Instant Pot Million Dollar Spaghetti–spaghetti but a whole lot better. A ground beef sauce is served with spaghetti noodles and then cream cheese is stirred in for an ultimate creamy dinner. Kids and adults love this spaghetti!
Instant Pot Million Dollar Spaghetti
If you’re a fan of cream cheese you’ll love this recipe for Instant Pot cream cheese spaghetti. It’s all the goodness of spaghetti but better with the addition of cream cheese and a sprinkling of cheddar.
If you aren’t looking to serve a crowd this recipe can easily be halved. Just cut all the ingredients in half but keep the cooking time the same.
This is a good recipe to make for a neighbor or friend. Just pile the spaghetti into a glass baking dish and sprinkle with the cheese and then stick it in the oven to melt the cheese. It looks like a fancy time-consuming casserole but really it only took you 15 minutes. Add a salad and some garlic bread and you’re all set.
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What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?
To make Instant Pot Cream Cheese Spaghetti I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.
PrintInstant Pot Million Dollar Spaghetti
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
Description
Spaghetti but a whole lot better. A ground beef sauce is served with spaghetti noodles and then cream cheese is stirred in for an ultimate creamy dinner. Kids and adults love this spaghetti!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3 cups water
- 1 lb thin spaghetti, uncooked (I used whole wheat)
- 1 (24 oz) jar or can spaghetti sauce
- 8 oz cream cheese, cubed
- 1 cup grated cheddar
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to the saute function. When the display says hot add in the ground beef. Break the meat up with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle in the salt and garlic powder. Brown the meat. Drain off any excess grease.
- Pour the water into the pot. Break the spaghetti noodles in half and add them into the pot in a criss cross pattern. Push the noodles down a bit. Pour the spaghetti sauce evenly over the top.
- Cover the Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to “sealing.” Set the manual/pressure cook button to 3 minutes. When the 3 minutes is up let the pot sit there for 5 minutes and then move the valve to “venting.”
- Stir in the cream cheese until it is melted. Sprinkle the cheddar on top and serve.
Notes
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*.
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Jeanie says
Another delicious recipe, Karen! The cream cheese really makes it delicious. I made only one change. I used linguini instead of spaghetti and it cooked just fine.
Karen says
Good to know linguine works just as well 🙂
Karen Littlefield says
My husband loved this! I used Jovial GF spaghetti, Rao’s Sensitive Stomach sauce, Turkey Italian sausage & halved the cream cheese per other reviews. Cooked two minutes. A little clumping.
About 2 2/3 cups of water as there were only 14 ounces in the package. Seemed too wet to begin with, but great after leaving the cheddar melt. Will definitely cook this again. Thanks, Karen!
Karen says
Good tips for GF! Thanks!
Jaime says
Another win with this recipe! My spaghetti was clumped together in some spots, so I cooked it an extra 2 minutes w/5 min release. All good. It was VERY thick, should I add more water? (I used 1/2 recipe for two of us) If I used 1/2 water and 1/2 beef stock,/broth would that work? I love the idea of adding onions & mushrooms when sautéing, and the idea of Boursin Cheese 😀
Karen says
yes when I halve the recipe I use half of everything but if it was very thick you could definitely add more water!
Gout sufferer says
This recipe looks and sounds amazing but I was just wondering if anyone has tried this with a non tomato based pasta sauce like Alfredo or pesto and had similar results or would it get too rich and creamy?
Johanna Morgan says
My favorite! Whenever I make Spaghetti this is the only way I make it!
Karen says
I agree! Thanks for the 5 stars!
Debi says
I chopped up a whole onion and cooked it up with the hamburger. I used granulated garlic, Jane’s crazy mixed up salt and Italian seasonings, a teaspoon each. Added 1 1/2 cups of beef broth, 1 1/2 cups of water, also one can of sliced mushrooms. I usually do fresh, but I didn’t have any on hand. This cooked up perfectly, the spaghetti noodles were just right. Stirred in the 8 ounces of cream, cheese and topped with grated jack cheese and olives. I never would’ve thought of adding cream cheese to spaghetti, but it was very good. Family approved.
Karen says
Sounds like an amazing version Debi!
