Instant Pot Homemade Spaghetti Sauce–a meaty pressure cooker spaghetti sauce that only takes 10 minutes under pressure to taste like a sauce that has simmered all day. I like to serve this sauce over any pasta or over spaghetti squash.
Get the SLOW COOKER version of the recipe here
Instant Pot Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Whenever I ask my son what he would like to eat for dinner he says spaghetti. I often just use jarred sauce but I thought it would be fun to mix things up and make a homemade spaghetti sauce in my Instant Pot. It was almost just as easy as opening a jar, and I liked the taste better. I also love knowing what’s going into my food.
I know many homemade spaghetti sauce recipes call for ground beef but I wanted something with a bit more flare so I used ground Italian sausage. I also used a combination of crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes. Plus plenty of seasonings. We served this over spaghetti squash, which we also cooked in an Instant Pot (a separate one). I had hoped that I would be able to cook the sauce and the squash at the same time and in the same pot but there wasn’t enough room in my 6 quart for both. Luckily I have two Instant Pots!
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What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?
To make Instant Pot Homemade Spaghetti Sauce 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 Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups of sauce 1x
Description
A meaty pressure cooker spaghetti sauce that only takes 10 minutes under pressure to taste like a sauce that has simmered all day. I like to serve this sauce over any pasta or over spaghetti squash.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage (I use mild)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute and when the display says HOT add in the sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage and brown it for about 5 minutes. Add in the onion and let the onions soften for about 3 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the beef broth. Then add in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, basil, garlic powder, oregano and brown sugar.
- Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to “sealing.” Set the manual/pressure cook button to 10 minutes on high pressure. When the time is up let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes and then move the valve to venting.
- Remove the lid and stir the sauce. Discard the bay leaf. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve the sauce with pasta.
Notes
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*.
I cooked my spaghetti on the stove. I reserved a little of the pasta water, about 1/2 cup, and stirred it into the sauce. This helps the sauce stick to the pasta.
If you like a thicker sauce you can turn the Instant Pot to the saute function (less) and let it simmer for 10 or so minutes after it has pressure cooked.
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Instant Pot
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup of sauce
- Calories: 145
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 551 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Protein: 7 g
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*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.
Floyd says
Is there a way to make this kidney diet-friendly (low potassium)? I am on dialysis and love tomato-based spaghetti sauce. I just don’t know how to achieve this.
Karen says
I am not sure! But I just found this site that specializes in what you are asking https://www.thekidneydietitian.org/low-sodium-pasta-sauce/
Emily says
I keep coming back to this recipe because it is super easy and delicious!
Karen says
I’m so glad you liked it!!
Amanda Pittman says
Can I use strained tomatoes?
Karen says
Sure you could do that 🙂
Linda says
This is the absolute best IP spaghetti sauce version I’ve tried. I used ground beef in place of sausage and chicken broth in place of beef broth because that’s what I had on hand. I also added lots of fresh garlic after the onion and beef browning phase, and tweaked the dry spices slightly to our taste. After the PR I did an additional simmer for about 5 minutes and the texture was perfect for us.
I would also like to mention that to avoid the burn message, I’ve learned to add the tomato products on top and avoid stirring them in. They thoroughly mix while cooking so no worries that the ingredients won’t blend.
Karen says
So glad to hear it. Your version sounds wonderful! Good tip on the tomato products.
Linda says
This is the absolute best IP spaghetti sauce version I’ve tried. I used ground beef in place of sausage and chicken broth in place of beef broth because that’s what I had on hand. I also added lots of fresh garlic after the onion and beef browning phase, and tweaked the dry spices slightly to our taste. After the PR I did an additional simmer for about 5 minutes and the texture was perfect for us.
Jane says
After 46 years of making my trusted homemade spaghetti sauce recipe, I tried yours tonight because I love using the instant pot whenever possible. Yours is my new go to recipe. Absolutely delicious, perfect consistency! I used ground venison. Otherwise I followed your recipe exactly. Thank you so much.
Karen says
Wow what a compliment! Thanks Jane!!
Eden says
I’ve made this recipe twice now, and both times I got the “burn” alarm on my instant pot before it finished building up the pressure, I did the deglazing step both times. What am I doing wrong?
Karen says
are you stirring in the tomatoes or just dumping them on top. Don’t stir them in.
Kathy Lamb says
I made this using ground beef. I left out the beef broth and sugar and added green olives and some olive juice instead. I also added fresh tomatoes from our tomato plant. This was delicious.
Thank you so much for this recipe.
Karen says
Sounds like a great version!
Debbie says
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I used Venison burger and it was super tasty
Karen says
Awesome! I’ve never tried venison before. Glad to know it worked.
Misty says
This is my go-to spaghetti sauce, it’s incredible! After making this many times, I decided to double the recipe (6 qt.), and it came out way too watery and thin. Karen, should I have reduced one of the ingredients when doubling? Thanks for your help!
Karen says
Next time you double I would just use 1 cup of broth instead of 2. That should help!
