If you aren’t blessed to have an Italian grandmother to cook up big pots of homemade spaghetti sauce, this time-saving Instant Pot spaghetti sauce recipe will make you feel like you do!
Instead of spending all day tending a bubbling pot on the stovetop, this recipe gets the job done in a fraction of the time, thanks to the Instant Pot. This sauce is great on pasta all by itself, but it’s also wonderful with meatballs, layered into a lasagna, or spread over pizza dough.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
Canned Tomatoes: When making tomato sauce of any kind I love to use whole peeled canned tomatoes (San Marzano if possible) because they contain more flavor and less water. Because the tomatoes are whole you need to crush them with your hands or a potato masher alternatively you can buy canned crushed tomatoes if you prefer.
Parmesan Rind (optional): Don’t throw away your parmesan rinds, they’re a great way to add flavor to sauces, soups, and stews.I used one rind in this sauce but if you don’t have one don’t worry about it, you can leave it out.
Garlic: I use four cloves of garlic in this sauce which I think is the perfect amount, the garlic shouldn’t be overpowering. You can easily adjust the amount of garlic cloves to your taste but try not to use garlic powder as you won’t get the same bold, fresh flavor.
Herbs and Spices: I use just a small amount of fennel seeds, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes. They give a beautiful flavor to the sauce without overpowering it however like if you don’t have fennel seeds or don’t like red pepper flakes you can leave them out.
You can also add in some fresh herbs to suit your taste such as fresh basil or parsley but I recommend stirring them in add the end.
How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
1. Finely hope the onion and garlic and add it to the instant pot with the olive oil, herbs and spices.
2. Saute the onion mixture until soft.
3. Add the red wine and saute for an extra few minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes, sugar, bay leaves and parmesan rind (if using). Put the lid on the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure as instructed in the recipe card below.
5. After cooking and releasing the pressure, remove the lid from the Instant Pot. Stir in vinegar and add salt to taste. If the sauce is too thin to your liking you can use the saute function to simmer it down further.
6. Serve with spaghetti or as desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the Difference between Marinara Sauce and Spaghetti Sauce?
Marinara sauce is a very simple tomato sauce made with garlic and a few herbs and spices whereas spaghetti sauce refers to a tomato-based sauce intended to be served with spaghetti.
Spaghetti sauce can have meat, extra herbs, and vegetables in it too but I like to stick to a simple, fresh and uncomplicated sauce that can then be adapted depending on what I’m serving it with.
As it is, it’s my go-to sauce for spaghetti you don’t need to add anything else.
What else Can I use this sauce for?
This sauce is super versatile and can be used in so many ways that’s what’s so great about it!
You can serve this sauce with any pasta you like for a super quick and delicious meal or you can use it to make lasagna, spread it on pizza, add it to chili or soups for extra flavor, the list is endless!
Can I Add Meat?
Yes, you can! If you want to add ground beef or pork then you can add it straight after cooking the onions.
Brown the meat using the saute function then follow the recipe as instructed.
You can also add cooked meat such as chicken or sausage after cooking the sauce.
Can I Freeze it?
Absolutely, tomato-based sauces freeze really well.
I recommend freezing the sauce in Ziploc bags or plastic containers then thaw the sauce before reheating.
To reheat the sauce you can use the saute function on the instant pot and simmer the sauce until piping hot or heat it on the stovetop in a saucepan.
Tips and Ideas for Making this recipe
- When shopping for canned tomatoes for this recipe, I recommend using San Marzano tomatoes. Their flavor is more robust and intense, and they cook down into a lovely rich sauce.
- I like to buy cans of whole peeled tomatoes, then crush them with my hands. If you don’t like getting your hands messy, buy crushed tomatoes.
- Different brands of canned tomatoes have different amounts of liquid. To account for this variable, I find it best to add the tomatoes to the Instant Pot with their juices, and then simmer the mixture down after pressure cooking if it’s not thick enough to suit your tastes.
- If you don’t have every ingredient for this recipe, don’t worry…it will still taste great. No fennel seeds? No problem. Don’t like spicy foods? Leave out the red pepper.
- The Parmesan rind is totally optional; I keep a stash of these in my freezer to pop in soups and stews. They release rich savory flavor as the cook; just treat them like bay leaves and remove them after cooking.
More Instant Pot Recipes You Might Like
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
If you’ve tried this Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce Recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 tsp. kosher salt plus additional, to taste
- 1 tsp. fennel seeds
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup red wine
- 2 28-oz. cans whole peeled tomatoes (undrained)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 Parmesan rind optional
- 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to saute; add olive oil, onion, garlic, salt, fennel seeds, oregano, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add red wine; stir to release browned bits. Simmer 2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, bay leaves, brown sugar, and Parmesan rind, if using.
- Press Cancel to reset Instant Pot.
- Place top on Instant Pot; twist to seal and lock. Turn Steam Release Valve to “sealing.”
- Set Instant Pot to cook at High Pressure for 10 minutes.
- After cooking is complete, let pressure release naturally (about 10 minutes). After that, manually release the pressure by turning the Steam Release Valve to “venting.”
- Remove lid from Instant Pot; hit Cancel to reset.
- Stir in vinegar. Taste, and add salt as desired.
- If a thicker sauce is desired, set Instant Pot to saute and simmer 10 to 15 additional minutes.
- Remove and discard bay leaves and Parmesan rind, if using.
- Use immediately, refrigerate up to 3 days, or freeze up to three months.
Notes
- When shopping for canned tomatoes for this recipe, I recommend using San Marzano tomatoes. Their flavor is more robust and intense, and they cook down into a lovely rich sauce.
- I like to buy cans of whole peeled tomatoes, then crush them with my hands. If you don’t like getting your hands messy, buy crushed tomatoes.
- Different brands of canned tomatoes have different amounts of liquid. To account for this variable, I find it best to add the tomatoes to the Instant Pot with their juices, and then simmer the mixture down after pressure cooking if it’s not thick enough to suit your tastes.
- If you don’t have every ingredient for this recipe, don’t worry…it will still taste great. No fennel seeds? No problem. Don’t like spicy foods? Leave out the red pepper.
- The Parmesan rind is totally optional; I keep a stash of these in my freezer to pop in soups and stews. They release rich savory flavor as the cook; just treat them like bay leaves and remove them after cooking.
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