Wayne Thomason says
For those who state that their pasta is undercooked and there’s too much liquid, I haven’t tried this recipe yet but if a pasta recipe isn’t quite done, put the lid back on and pressure cook on high for zero minutes (yes, “0 minutes”). This will heat just enough to bring everything back up to pressure and then the heat shuts off. Then you can either quick release or give it a minute or so to naturally release the pressure before doing a quick release. I’ve salvaged an occasional “undercooked” meal by doing this.
Karen says
Cool! Thanks for the tip!
Frances Massa says
I made this recipe last night for dinner. I did let it sit for 5 minutes or maybe a little more. But it came out really liquidy, but it did get better, after being in the refrigerator overnight. Did I do something wrong? Do you really add 3 cups of water and 24 oz. of spaghetti sauce? Maybe I didn’t add enough spaghetti and I used whole wheat spaghetti. Thanks for your help.
Karen says
Hi Frances, Sometimes that happens. Did you weigh out the spaghetti or just eyeball it?
Frances Massa says
Hi Karen,
I eyeballed the amount of spaghetti. I also used whole wheat spaghetti. I’ll just cook a little more on the stove and then mix it in.
Thanks for your help.
Kim says
Absolutely delicious! I used Impossible meat so I added a tsp of olive oil to brown the meat and added some black pepper in with the garlic powder and salt. Used a little less than 4 oz of cream cheese and it was still perfectly creamy. This is exactly the kind of IP recipe I love. Thank you!
Karen says
I love that idea! Thanks for sharing. Thanks so much for the 5 stars, Kim!
Jason says
This one is constantly requested by my parter! It’s so easy to make too I definitely don’t mind. The only thing we change is sometimes we use shells or elbows instead of spaghetti noodles which tend to clump together a bit. Quick, easy ,delicious. What more could you ask for?
Karen says
Thanks so much for the 5 stars Jason!
Mark says
Quick, easy, delicious .
Prepared recipe as written except used 4 oz. of cream cheese as suggested in a review.
Next time will cut back to 2 oz. cream cheese as 4 oz. was almost too rich for us. We loved this dish. It is rich and satisfying. Definitely going in the rotation and all done in the instant pot , no mess on the stove. Thanks for this winner.
Karen says
Thanks Mark! So glad to hear it!
Brooke says
My noodles werent done (wheat) but I did double the meat, do you think that’s why?
Karen says
My pasta rule of thumb is to take the cooking minutes on the back of the pasta box divide by 2 and subtract 2 minutes. How many minutes does it say to cook on the wheat noodles?
Julie Brennan says
Can I double this receipe if I have an eight quart?
Karen says
yes you can 😊
Andrea Delong says
I have been looking for this recipe even before I got my instant pot. Glad to have found it brings back find childhood memories of potluck get togethers at the VFW for Memorial day, Veterans day, and Fourth of July. Thank you so much for this recipe as when I took the first bite it took me back to when I was a kid with the exact same taste. My daughter even said she likes it better than regular spaghetti.
Karen says
Ahhh so glad it could bring back memories. I love how food can do that.
Andrea says
If I’m having any of these recipes does the cook time change? There is only two of us and one of which is a picky eater.
Karen says
It should not change the cooking time: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-halve-instant-pot-recipes/
Jayleen says
Do you have to brown the hamburger?
Karen says
No, but it won’t taste as good without browning it. Also if you choose not to brown use extra lean ground beef or it will be too greasy.
Kathleen says
First of all I want to say that I have loved all your recipes that I have tried so far. Thanks for posting them. My question is that my finicky husband has to have meatballs in his spaghetti as well as the ground beef, so how would I add in the meatballs (they are frozen packaged italIan meatballs, any suggestions?
Karen says
I would just add them in with everything else. Should work just fine!
Jo says
This is a GO TO recipe of mine! I’ve made it before and it always turns out great. Today I made it with ground turkey (also sauteed a white onion), italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, pasta sauce, diced sun dried tomatoes, and farfalle pasta instead of spaghetti. Also, after stirring in the cream cheese, I used 2 cups of grated parmesan cheese, instead of cheddar. Nom! Nom!
