Instant Pot Spaghetti – this easy yet delicious family friendly recipe takes less than 10 minutes to prep for, and cooks in the Instant Pot in just 9 minutes. Best yet, you’ll only have one pot to clean!
Can I just say, the love I have for my Instant Pot and it’s ability to help me get dinner on the table, FAST, just keeps growing and growing. If you don’t have one yet, what are you waiting for!? It will literally change your life. The one I bought is actually cheaper than when I ordered it, you can find it on Amazon here. (affiliate link)
This Instant Pot Spaghetti tastes better somehow than when I make it the regular way. I don’t know what it is, but the flavors are richer and the lentils taste “meatier”. It’s also a great meal to get your kids to eat more legumes. My kids eat this up, lentils and all! My older twins (10 years old) are both playing soccer now, and I can tell that their nutritional needs are growing with all the physical activity they do.
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HOW DO YOU MAKE INSTANT POT SPAGHETTI?
It’s so quick and easy.
Push the saute button on the Instant Pot. Add the olive oil, onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes. Now add the lentils and salt, and stir.
Nest, pour in the water and de-glaze the bottom of the pan by scraping it with a spatula. Break the noodles in half and place them in the water, then pour the marinara sauce on top of the noodles. Push the noodles down, making sure to cover them in the liquid.
TIP: Make sure you use a high quality marinara sauce, I use Trader Joe’s tomato basil sauce, it’s my favorite!
Place the lid on, seal and set to high pressure for 9 minutes.
Once it beeps, do a quick release carefully, so the noodles don’t overcook. Stir everything together well after removing the lid. It should look something like this after stirring.
That’s it! Serve with vegan parmesan, fresh basil and maybe some crusty bread.
For more quick and tasty Instant Pot recipes, check these out:
12/30/19: Instructions have been updated slightly to help prevent the “burn” message, as many people are having trouble with the newer models of Instant Pots. Mine has never given me the burn message, but after doing some research, I’ve learned there are some things you can do to prevent this. This is why I now suggest you add the water AFTER sautéing, and de-glaze the pan by scraping it with a spatula. This should help with the burn message. For more troubleshooting, read through this article on why you might be getting an Instant Pot Burn Message.
Adapted from Skinny Taste.
Instant Pot Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced small
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups cooked green lentils
- 2 cups water
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 1 jar (25.5) ounces vegan marinara sauce
Instructions
- Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. When hot, add the olive oil, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes until the onion in translucent. Now add the salt and cooked lentils. Stir, then turn off the saute.
- Pour the water in and using a spatula, de-glaze the bottom of the pan to get any stuck bits off the bottom (this helps to avoid the "burn" message.) Add the spaghetti noodles, broken in half. Then pour the marinara on top of the noodles, and push the noodles into the liquid to cover. Don't stir.
- Place the lid on, seal and set to high pressure for 9 minutes.
- Do a quick release so the pasta won't overcook. Stir everything together, then serve with vegan parmesan and bread if desired!
Notes
- I haven't tested this recipe with gluten free spaghetti, but I think it would work.
- I always make this with pre-cooked lentils, the packaged kind in the produce section at Trader Joes. You can also make your own from scratch. Use 1 cup uncooked green lentils, and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil on the stovetop, then simmer for about 30 minutes. Drain, then continue with the recipe.
My family LOVES this recipe! I use the instant pot to cook dry lentils first, wipe it out, and continue with this recipe. This last time I used some homemade seitan ground italian ‘sausage’ to the pot and that also was great! Thanks so much!
You are welcome, Julie! The addition of sausage sounds amazing! Thanks for your fantastic feedback and review! Happy cooking!
I also had the burn notice – and the stuck-on food in the pot. My Instant Pot is a brand new model, if that makes any difference.
The recipe came out great after I finished scraping it off the bottom of the pan twice.
I will make this recipe again anyway! thanks for posting it!!
I don’t understand what green lentils add to this dish…..protein yes. Flavor ??
They don’t really add much flavor, no. They are added protein and fiber and just make the dish more filling. They also give the sauce a “meaty” texture. You don’t have to use them though.
Actually, ignore my previous comment! I typed too soon! After I stirred the cooked pasta and let it sit a bit in the warm instant pot, it completely finished cooking perfectly and it was a really good dish! I stirred in some chopped fresh spinach until it wilted, also.
I made this and did exactly what you said but my noodles didn’t cook all the way. It was a pack of spaghetti that even had a 9 minute cook time. Do you know what could have gone wrong?
Do you know or have an idea how much water I should add if I want to double the noodles (16oz total) but keep it still to one jar of sauce?
You could try doubling the water as well (4 cups total) just to be on the safe side, but I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure if it will work or not.
Hi,
I love this recipe and made it many times! If I want to double the recipe, should I just double all the ingredients? Won’t I get the burn notice?
Thanks!
I haven’t tried doubling the recipe, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. The recipe is enough to feed my family of 5 for dinner, usually with leftovers! Let me know how it turns out for you if you double the recipe!
I used mushrooms that I put in the food processor . My wife doesn’t like lentils ! This came out so good ! I’m so surprised 😯 Definitely a keeper !
