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This Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce recipe uses simple ingredients and fresh or canned tomatoes to create a rich and hearty pasta sauce that tastes like it has been simmered all day, yet is ready in under an hour.
Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce That Tastes Like It Simmered All Day
This recipe for Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce was inspired by my mom's crockpot spaghetti sauce, which is known for its rich depth of flavor.
And while that recipe is near and dear to my heart, the Instant Pot speeds up the process to deliver spaghetti sauce that is rich, nuanced, and simply delicious! While easy enough for any night of the week, Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce is guaranteed to level up the flavor of any pasta dinner.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Notes on Ingredients
You will find the full list of ingredients, along with quantities in the recipe card. Below is a quick glance at what you need and tips to help you make the right selection.
- Tomatoes: Use a combination tomato paste for a rich, concentrated tomato flavor with crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, passata, or fresh tomatoes that have been peeled and seeded.
- Stock/Broth: Vegetable broth, chicken stock, or beef broth all work. Use what you have on hand.
- Dry Red Wine: Optional, but encouraged for deep rich flavor. Select a dry red wine that is suitable for drinking, such as a Malbec, Cabernet, or Merlot. Never use cooking wine which is overly sweet and metallic in flavor.
- Yellow Onion: For flavor, but feel free to speed it up/make it more kid-friendly, by omitting the fresh onion and replacing it 1 teaspoon of onion powder.
- Garlic: Go for peeled garlic cloves over minced garlic, for a sweet, mellow flavor.
- For Balance: A bit of butter and honey (or sugar) will help to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes.
Ingredient Tip
If using canned tomatoes, I personally recommend San Marzano tomatoes. A bit pricier, but the flavor and texture make them (and your spaghetti sauce) superior!
How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
If you are unfamiliar with cooking in an Instant Pot or the functions of your Instant Pot, be sure to start with my guide for using an Instant Pot for the best results on this and future recipes. You will find the full recipe in detail in the recipe card below.
- Saute Onion. Use the saute function to briefly saute a minced yellow onion in a bit of olive oil until softened.
want to add Meat?
Add up to 1 pound of ground beef, ground turkey, or Italian sausage along with the onion and saute until the meat is cooked through. Drain off any excess grease if needed and proceed with the recipe as directed. Or follow my Instant Pot Bolognese recipe for a really rich meat sauce!
- Delglaze the Inner Pot. With the Instant Pot still on the saute function, add in the dry wine (or additional broth) and scrape up any browned bits from the inner pot. Let it simmer for a couple minutes, to let the wine reduce slightly.
- Layer with care. Add the broth, dried seasonings, and garlic and give everything a good stir. Then add the crushed tomatoes and dollop the tomato paste on top of the crushed tomatoes. Finally top with butter and honey. DO NOT STIR! This will prevent a burn notice from occurring.
No Burn Notice
Tomato sauce + Instant Pot CAN equal a burn notice. Prevent that by adding broth to the sauce and NOT stirring the tomatoes into the sauce until after pressure cooking. I can't stress this enough!
- Pressure Cook with Natural Pressure Release. Don't try to speed this recipe up by doing a quick release of pressure. You will be left with hot liquid spewing out of your vent knob! It is best to allow for at least 10-15 minutes to pass after the cooking time is complete before releasing pressure.
- Stir and Discard. Once pressure has been released, remove the lid. Give the sauce a stir to fully incorporate the ingredients together, removing the bay leaves and cloves of garlic as you come across them.
Serving Suggestions
Instant Pot Spaghetti sauce is obviously delicious served over spaghetti noodles topped with parmesan cheese (along with some homemade meatballs). Add a side of homemade garlic toast and a Copycat Olive Garden Salad, and you have a simple, yet amazing meal! Of course, feel free to use this sauce in any recipe calling for spaghetti sauce. Below are some of my favorites:
Recipe FAQs
As written, no, I don't recommend it. Lemon juice would need to be added before proceeding with pressure canning. Here are detailed instructions for pressure canning homemade tomato sauce.
If you scraped the bottom of the inner pot after sauteeing the onion and layered the ingredients as directed, this is unlikely to occur. But if you still get a burn notice, don't panic! Some models are super sensitive and will throw this notice, but then continue to cook and all turns out perfectly!
If you want to double this recipe, I would only do so in an 8 or 10-quart Instant Pot. You can cut the recipe in half using ONLY a 3-quart model. The cooking time will remain the same when doubling or halving the recipe.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- ½ cup dry red wine, or additional vegetable broth
- 1-½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth, or beef stock/chicken stock
- 3 cloves garlic , peeled and crushed
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes, or tomato puree/passata *see note for using fresh tomatoes
- 12 ounces tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, or additional olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey, or granulated sugar
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on using the saute function. Add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and let briefly heat. Once heated, add in 1 small yellow onion and saute for 2-4 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften.
