Make homemade Spaghettios in your instant pot. This easy meal will make you relive your childhood in the tastiest kind of way!
Remaking old classics is always fun. Especially if it involves pasta! This copycat recipe is mostly hands off because your pressure cooker does the work for you.
In the end you have a fun meal that took very little effort to make. It is perfect for lunch or add a few meatballs to make it a great dinner entrée!
I didn’t grow up on things like spaghettios. Being one of six kids, it was easier for my mom to make a meal that open that many cans!
In fact the idea of pasta in a can kind of weirds me out. It just doesn’t seem quite right.
My husband on the other hand still loves the stuff. If he is left to his own devices for dinner, heating up a can of ravioli seems like a great idea to him.
Little Dude has inherited that like from his dad and occasionally wants a can for lunch on the weekends. I guess we all have our things!
Anyway, I thought it would be fun to try to make something similar, but homemade. Now strange slop sounds while emptying the can!
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I like doing pasta in the instant pot. It is super simple and there are no worries about boiling over.
I have to say it turned out really well! I cooked some meatballs to throw on top to make it a more complete meal and we all gobbled them up.
Tips for Making Spaghettios in a Pressure Cooker
Put the water and the pasta in the bottom of the pot and the tomato sauce on top of that. If the tomato sauce is under the pasta, you are more likely to get a burn warning.
If you do get a burn warning, don’t worry too much. The cook time is so short, it is likely done anyway. If the pasta needs a little more time, just put it on slow cook and keep an eye on it.
I didn’t add much seasoning to mimic the stuff in the cans. If you want to add onion powder, oregano etc. feel free!
If you can’t find the rings shaped pasta, any small pasta shape will do. Small shells would be fun too. The cheddar helps round out the flavor, but shredded mozzarella would be a great mild option as well!
When venting the pressure of starchy liquids in the instant pot, I like to place a damp rag over the vent. That will catch any potential splatters.
Homemade Spaghettios in the Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2½ cups water
- 1 cup milk
- 16 ounces small pasta
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 40 ounces canned tomato sauce
- 2 cups shredded cheddar
Instructions
- Spray 6 or 8 quart instant pot liner with nonstick cooking spray.
- Put water in the bottom of the pot, then the pasta. Pour milk over that.2½ cups water, 16 ounces small pasta, 1 cup milk
- On top of the pasta, add the tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Try to keep the tomato sauce on top of the pasta if possible. This will help to avoid the burn warning while it cooks.2 teaspoons garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground pepper, 40 ounces canned tomato sauce, ½ teaspoon salt
- Cook on high pressure for 1 minute, then do a quick release.*
- Stir in cheese until melted then serve.2 cups shredded cheddar
Notes
Video
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Thanks for the spot-on recipe! I had success with making this Pasta O’s recipe. Even though the pasta didn’t fully cook, I was able to add a wee-bit more water with ground turkey and switch to Sautee mode for three minutes and it was absolutely perfect. Water first was a good idea. I think I am also going to spray the bottom of the pan next time, as well with an oil coating.
If I cooked the O’s on the stove, it would take more than 20 minutes, and these O’s typically stick together. The instant pot version still allows them to stick together, but they are easy to separate.
I am so glad you liked them!
Oh my gosh!!!! I finally made these last night and let me say 🤤🤤 this was freaking amazing. I did get the burn notice even with the tomato sauce on top but I took your advice and it came out sooo good. I can’t wait to keep making it. I wish the noddles were easier to find. Because they are a bit pricey on Amazon.
YAY! I am so glad you like it. Our local Hy-Vee carries them, so we must be pretty lucky!
Alright I am going to make this tomorrow I am so scared of getting a burn notice but really want to try this so badly! I’m going to make double the batch as there are a lot of us. Wish me luck I’ll let you know how it goes.
Good luck! Just be sure to get the water and the pasta on the bottom and the tomato sauce on the top and you should be fine. If you do get the burn notice, a few minutes on slow cook should finish it off. I hope you love it!
I got the burn notice twice. Anyone else have this issue?
That can happen if the tomato sauce gets to the bottom of the pan. Luckily by then the pasta is usually mostly cooked. A few minutes on slow cook should finish it off nicely. I hope that helps!
So cook time says a minute but what should it actually be like 5 or 10?
It only takes one minute of pressure. The pasta will cook as it is coming up to pressure.
Thank you!
This is such a great idea! Like you, we did not grow up on things like Spaghettios. And I didn't feed them to my kids either, but some of my grandkids really like them. I love the idea of making homemade Spaghettios. Anything homemade is better than something out of a can I think!!! Thank you for the idea and the recipe!
Homemade is definitely better and customizable too! But it's fun to be able to mimic the canned stuff too.
Homemade Spaghettios, yes! What an easy and flavorful way to make them too.
Super easy and fun too!