Karen says
I’d say NOM NOM too!
JoAnne L says
Can I substitute spaghetti squash for the pasta? I’m diabetic and doc says to stay away from pasta.
Karen says
I would use this recipe to make the spaghetti squash first: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/instant-pot-spaghetti-squash/
Then I would shred up the spaghetti squash and stir in the other ingredients using the saute setting on your Instant Pot. No need to add the liquid since you are not using pasta.
Marcy Martinez says
I’m so glad this question was asked. when I grew up in the 80s my aunt used to make me spaghetti squash I. thr pressure cooker, it was one of my MOST favorite meals. I saved the SS recipe, can’t wait to try it! Thank you!
I’m making this spaghetti recipe now, i doubled it. Smells so good, I used medium shells instead of spaghetti noodles, gonna stir in about a cup of ricotta cheese with the 16oz of cream cheese. We butcher our own cows, so our ground beef is SUPER lean, so no draining required, I have to add in a tablespoon of olive oil to brown it, added a diced large yellow onion and 3 cloves of fresh minced garlic.
I’ll let you know how it is! Thank you, you will be my go to for instapot recipes, I’ve only had it a month, and don’t know how I lived w/o it.
🧡 from East Tennessee 🧡
Karen says
Thanks so much for comments Marcy! Your version will be superb, I’m sure of it!
DG says
Do you think I could use Boursin Garlic and Herb cheese in place of the cream cheese?
Karen says
yes I think that would be wonderful!
Brian says
If I want to half the recipe I would half the water, wouldn’t I?
Karen says
Yes 🙂
Justine says
Can I just say that my favorite part of this recipe post was that I did not have to wade through a million popups and ads to get to the meat. THANK YOU FOR THAT. But besides that the recipe itself turned out great and is a winner for my family!
Karen says
Nice! Glad you liked it 🙂
Britni says
I’m new to cooking with an instant pot. I have a large family and need to double this recipe. Do I double cooking time?
Karen says
Nope! https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-double-instant-pot-recipes/
Aimi says
This may sound ridiculous, but do I take the meat out before doing the noodles?
Carol says
Nope , all goes in together. Awesome. Spaghetti ! Too easy! ☺
Karen says
Nope you can just keep the meat in the pot!
Dawn says
Please suggest GF noodles and cooking times for those of us who are GF.
Bonnie S says
Pretty sure there would be no change in cooking times.
MommaC says
If you are GF, I believe the decision should be on you. Her recipe is stated. Need to change it for YOUR dietary choices/restrictions? Then change it.
Pixybrat says
I think that the person was SUGGESTING an added note if there is a cooking time difference if gluten free pasta is used. I don’t see any demands
Kathryn says
After you cook the dinner, and serve it, can you freeze the leftovers?
Karen says
Yes you can!
Sharon says
Used only 4 oz. of cream cheese and it was plenty. Added sliced mushrooms on top of the spaghetti, and stirred in spinach at the end.
Karen says
Yum yum! I love this one. And the spinach idea is great!
Kim Campbell says
It was quick and delicious. Everyone loved it!
Karen says
Glad you liked it Kim!
Charlene K. Gibson says
Really yummy,,, hubby liked it as did I. Served with garllc bread and a green salad. Plenty of leftovers, even better tasting than the first time. Did substitute a can of tomatoe sauce for one of the cups of watrr.
Karen says
Awesome! And good idea on the tomato sauce. Yum!
Brooke says
My noodles werent done (wheat) but I did double the meat, do you think that’s why?
PamE says
I do the same thing using tomato sauce in place of some of the water and I add in some Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. I like things savory and spicy.
Leslie says
I made this without the meat, and the noodles weren’t quite done….would you recommend adding a minute or 2 into the cooking time? Thanks!
Karen says
Yes I would try that next time Leslie!
Billie Sheeran says
I tried this but pasta wasn’t done so cooked it for another 4 minutes.
Karen says
Good to know thanks for sharing your experience.
aubray says
I had the same experience, it may have been because we dont eat, so no beef was added.
Julie says
Anyone tried this with rice noodles? I know they tend to be more foamy. Curious if this would turn out. I have some GF friends.
