Instant Pot spaghetti marinara
Spaghetti and marinara cooked together in one pot, so the noodles soak up the sauce and there’s no colander to wash.
- 25 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $1.37 a serving
- 600 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb spaghetti, broken in half
- 1 jar marinara sauce, 24 oz
- ½ cup grated parmesan, to serve
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3½ cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Each serving has about 600 calories, 21 g protein, 102 g carbs and 12 g fat, and costs about $1.37 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No spaghetti? Fettuccine works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Set the Instant Pot to , add the oil and garlic, and cook 1 minute, stirring, . Press Cancel.
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Timer: 1 min
Pour in the water and salt and scrape the bottom so nothing is stuck.
Dolly’s tip: Anything stuck to the bottom can set off the burn warning, so give it a good scrape.Break the spaghetti in half and scatter it into the pot in a crisscross pile so the strands don’t clump.
Pour the marinara over the top and sprinkle on the Italian seasoning. Don’t stir.
Dolly’s tip: Keeping the thick sauce on top and the water underneath is what stops it from scorching.Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing, and pressure cook on high for 7 minutes.
Timer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: It takes about 10 minutes to come up to pressure before the countdown starts. That’s normal.When it beeps, carefully turn the valve to Venting with a long spoon, keeping your hand and face away from the steam.
Open the lid and stir well, separating any clumps with tongs. Let it sit 2 minutes, and the sauce will as it stands.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Timer: 2 min
Serve with parmesan and of pepper flakes.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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30-minute dinners ›One-pan dinners ›What to make with pasta and parmesan ›