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!
Recipe 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.
Jessica Neely
I doubled the recipe and used canned lentils. The pasta was still a little firm so I had to turn it back on for 2 minutes. After that, it was perfect! Very yummy recipe!
Nora
So glad it worked out for you! Doubling the recipe is likely what caused it to need a few more minutes. Good to know, thanks!
Heather
Hi Nora,
Just curious as to why you used cooked lentils. Is there a way to cook the lentils with the rest of the ingredients?
Nora
I don’t know of a way to cook it altogether. For this recipe I usually purchase pre-cooked lentils to keep it super simple!
Nicole
This is my favorite instant pot dish so far! It was perfect!
Nora
That’s fantastic!
Lyndsay
Hi,
Could I simply half the recipe to feed 2 people?
If so, are timings the same?
Thanks
Nora
You probably could though I haven’t tried it. I think the time would be the same, just half the ingredients.
Jesse
What setting do you use on your IP. Mine wont do manual adjusted, you have to select a setting like rice or soup
Nora
I just use the manual or “high” setting.
Diane
I cooked my own lentils and made a sauce. My mistake was using linguine which used up more of the liquid and need maybe 10-11 mins. However, it still turned out yummy after some adjustments. I will stick with spaghetti next time. 🙂
Alissa
Hi Nora, mine didn’t come out at all. I followed the recipe exactly and it is like runny soup and the noodles aren’t cooked. I’m sure I did something wrong but I don’t know what.
I decided to cook it 4 more minutes and see if that would help.
Nora
Sorry this didn’t work out for you! Were the noodles submerged when you pressure cooked it? If not they wouldn’t cook or absorb the liquid so it makes sense you would end up with runny liquid and uncooked noodles.
Adria
I’ve had problems, like this, happen to me before; I discovered I had forgotten to put the silicone seal back on after cleaning the lid! LOL! *head-desk*
Can’t wait to make this, Nora! I’m making one or two modifications, because I Eat Nutritarian, but I’m excited to have some pasta again.
Nora
Thanks Adria! I hope you enjoy it! I haven’t tried it with a ‘bean’ pasta yet, but I bet it would work. Maybe less time in the Instant Pot though.
Sophie B
This is delicious and easy to make. I tried it with gluten free pasta and it was kind of a disaster, the noodles clumped together into a few giant logs. But, I then chopped them up and cooked them one minute longer in the IP and it was fine. Next time I will experiment with stirring them more.
andrea
Do you suggest increasing tge time if I use whole wheat spaghetti? Thanks!
Nora
I have made it with whole wheat spaghetti and I use the same time. Works well! Thanks.
John
This was quite good. I used the Instant Pot to first cook the lentils, quick-released the pressure and removed the lentils to a bowl, then followed your recipe (with a little onion powder and garlic powder), returning the now-cooked lentils to the pot after sauteeing the chopped onion and garlic. Fantastic!
Pam
Hello Nora! Love your Instagram feed! Do you have a version that doesn’t involve an Instant Pot but normal pots and pans? Thanks!
Nora
Thank you so much, Pam! I have a recipe for Spaghetti and Vegan Meatballs you might like. Of course, you could always make this recipe without an Instant Pot, it will taste a bit different, but similar. I’d cook the spaghetti noodles separate, then drain. Meanwhile, saute the onion, then add the lentils and marinara. Add the cooked noodles and stir, and you have basically the same meal. 🙂
Lewis Johnson
That Spaghetti looks amazing.
Leigh
Just want to clarify – in the body of your post, you say add 2 cups of water in the beginning, add the marinara and then a last step of adding 2 more cups of water for a total of 4 cups of water. In the recipe, there is only 2 cups added at the beginning. Which is correct? Thanks for your help – recipe sounds yummy!
Nora
Sorry about that Leigh! I have updated the body of the post to fix that error. So add 2 cups of water at the beginning, the noodles, then the marinara sauce. Do not add another 2 cups of water after that. Hope that helps clarify! Enjoy!
Erin
Made this last night and the flavor was pretty good. I doubled the recipe and did get a burning message. I used spinach noodles and they were mush by the time everything came together. My kids wouldn’t touch it but my husband and I just scooped it onto some crusty bread and it was fine. Will try it again and see how it goes. 🙂
Nora
I find it works best with either regular old white pasta or whole wheat. The other kinds get really mushy. 🙂 Thanks Erin!
Beverly
I made this last night and hubby (who doesn’t like beans) said it was really good… two teenage girls also said to add it to the dinner rotation! Win Win!
Nora
That sounds like quite a win! Thank you!
Laura
Mine gave me a burn warning three times, so i kept opening and stirring. By the time it had given me a burn warning for the 4th time, the noodles were done. But by that point, I had been cooking for what seemed like forever. I like the final product and will make it with lentils again. But next time Ill be cooking it on the stove.
Nora
Hi Laura, I’m sorry you kept getting the burn warning, how frustrating. After doing some research, I’ve discovered some things you can do to help avoid that message. I’ve changed the instructions slightly that involve pouring the water in after you saute the onion, garlic and lentils. De-glaze the pot by scraping with a spatula (apparently any little stuck on bits may make the burn warning appear.) Then layer your noodles, pour the marinara sauce on and push the noodles down into the liquid, but don’t stir. I believe this will help that not to happen again! If you keep getting burn warnings, read through this article, which I found very helpful!
Kristin
Hi! What brand of green lentils did you use?? Thanks!!
Nora
I usually use the already cooked lentils at Trader Joe’s for this recipe, but sometimes I first cook the lentils from dry to use. I use any brand, usually from bulk bins at my local store. 🙂 Any green or brown will work.
Melissa
Would this recipe freeze well??
Nora
I don’t think it would, sorry. The noodles would be too mushy when you reheat it.
Bella Marin
My sister was in town last weekend (skeptical of my vegan lifestyle) and I made her this instant pot spaghetti, she absolutely adored it.
Nora
Yay! So glad she liked it, I LOVE this version of spaghetti!
Jo
Have you doubled the recipe for more servings? If so, are there problems?
Nora
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!
Nancy Nurse
Do you have problems with the tomato sticking and having the pot make those horrible beeps telling you that it’s burning on the bottom?
Nora
I have never had this problem, but I am aware that some people do get those messages (thought I haven’t heart it about this particular recipe). I’ve heard that people with the newer models are getting more “burn” messages, but I never have!
Ashley Hoober
I also have this problem with my instant pot! So weird.
Mike
Same problem here. Got burn warning. Opened, stirred, and tried again. My thinking was lentils burnt and sticking to bottom. Got burn warning again. Opened, stirred/scraped lentils, tried again.
Third time was the charm, but by that time, at least half the cooking was done, so timing was off by the time it finally started cooping with full pressure and now warnings.
Val
I always cook my lentils in my instant pot first. I use them also in vegan sloppy joes.
Nora
That’s a pretty quick and easy way to cook your own, for sure!