Gail says
All time favorite! Best ever!
Karen says
Glad you liked it Gail!
Michelle Vogt says
This is our go to meal! My 2 year old son LOVES it and could eat it every night if I let him! Thank you for all your amazing recipes!
Karen says
How fun Michelle! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Dessa says
Do you know how I would adjust times and measurements for an 8qt instapot?
Karen says
Hi Dessa, I would keep everything the same! It should turn out perfectly. Enjoy!
Wanda says
I used penne because that’s all I had and cooked for 5 minutes in my pressure cooker. No clumping. I also added extra seasonings because I just had a can of plain tomato sauce. It was perfect. Great recipe! Thanks!
Wanda says
Oh and I also used 1/2 a tub of herb and garlic cream cheese because it’s all I had. Yum!
Karen says
I like all these ideas! Sounds great!
Moriaelini says
Have made this a couple times, once with ground pork and another time with ground italian chicken sausage. Both times it was a resounding success with my kids and spouse, heh.
Karen says
AWESOME!
Tricia Sherwin says
My kids go crazy over this and it’s super simple to make. Great recipe for pleasing the littles.
Karen says
Yes!
Karen says
I’m going to try this with Chicken instead of ground beef and the Classico Alfredo sauce. Will serve with Parm instead of Cheddar. Could even add in some Spinach at the end in lieu of the cream cheese step. Just an experiment.
Karen says
Sounds like a good experiment to me!
Paula baldo says
Hi, was wondering what you mean by venting?
Karen says
Your Instant Pot has two settings for the valve. Sealing and venting. When you want to release the pressure you move the valve to venting.
Piper says
Would you change the time if using a different noodle, like elbow?
Phyllis says
I haven’t cooked this because of the high number of calories and carbs. Is there some way to get the same goodness and creaminess with fewer calories and carbs?
Karen says
Perhaps using lower fat cream cheese. But the carbs are going to be high no matter what because it’s pasta. You could always make a spaghetti squash instead.
Karen says
I’d do 4-5 minutes for macaroni.
Tracey says
Some of my spaghetti clumped together did I do something wrong I added everything that the recipe called for
Karen says
Sometimes that happens with spaghetti. Did you fan them out?
Moriaelini says
Made this tonight with mild italian sausage instead of beef. WOW. My kids asked it be added to the regular dinner rotation, heh. I also subbed chicken broth for the water…well water with an Edward & Sons not-chicken bouillon cube in it. I always do this when I cook pasta in my instant pot though.
Karen says
I’m not familiar with Edward and Sons not chicken bouillon. Sounds interesting! Where do you get it?
Adam says
I like to cook in batches so I can have the whole weeks dinner ready. Would this be ok in the freezer in individual portions?
I was thinking I could bake it so the cheese is crispy. 200 for 10-15 minutes or so? Has anyone tried it?
Karen says
yes I think that would work really well!
Patty says
Can I use angel hair pasta instead of spaghetti and chicken instead of ground meat? Should I cook it for the same amount of time
Karen says
I would cut the cooking time down by 1-2 minutes for angel hair. You will need to cut the chicken into bite size pieces.
Susan M says
Or maybe use ground chicken/turkey??
Liz says
This is the best spaghetti I’ve ever had! The noodles cooked perfectly and the creaminess is amazing. Subscribing to your blog now!
Karen says
Glad you liked it Liz!
Tara says
Hi! I’ve made the recipe and we love it! Could you help me adopt it for regular spaghetti and frozen meatballs without the cream cheese? The other recipes that I have tried come out with watery sauce, and not enough noodles (half a box) to feed our family of four. I use a 6 qt Instant Pot. Thanks for any help!
Karen says
Hi Tara, I have had the same issues as you! I need to try again. I’ve tried like 3 separate times and it never turns out well for me.
Jamie says
Do you put the ground beef back in with noodles?
Karen says
yes
Kim says
I make this recipe all the time in the insta pot. It has become a favorite in my house. After it’s done I put it in the oven with cheddar cheese on top till it melts and browns.
Karen says
Nice! So glad you like it!