I’m thrilled you loved the spaghetti! Thanks for sharing your fantastic idea and feedback!
Easy, fast, and delicious!! Definitely make it with some of Nora’s amazing garlic bread!!
Thank you so much, Mariam!
I added mushrooms and green peppers and used not the lentils (not anti-lentil lol), but Beyond Meatballs. I was so skeptical, but it was a hit. I love using one pot! Thanks Nora!
That sounds delicious, Tiffany! Thanks so much for your feedback and review!
Can I add mushrooms and green peppers you think?
Yes, absolutely!
*sigh* add me to the list of those who got the burn notice
I was very sceptical of this recipe, thinking that it wouldn’t work with the noodles cooking properly, but i have made many of your recipes in the past, and they have all turned out great. I trusted your recipe, and it turned out amazing! I followed the recipe exactly, except I used canned chickpeas instead of lentils because that’s what I had in the cupboard. Delicious! Thanks Nora!
Hi Krista. You are welcome! I’m glad you tried the recipe and loved it! Thank you for your wonderful feedback and review! I appreciate you using my recipes!
I made this exactly as the recipe described and served it with garlic bread and salad. 10/10 so delicious, easy and simple! Nora is my go-to for every recipe
Hi Kayla. Thank you for your kind words and great feedback! I’m so glad you are loving my recipes! Thanks for using them!
Wow, my kids and I really enjoyed that, I used a can of lentils and only passata with some herbs and spices chucked in and we all loved it- I am gonna freeze for my work lunch as I got leftovers, cheers.
I’m so glad you and your kids loved the spaghetti! Thank you for your amazing feedback!
Can I use lentil spaghetti or chickpea pasta? Thank you
Yes, both should work just fine here. Enjoy!
This was amazing. And, easy just as the recipe described. I made it on a boat trip for 5 of us and everyone loved it. They said it was way better than boiled pasta. Thank you.
A boat trip sounds wonderful! It must be warm where you are! Thank you for taking time to share your fantastic review and comments! I’m glad the spaghetti was a hit!
So good! I added a couple of diced carrots and a stalk of diced celery. I did not precook the lentils, just added 1/2 cup raw with an additional cup of vegetable broth. I used whole wheat spaghetti and pressure cooked for 9 minutes as the recipe recommends. It came out perfectly! Will definitely be making this again!
I’m so glad the spaghetti turned out perfect for you! Thank you for sharing your fantastic review and comments!
I love learning how to use my instant pot for vegan dishes like this. Thank you for posting it. I always modify by adding more veggies with any recipe I can. For this I add 2 bell peppers, 2 cups frozen chopped spinach and 3 diced carrots. I also use 1 cup dry green lentils, thoroughly rinsed, along with 1 cup of water in place of 2 cups of canned or cooked lentils. It is so easy and turns out wonderfully!
Hi Martha! I’m glad you you loved the spaghetti recipe! There really are lots of great ways to use the instant pot – and it’s so handy and quick! I appreciate you taking time to share your wonderful review and comments! Thank you!
How would you suggest adjusting the cook time for angel hair pasta vs spaghetti?
You should only need to set the cook time for between 3 to 5 minutes, but I haven’t tried it, so it’s hard to say what time is best.
Would this recipe work with say, penne pasta? Also, my Rao’s sauce is 32oz, would I just use 1 cup of water to deglaze? Thanks!!
Yes, it should work just fine. Correct.
Really good. Loved that it was saucy & not dry noodles. Definitely would make again.
I’m glad you liked the spaghetti! Thank you for sharing your review!
This is delicious, but doesn’t work in the instant pot. I followed the recipe. Burn notice. I dumped everything out, scrubbed the pan and tried again with a large can of diced tomatoes to add more liquid. Burn notice again. But the pasta was nearly cooked by that time anyway.
That is so frustrating, I’m sorry to hear you kept getting the burn message. It always works for me, in both my Instant Pots, but from what I understand some models are constantly giving people a burn message with certain foods. The best thing to try is to scrape every bit stuck to the bottom, but it sounds like you did that.
In other recipes I’ve made that are similar they say not to stir. I wonder if that would help?
I tried this recipe the other night. I’ve been looking for a good vegetarian spaghetti recipe for some time and this one was excellent. Followed the instructions exactly, even for cooking the lentils from scratch, and it turned out lovely!
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Isela! I’m so glad you loved the spaghetti! Thanks a lot for taking your time to share your kind review! I appreciate it.
Nora – Any chance you’ve added vegan ground beefless crumbles or a meatless ball inside the IP? I was wondering how they’d hold up?
I have used vegan ground meat before instead of lentils and it worked well. I haven’t tried a meatless ball, but if they are store bought (not bean based balls that mush easily) they will probably be fine in there. Thanks!
I made this tonight and it was a huge hit with my family! Teenagers, hubby and I all loved it! It was so easy to prep and then just set the instant pot, I will definitely put this recipe in my frequent rotation! Thanks for another winner, Nora!
I’m so happy to hear your family enjoyed the instant pot spaghetti! I love how easy this is, and my whole family actually likes it, too. 🙂 Thank you!