- Add the ½ cup dry red wine (or additional broth) to the instant pot. Scrape up any browned bits that may have formed on the bottom of the instant pot, allowing the wine to saute and reduce for 1 minute or so. Then hit cancel on the Instant Pot to turn off the sauce function.
- Add the 1-½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 2 dried bay leaves, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 3 cloves garlic , and stir to combine.
- Add 28 ounces crushed tomatoes on top of the broth and dollop 12 ounces tomato paste and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter on top of the sauce. Drizzle the 1 tablespoon honey over the tomato and butter mixture. DO NOT STIR.
- Secure the lid on Instant Pot and make sure the vent knob is sealed. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes by hitting manual/pressure cook and using the +/- buttons to adjust the time to 25 minutes.
- After the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release for at least 10 to 15 minutes before releasing pressure. Remove the bay leaf and cloves of garlic stir well, and use as desired or allow to cool before storing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you for sharing your heart with us Kristen. Love all your recipes.
❤️
Hope you're doing well!
Thanks so much Stella! It means so much to me that you enjoy my recipes!
Makes about 6 cups of sauce. Very easy.
I just made this. I doubled the recipe and used fresh tomatoes because they were given to me from a lady at the farmers market. About 13 good sized tomatoes. It seems runny. Is there a way to thicken it? Can I put it in the blender after I remove the bay leaves?
Hi Jacky! When using fresh tomatoes, it is best to deseed them so the sauce does not become watered down. You can remove the bay leaves and blend and then if still too thin, saute with 6 ounces of tomato paste to thicken.
I have made this countless times and it's always delicious! I use it for spaghetti, meatball subs, chicken parm, lasagna, ravioli--you get it LOL ???? Thank you for this easy and excellent recipe!
My super picky daughter loves this! Thank you!
That is a huge compliment--love it when the picky eaters are happy. Thanks for sharing Jen.
I have not tried yet, but sounds delicious. I have some cooked meatballs and sausage I would like to add to the sauce. Do you have a suggestion as to when to add them? After the sauce has been cooked and then add them and let it slow cook or keep warm for awhile?
Hi Diane. You can add cooked meatballs after pressure cooking and keep on warm to just warm through. Enjoy
How much is (1) serving?
Hi Lindsay! Each serving is about 1/2 cup.
This is such a great recipe, super easy and oh so tasty! Thank you for sharing Kristen. I was out of crushed tomatoes this time so I used tomato sauce along with a can of Rotel mild diced tomatoes and chilies, it was a success.
And thank you David for sharing your review! I always love hearing when others enjoy my recipes.
Can this be canned after making it ?
I am not a canning expert, however, I do know acid (like lemon juice) needs to be added for preservation. Here are some directions for canning tomato sauce that may help you.
Amazing recipe! We can’t eat tomatoes unless pressure cooked to kill the lectin so have gone without spaghetti and meaty for years. This is a happy return! I use tahini to replace tomato paste in many recipes and so I used about 1/4 tahini with 1/2 c stewed tomato drained and it was such a delicious rich sauce! Love the honey instead of sugar to cut acidity! Well Done! Thank you!
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe Ashley! And interesting substitution for the tomato paste--I have to try it!
I am going to be making this this evening but I was wondering the serving size.
Hi David! I hope you enjoy. The serving size is about 1/2 cup.
Hi...Kristen
Just wondering if this sauce could be canned. Do you know if anyone has tried that? Thank.
Hi Sharon! I am not a canning expert, however, I do know acid (like lemon juice) needs to be added for preservation. Here are some directions for canning tomato sauce that may help you.
I’m curious why it’s important not to stir the ingredients after adding the tomato paste.
Hi Jenn! I have found it is more likely to cause a burn notice. Not stirring the ingredients prevent this from happening with no change to taste.
What would the amount of fresh herbs be?
Looking forward to making this with my garden tomatoes!
Hi Kris. The rule of thumb is to use one tablespoon of fresh herbs to one teaspoon of dried herbs.
We love this recipe so much! It is quick and easy and oh-so-delicious! I use it for lasagna and our stuffed bell peppers, as well as spaghetti. I boil the noodles separately and cook my hamburger and sausage separately as well. I saw where someone asked about doubling it, which is what I was going to ask, so I will be trying it. I use 1-14oz can of diced tomatoes and 1-14oz can of tomato sauce. We have been using it about a year now. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe!
I am so happy to hear you all enjoy so much Teresa! Thanks for sharing.