Cheryl says
If I substitute Zoodles for the spaghetti noodles you suggested to not cook the Zoodles in the Instant Pot. Would the 3 cups of water written in the recipe be totally eliminated as well?
Karen says
This is how I would cook it with zoodles:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 lb zoodles
1 (24 oz) jar or can spaghetti sauce
8 oz cream cheese, cubed
1 cup grated cheddar
1. Turn your Instant Pot to the saute function. When the display says hot add in the ground beef. Break the meat up with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle in the salt and garlic powder. Brown the meat. Drain off any excess grease.
2. Stir in the zoodles and spaghetti sauce. Heat through using the saute setting. Add in the cream cheese in little chunks and stir until melted. Add in the cheddar and serve.
Cheryl says
Would this recipe work to substitutie Zoodles for the pasta?
Karen says
I would not cook zoodles in the Instant Pot because they will get overcooked. You could however cook them on the saute setting.
Cheryl says
This is my first recipe I’m trying with my brand new Instant Pot. I am using 1 lb. Ground beef and 24 oz. Sauce, as stated in the recipe. But only 8 oz. (1/2 lb.) noodles. Should I half the water?
Karen says
yes halve the water!
Miranda says
This was the easiest thing I have made in a while. It was really good! I substituted already cooked chicken breast for beef. And it was still good!
Karen says
That does sound really good!
Stacy says
I had large clumps of undercooked noodles in spite of trying to stir them around before cooking. What did I do wrong?
Karen says
Hmmmm, I’m not sure! Was is spaghetti?
Adam says
Not the original poster but I also had this happen to me. I just stirred the spaghetti and left the uncooked noodles at the bottom, closed the lid and left it in there for another 5 minutes. After that everything was good.
Dee Hall says
Karen, I have someone in my household that has acid reflux, so no tomatoes–I used chicken breasts that I browned-added garlic powder, Italian spices to meat, same water, spaghetti, one can of mushroom soup, one can of cream of celery instead of marinara sauce, then added cream cheese and cheddar cheese. It was delicious. I also added some broccoli and sautéed onions. I will add some mushrooms next time.
So quick and easy.
Karen says
Sounds amazing!
Megan says
Thank you so much for all your recipes! I love each and everyone I’ve tried (5-6 so far). I made this dish with marinara last weekend and then tried one of the commenters suggestions to sub cream of mushroom and celery this weekend. Both were delicious and fed my family for multiple nights! Thank you.
Marsha says
Did you brown the beef first? And do you think this would work with frozen ground beef?
Karen says
In the first step I did brown the beef. I would cook the frozen meat for 5 minutes on a trivet with a cup of water in the bottom. Then I would brown it and follow the recipe as it is written.
Brenda Bates says
Walked in from work at 5:10 and was eating dinner at 6 p.m. Really good and fast and hubby approved. I had some WW zero point marinara in the freezer that I used for the spaghetti sauce and subbed 1/3 fat cream cheese. It was all very good and since there are only two of us, I have a container for another meal and a container for the freezer. Thanks for another keeper!
Karen says
That is fantastic Brenda! I love it!
loretta says
Tried to cut it half wasnt good
Rose says
Could you tell me your preference in spaghetti sauce?
Karen says
I am not picky but I do like the Classico brand.
Brenda Bates says
“If you’re a fan of cream cheese ….” – you mean there are people who aren’t? LOL
Cannot wait to try this one – looks perfect for a busy weeknight. Thanks again for all the wonderful recipes!
Karen says
People that don’t like cream cheese are not my people.
Brenda Bates says
LOL – right!
Ella says
How would you recommend cooking this if you don’t have an instant pot?
Karen says
I would do it on the stove top. Boil the noodles and drain. Brown the meat in a skillet add in the noodles and sauce. Stir in the cream cheese. Very easy!
Jessa says
Can this be done instead with a slow cooker? If so, at what temp, and how long for cook time? Thank you!
Karen says
Pasta turns out gloopy in the slow cooker. I would make it on the stove top if I were you 🙂
barbara says
How much water do I use if I reduce all of the other ingredients in half for 4 servings?
Karen says
half the amount of water too. So 1 1/2 cups.