Instant Pot Pasta with jar sauce (no meat) is an INCREDIBLY EASY recipe that gets a delicious dinner on the table quickly! Choose spaghetti, penne, rigatoni, macaroni, fettucine or your favorite pasta, your favourite sauce and make this fuss free recipe.
My Instant Pot Pasta Primavera and Instant Pot Penne Pasta are a couple of recipes to show you how to make pasta in your Instant Pot.
The Instant Pot Spaghetti Bolognese recipe is comfort food at its finest!
For this recipe, I want to show you how to make pasta in your Instant Pot with a store bought jar of sauce (for those nights when time is of the essence and tiredness is creeping in).
If you love pasta, you might also like my Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese, Ground Beef Casserole or Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese.
Instant Pot pasta is quick, it is easy and it is fuss free!
Spaghetti with Jar Sauce (or your favourite pasta)
To cook spaghetti with jar sauce, you simply need to choose your favourite sauce (beef, tomato, vegtarian, Italian etc) and stir the sauce through the cooked pasta.
Recipes using jarred spaghetti sauce are perfect for busy nights!!
How to cook Spaghetti Sauce from Jar
The general way to cook any spaghetti sauce from a jar is to heat it thoroughly.
We used to do this in the microwave when we were learning to cook as kids.
These days, I find it SO much faster to use my Instant Pot.
To cook pasta sauce from a jar, you need to heat it till it is thoroughly hot. If using a meat based jar sauce, it is essentially that the heat and time is sufficient to reheat (the meat will be precooked) the meat.
Instant Pot Pasta with jar sauce ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe are shown in the photo below, you can refer to this on your phone at the shops, so you get everything you need in 1 go!
As you can see we need:
- dried pasta (use your favourite)
- pasta sauce
- cracked pepper
- parmesan cheese
- parsley
I love using a variety of pasta sauces for Instant Pot recipes. Once you know how easy this recipe is, you will too!
You can choose both your favourite pasta and your favourite pasta sauce for this recipe!
Mine is usually penneor spaghetti with ajvar sauce. Ajvar is a vegetarian sauce consisting of roasted red peppers, eggplant and hot fefferoni (try it if you haven't, it is SERIOUSLY tasty!).
Instant Pot Pasta recipes
Cooking pasta in your Instant Pot is an incredibly easy and simple way to get dinner on the table!
The general rule of thumb to cook any type of plain pasta, is to use the packet recommended time frame, divide it by 2 and subtract 1 minute. So for example this spaghetti packet says '10 mins cook time', so we divide it by 2 and get 5, then we subtract 1 minute, leaving 4 minutes cooking time.
I know what you are thinking, 'but that is too easy!', I know my friends, it is literally too easy!!
Step by Step Pasta or Spaghetti with Jar sauce
The 1st setting we use on our pot is the pressure cook mode.
Start by adding the pasta and following the steps below:
- Add dried pasta to the Instant Pot stainless steel bowl (photo 1)
- Pour in enough water to just cover the top of the pasta (photo 2)
- Set the pressure cook for appropriate time (photo 3)
- Let the pasta cook, then use oven mits to remove inner pot and drain (photo 4)
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Once the Instant Pot has cooked the Pasta (you can either quick release pressure, or wait for the slow release) you need to drain the pasta, press the saute mode and add the cooked pasta back to the bowl.
Instant Pot Jar Sauce Pasta
- Pour the pasta sauce into the cooked pasta (photos 5-6)
- Stir for 2 -3 mins (you will hear it sizzling) (shown in photo 7)
- Continue till the entire sauce and pasta is heated through (shown in photo 8)
When the Instant Pot is cooking the pasta sauce, all we need to do is stir it a couple of times.
I don't add oil to the bowl as I add the sauce so quickly that the pasta doesn't stick to the base of the pot.
If you want to add a drop or 2 of oil, you can, however, it is not essential. We are not so much cooking anything at this point, rather we are heating.
Doesn't the above photo make you want to eat pasta every damn night of the week!! I wish we could, but I also want my jeans to always fit, so some nights its pasta and some nights its not!
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Once your pasta is cooked all you need to do is top with some parmesan cheese, parsley and cracked pepper!
You can also freeze this recipe. So it works perfectly to meal prep on the weekends, then heat and eat on week nights!
If you want to know how to make pasta with jarred sauce taste better, simply choose the right sauce and top with the above garnishes!
No bland, boring or basic sauces, go for top notch flavour and don't hold back on the parmesan!
Pasta recipes:
If pasta is your favourite thing, then here is some recipes you need to get cooking:
- Instant Pot Penne Pasta
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Bolognese
- Garlic Spaghetti
- Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta
- Ground Beef Casserole
- Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese
- Tuna Spaghetti
- Smoked Salmon Spaghetti
Weeknight dinners are SO easy with a few handy pasta recipes up your sleeve!