Sharon says
Turned out really good. I added some fresh garlic once the onions were sauteed. Also used the garlic powder. I only used 3/4 cup beef broth since I read comments about it being too watery. It was still a bit watery, but it was resolved with the saute function at the end. I may try it using ground turkey Italian sausage next time.
Karen says
👍👍👍
SandyToes says
I prefer a smoother tomato base. Do you see any problems if I blend the crushed and diced tomatoes?
Karen says
That would be just fine!
Mike says
This sounds, and looks, a lot like my Mom’s spaghetti sauce recipe that I’ve been using for as long as I can remember. Except for the brown sugar, and the fact that I have to simmer it on the stove for about eight hours. I’m definitely going to try this.
Karen says
Haha! Yes this one will be much faster!
Karen says
Arrived home from work, and I really wanted spaghetti, but I didn’t want to go out to eat because of the pandemic. Googled instant pot spaghetti sauce and found this recipe. Quick and easy and delicious. Thank you!
Karen says
Thanks! I’m so glad you liked it!
Jackie Pash says
Hi Karen, I am loving all of your recipes. I made this spaghetti sauce. It had a great flavor but was way too thin. I had to saute after pressure cooking for a long time to get it thick enough. I was wondering if I drained the tomatoes before adding if that would help it be thicker? I didn’t have any crushed tomatoes so I used whole tomatoes and pureed them before adding. Maybe that was a mistake as the whole tomatoes had a lot of juice. Thanks for your thoughts and your recipes!
Karen says
Yes that was the mistake. Use crushed next time it will be plenty thick 🙂
Rebecca Mork says
I didn’t have any diced tomatoes, so I added a few chopped fresh tomatoes, 1 tsp fennel seed, and a 14 oz can of tomato sauce and a full (small) can of tomato paste, doubled brown sugar and added a pinch of baking soda. To cook with pasta in sauce, add 3 c. of water and 1 lb pasta–3 min high, natural pressure release 10 min.
Becki Williams says
I don’t have crushed tomatoes. Is there something I can substitute for them? Maybe tomato sauce or puree? Do I need to add more paste if using sauce or puree?
Karen says
Crushed tomatoes would be best. I would use diced tomatoes or puree if you can’t get crushed.
Ernest says
This is my favorite Instant Pot recipe so far. I use fire roasted crushed tomatoes and I double the tomato paste. The flavor is off the charts. Will never have off-the-shelf bottled spaghetti sauce again!
Karen says
Good call on the fire roasted! I can’t wait to try that.
Victoria says
Have you ever added spaghetti to the ssuce and pressure cooked it a 2nd time for 3 minutes? I wonder if that would work. My husband likes spaghetti in the Instant Pot. He says it reminds him of baked spaghetti. I have only tried it with basic jar sauce, though. This would taste much better.
Karen says
good question! I have not tried that! I know some people have trouble bringing tomato based dishes to pressure and getting the burn message. I am not sure if that’s what would happen or not but that would be my one concern.
Michael Schneider says
I put my Italian sausage on the bottom crisscross my spaghetti on top of that , then meatballs, and finally everything for the spaghetti sauce. Close and lock in lid, set pressure to high and time to 10 minutes. When done I let it set for 5 minutes, do a quick pressure release , remove lid and mix everything together. Yes, neither the sausage nor the meatballs are precooked. Everything cooks in 10 minutes, and the only thing left to clean is the instant pot
Maryann says
I followed recipe but didn’t have diced tomatoes. I also used cooked spaghetti squash and I followed Michaels suggestion and it came out perfect… Thicker sauce. Today, I added a cup more of beef broth and lentil pasta and it was delicious 😋
Karen says
Sounds awesome Maryann!
Daniella says
How much spaghetti?
Tara Hickenlooper says
Love this recipe! We have used it multiple times!
Art Underwood says
Our exchange student and Inmadebthis for the family last night. We also added some olive oil and used half sweet sausage and half regular itialian sausage. Wow!! Fantastic recipe!
Chef Joseph Williams says
I have a couple of comments… adding pasta water to the sauce will only serve to water down the sauce. The proper technique for this step is to drain the pasta, (reserving 1/2c per serving of pasta) add pasta to a saute pan with the 1/2 cup/svg reserved (and hopefully salted) water per serving and heat it until it starts to simmer. At this point, add in the desired amount of sauce and it will coat your pasta and stick like a dream.
Corn starch to thicken spaghetti sauce after the fact can create a gritty texture if not completely incorporated into the sauce thru heat. You will have a better finished product by turning on the saute function of the IP and reducing the sauce to desired consistency. Be sure to continually stir the sauce while reducing.
I like to deglaze with a dry red wine, personal preference. Also I will taste finished sauce and possibly add a bit more wine and a splash of good balsamic vinegar to brighten up the sauce with a bit of acid. I also prefer the color of the sauce with the addition of red wine over beef stock, but many people prefer the heartiness of beef stock. your call… Bon Appetite.
Tracey says
Very good recipe. I used half ground meat & half sausage. And because I didn’t have crushed tomatoes – just 2 big cans of diced — I puréed half a can of one of the cans without draining the liquid and subbed that in for the crushed. I used real garlic. Since I only had vegetable broth, I used that instead of beef broth but threw in a small handful of diced green pepper and sliced mushrooms to counteract the carrots veg broth.
