, then added other ingredients. Mine too said burn, so I hit cancel, let out the steam, there wasn’t much since it has not been cooking long, and stirred the sauce real good. It cooled a little and then I put the cover back on, set the release valve again, and turned the pressure down to low, for 7 minutes. This time it didnt burn. And turned out delucious!
Glad to hear, Robin!!
Made this but deleted the sausage (family is not a fan of sausage) and let me say, it was DELICIOUS!!!!!!!! Served with linguini, has a great texture, light yet so flavorful. My family loved it. Thank you for a terrific recipe!
Yay!!
I put in all the ingredients according to your recipe, but my instapot kept saying BURN and would never pressure cook. Did i do something wrong? I did cook beef from frozen in saute mode and I added some powdered garlic, but that was the only difference.
I honestly don’t know what could have gone wrong? It definitely should have come to pressure. I have had a few friends who sometimes have issues with their IP, but I’m not sure how to trouble shoot! My only guess would be the valve wasn’t set. So sorry! That IP can be the best thing, but also randomly be a pain to navigate.
Mine said burn too, when it came to temperature. I emptied it, totally cleaned it and put the sauce back in. When it came back up to temperature, it said burn again. I finished it on the stove.
I’ve had my Instant Pot for almost 2 years but never made spaghetti sauce because. I didn’t think it was possible! I was wrong! I followed your recipe as a guide adapting my own variations. I’m sorry I broke up the tomatoes (Muir Glen whole tomatoes) but overall the sauce came out delicious. Added kale & Swiss chard from my garden, white beans and Italian chicken sausage. Served over spaghetti squash and pasta- yum Thank you!!
What does the asterisk by the tomatoes mean? What type of tomatoes do you recommend? Diced? Whole? Maybe something that will hold up? I’m excited to try this!
Hi Krystal! It’s supposed to be Whole Tomatoes because they are better quality than diced. You can break them up after cooking. The asterisk was just there to say that San Marzano are preferred because they are the best quality! Hope you enjoy ????