You guys! This Instant Pot Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs recipe kind of blew my mind. I mean, when I think of my Instant Pot, I don’t necessarily think of spaghetti and turkey meatballs, but I promise you this recipe absolutely nails it.
I adapted the recipe from Melissa Clark at the New York Times, who actually is my go-to when it comes to pressure cooker (aka Instant Pot) recipes. I have her cookbook, Dinner in an Instant, and I have loved everything I’ve made out of that – including a mushroom and pancetta risotto that will make your heart sing. So … I shouldn’t have been surprised her spaghetti and meatballs is the bomb, but let’s just say it exceeded my expectations.
I used ground turkey (the 93%/7% mix) and the meatballs were so full of flavor and incredibly tender. The tomato sauce was thick, creamy, and basil-y. (Which should be a word in this case, yes?) I topped it with some shredded cheddar cheese, included a side of crusty French bread, a glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc, and I was in heaven on a Tuesday evening.
Disclosure: I forgot the ribbons of basil on the top of the cheese because I was starving and anxious to try this. There was certainly enough fresh basil in the sauce and the meatballs to have a delicious impact, though, so it’s up to you on whether you want to add it or not.
I’m definitely keeping this recipe in the my Instant Pot recipe folder on Pinterest – it’s a keeper!
xoxo – Lara
Try these other turkey recipes from the blog:
Easy Peasy Baked Turkey Rigatoni
Crockpot Glden Turkey Stroganoff
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs
Equipment
- Instant Pot (or other brand) Multi-Cooker (6 or 8 quart)
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
- For the sauce:
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves very thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 basil sprigs plus more thinly sliced for serving
- 8 ounces spaghetti broken in half
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan plus more for serving if desired
- For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground turkey
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves finely grated or minced
Instructions
- Set pressure cooker to the sauté function, and heat 2 tablespoons oil in the pot. Stir in garlic, red pepper and black pepper, and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes, salt and basil sprigs; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes (note: lower the sauté function to low or briefly turn the machine off if the sauce splatters too much; this happened to me).
- Meanwhile, make the meatballs: In a large bowl, mix together turkey, bread crumbs, Parmesan, chopped basil, egg, salt and garlic. Roll into 1 1/4-inch balls. (I made about 14 meatballs.)
- Pour 1 cup water into sauce in pot, scraping up any browned bits on bottom of pot. Scatter uncooked spaghetti over the sauce. Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon oil over spaghetti, stirring gently (try to keep the spaghetti on top of the sauce), then top with meatballs.
- Cover and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Manually release the pressure, then remove the cover and stir to separate the spaghetti. Stir in 2 tablespoons Parmesan. At this point, the pasta will be almost but not quite cooked through. Place the top back on the pressure cooker (loosely) and let it sit for 3 to 13 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and spaghetti is al dente but not mushy.
- Sprinkle with thinly sliced basil and more Parmesan (or whatever cheese you like) if desired.