Karen says
Sounds super tasty!
Becky says
Can you freeze what you don’t use for another day?
Karen says
Yes this is a great one to freeze!
Kathy says
should I make any adjustments if I am using the mini instant pot?
Karen says
You should be good. Just don’t go over max fill line.
Steve says
When I’m deglazing the Instant Pot do I first remove the sausage and onion I’ve already put in there?
Do I use the deglazing beef broth in the spaghetti sauce?
Karen says
No you don’t need to remove the sausage. Just pour the broth in and scrape any bits off the bottom of the pot. Then add in the rest of the ingredients. Leave the beef broth in the pot.
Vanessa Heaps says
I do not have beef broth can I throw in a beef bullion Cube or half of it what would you suggest?
Karen says
I’d add in 1 cup of water and a bouillon cube.
Tracee says
This sauce was wonderful! Only thing I would change is cooking the Italian sausage a little longer to pull out more grease, then drain it before cooking. It was super greasy.
It paired well with cheese tortellini. New family favorite!
Karen says
Glad you liked it. And good tip about the Italian sausage!
Elizabeth Glarner says
I shared this recipe with others, and all are loving the flavor of the sauce. My sister liked it better to blend the diced tomatoes and drained it as well. May sauce thicker. Also added some Tuscany olive oil at the end.
Karen says
good call on the olive oil! That sounds fantastic 🙂
Kathryn Barnes says
Hi
I doubled the recipe … hot the burn error 3 times … any idea why this might have happened? I’m new to Instant Pot cooking! Thanks x
Karen says
I’m sorry! What kind of pot are you using?
Erin says
If you receive the burn error, that usually means there is not enough liquid. Perhaps your sauce is too thick? You could try adding some broth or water (maybe 1/2 cup to 1 cup). You can always let the sauce reduce a bit after pressure release if the additional liquid made it too thin for your tastes.
Kirsten says
Yes, same here!!! First burn message yet, got it 3 times so far. Attempted more liquid and hoping it won’t burn notice again…maybe doubling is just too much for the 6qt
Kirsten says
Burn notice again!! It can’t be the liquid and I took all sauce out to scrape and clean bottom to be sure…must be the amount. Gonna simmer a while and hope it turns out
Christopher Marchand says
This was the first recipe I tried when I got my 8 qt IP last christmas, and it’s still my go-to for simple meatballs and spaghetti. I’ve also used Costco frozen meatballs which I heat in oven until they are nearly cooked (warm but *not* fully hot) and it works fine.
I also got burn notices for sauteeing things when cooking in a sauce, especially thick tomato sauces. But I’ve found that after sauteeing the meat, onions etc, turn off the sautee function and let the pot cool, cool enough to touch the pot. I usually remove the metal pot as well as adding the stock at this time, also which lower the pot temp faster.
Now, add the tomato sauce/paste etc and spices and give it a stir. Then, put meat on top but do not stir the meat into the sauce. Return the pot to cooker and pressure cook as normal.
I stopped getting burn notices after that. I’ve also used the trick for beef stew or anything dense else that sinks the bottom of a thick sauce. My theory is it’s either the (heavier) stirred meat not sinking and resting on the pot bottom, or a cooler pot to start with thus a more gradual rise in pressure/temperature, or the sauce thinner since the meat isn’t mixed into it that causes this. I’ve never had the burn notice re-appear.
Karen says
Thanks for these tips!
Heath says
Do you clean the grease out before you insert the tomatoes etc?
Karen says
If there is a lot of grease then yes, if it’s minimal then I don’t.
DALYN DERZON says
My kids went CRAZY over this spaghetti sauce, I added 1/2 cup of red wine. The best! Thank you!!!
Karen says
Sounds awesome!
Jeff Z. says
I used 1/2 stock, 1/2 cup sweet red wine. Also added some seasonal zucchini. Excellent!
Nicki says
Would it be the same amount of time if you use ground beef?
Karen says
Yes!
Robin says
Excellent spaghetti sauce. It was the first recipe I tried using my new Instant Pot Duo 60 Plus I recv’d for Mother’s Day. I followed recipe exactly and in less than an hour, it was as delicious as the sauce I used to simmer all day long.
Karen says
Awesome! So glad you liked it. Welcome to Instant Pot world!
Vanesa says
Do you think I could double the recipe in this 6qt instant pot?
Karen says
Yes I do think you could do that!
Theresa says
My family loved the flavor of this sauce last night, but wished that the sauce was “thicker”. Is there any way I could add something (like adding flour/cornstarch when I make gravy)?
Karen says
Hi Theresa, you could add a cornstarch slurry at the end and use the saute function to thicken it up. I would start with 2 Tbsp of cornstarch and 2 Tbsp of water mixed until smooth and then added in to the pot 🙂
marge201 says
Mushrooms instead of the meat I think will work great. Thank you!
Karen says
yes that would be tasty…you may need to up the seasonings and salt and pepper.