20 Minute Instant Pot Meatballs and Spaghetti

Delicious Instant Pot Meatballs and Spaghetti on the table in 20 minutes?! This isn’t a drill. Up your weeknight dinner game with this delicious crowd pleasing favourite.

Around here, dinner prep time is at a premium. I love making recipes that taste like they’ve been simmering for hours but are on the table in less than 30 minutes.

The Instant Pot is the perfect appliance for quick delicious with loads of flavours. Check out these other soul warming pressure cooker recipes Thai Red Curry Chicken Soup or Peanut Butter Chicken Curry.

20 Minute Instant Pot Meatballs and Spaghetti

That 4 pm Dinner Dilemma…Solved! Gather up a few simple pantry ingredients then combine them with fresh minced beef, basil, and grape tomatoes for a lightning quick weekday dinner.

The rich flavours of the sauce and ground beef combine perfectly with the acid of the tomatoes. A generous amount of chili flakes adds a little heat for those who like it.

Classic dried herbs such as oregano and basil, along with fresh basil combine with aromatic garlic and onions to create a quick dish bursting with flavour.

• lean ground beef
• passata
• garlic cloves
• onion
• fresh basil
• grape or cherry tomatoes
• dried oregano
• chili flakes
• bread crumbs
• egg
• salt and pepper
• spaghetti

Instant Pot Meatball Ingredients

Lean Ground Beef is essential for this dish, otherwise use ground turkey or chicken as a substitute.

Passata is a great item to always stock in your pantry. Make your own with fresh Roma Tomatoes using my Passata Recipe or buy it from the store.

Garlic. It is tempting to use dried ground garlic but it can often be overpowering in flavour. Use fresh garlic whenever possible.

Basil. Fresh is best. Use dried as a substitute. Create a chiffonade by stacking the fresh leaves, then rolling them together to make a tube. Slice thinly with a sharp knife.

Bread Crumbs. Fresh fine bread crumbs are the best but you can substitute crushed crackers or even crushed Rice Krispies for a gluten free version.

How to Make a Quick Instant Pot Tomato Sauce

This sauce is so easy to throw together it will become your go-to Instant Pot tomato sauce from here on in. Use the best ingredients and your sauce will be most excellent in flavour.

It really is just as easy as adding the first seven recipe card ingredients into the Instant Pot. As I mentioned, if you use quality ingredients they will shine together in this sauce.

How to Make Instant Pot Meatballs

 Begin by getting salted pasta water boiling on the stove. Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions.

Lightly mix the meatball ingredients together in a bowl. Be careful not to overwork them as this will make them tough and dense.

Spoon a heaping tablespoon of meat mixture and roll it into a ball using the palms of your hands. Drop the formed meatball into the sauce waiting in the Instant Pot. Repeat until all the meat formed into meatballs.

Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and close the valve. Using the manual feature on the Instant Pot, add 15 minutes to the timer and set the pressure to high.

Make Ahead Instant Pot Meatballs

These meatballs are a great make ahead option too! This recipe freezes really well so feel free to double the recipe and you’ll have dinner for another day.

If your family hasn’t gobbled them all up, these meatballs keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. They are really easy to reheat too. Just place them in a saucepan, cover and gently warm up to temperature.