To check out all of the pasta recipes, I have on the blog, find them here > pasta recipes.
Instant Pot Pasta with jar sauce quick info:
About the recipe:
- this recipe works with all types of pasta sauce
- this recipe works with all types of pasta
- there is no need to add any further ingredients to the IP other than the pasta , (water to cook) and sauce
- this is an easy recipe!
FAQs about cooking Pasta with jar sauce in the Instant Pot
- Add the dried pasta 1st, then enough liquid to cover it
- Cook the pasta for the packet recommended length, divided by 2 minus 1.
- Different types of pasta take different times to cook, so check the packet closely!
- Your Instant pot will automatically heat before it starts to pressure cook (approx 5-10 mins)
- The sauté mode is our 'stove top saucepan' method
- this is a freezer friendly recipe
- also a family friendly recipe
Here are Quick and Easy recipes which will get dinner on the table FAST!
Instant Pot Pasta with easy sauce Pro tips:
These additional tips are so that you can master pasta in your instant pot from the 1st time you cook it:
- Ensure the pasta is in one flat level in the Instant Pot
- Pour in enough water to cover but don't pour in too much (a little less is ok)
- One the pasta is cooked and pressure is released, use oven mits to remove inner pot (it will be hot!)
- Add the cooked drained pasta, press saute and add pasta sauce straight away so pasta does not stick.
- The pasta and sauce will cook quickly in this mode and only take minutes to be ready
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Can I freeze this recipe?
Yes, this is a freezer friendly meal!
To freeze your pasta and sauce, simply wait until it is cool, then portion it out into individual or family sized servings.
To reheat this dish, simply defrost and then add to the Instant Pot again (lid off, saute mode) and stir till pasta and sauce is heated through.
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Use your Instant Pot to make these recipes:
Pasta recipes
I am not sure how to expressly convey to you to SERIOUSLY TRY THIS AMAZINGLY EASY RECIPE as it is life changing how quick and easy it is!!!
Make week night's a breeze and getting dinner on the table simple but still delicious.
Please give me a shout if you have questions or make the recipe as I would love to hear your feedback.
Pasta, sauce - you, me, we got this x
Adrianne
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Pasta with Jar Sauce
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
Instant Pot Pasta with Jar Sauce
- 500 grams pasta Note 1
- 400 grams pasta sauce Note 2
- Parmesan cheese to garnish
- parsley to garnish
- cracked pepper to garnish
Instructions
Instant Pot Pasta with jar sauce
- Add pasta to the stainless steel Instant Pot bowl. Pour in enough water to just cover the pasta (I used 4 cups for my 8 litre Instant Pot).
- Set the timer to 6 minutes normal and high pressure. Allow pot to pressurise. Once the pasta is cooked, press the quick release button and depressurize the pot.
- USe oven mits to remove the inner stainless steel pot and drain your pasta over the sink using a colander.
- Add drained pasta back to the Instant Pot, spoon or pour in pasta sauce, press the Saute Button and stir sauce through pasta till combined. When sauce is heated through (test with the tip of a finger), press the cancel button.
- Plate and serve with Parmesan cheese, cracked pepper and parsley
Video
Notes
- Note 1 The fun thing about this recipe is that you can use your favourite pasta and pasta sauce! The only difference is that each pasta will have a different cook time indicated on the packet. For example my penne pasta indicates the cook time is between 13 to 15 minutes. So we choose that time range (14 mins for example and then minus 1 for pressure cooking pasta). So my penne will take 6 mins to cook. Ensure you read the pasta cooking instructions as some pasta will cook faster than others.
- Note 2 Any jar of pasta sauce will work for this recipe as will pesto, bolognese and roast vegetable sauces. Simply cook the pasta, drain (don't rinse), add the pasta back to the Instant Pot, press the saute button, add the sauce and stir through. Once the sauce is heated press the cancel button and your dinner is ready!
- Note 3 I intentionally wanted to keep this recipe SUPER SIMPLE for you. Hence we use only 5 ingredients plus the water to cook the pasta. You can use your favourite pasta garnishes, ie fresh basil, shaved cheese, grated cheese etc.
Danielle Wolter says
Love how easy this recipe was to make. It was perfect for an easy week night dinner for those of us that are super busy!
Adrianne says
Thanks Danielle! That is great to hear.
Pat says
according to your math in note 1, 14-1=6?
Adrianne says
Hi Pat,
Sorry! It's the figure divided by 2 minis 1 ie 14 divided by 2 which is 7 minus 1 which is 6. Thanks for letting me know. I will update that.
Susan says
Pat, I was thinking the same thing!
However, today is 12/11/2022 and it says the same thing.
Susan
Lauren says
Came out amazing and my teenagers and their friends ate it all up in moments. I won't go back to any other way of making pasta!
Adrianne says
Great to hear!! Thanks for your feedback Lauren.