Instant Pot Umami Spaghetti Sauce | Tested by Amy + Jacky (2024)

Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Bolognesewas one of our earliest recipes on the site. Thank you foryour overwhelming love & rave reviews! 🙂

Looking at the ingredients list, you must be thinking…what?Fish Sauce? Soy Sauce? in a Pasta sauce?!

Ah, yes! Amy + Jacky & their obsessions with Fish Sauce.

Soon you’ll find “Amy + Jacky” as a synonym of Umami in the Dictionary.😛

Our dear readers have told us they couldn’t have enough of ourflavor-boosted, umami-bombing, non-traditional Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce, and wanted to adapt it for other dishes.

So, if you do meal prep. You’re going to love this make-ahead, freezer-friendly, homemade Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce!

Thick. Rich. Meaty. Instant Pot Pasta Sauce

The meat sauce with full body & depths of flavors, plus diverse mouthfeel. mmm…so comforting & satisfying to eat.

Each mouthful is a balance of sweetness, sourness, saltiness, and umaminess.

My tummy is growling as I’m reminiscing this spaghetti sauce. 😛

This Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce is perfect if you have busy weeknights where you come home latewith many hangry faces to feed. I know how that feels.hehe~

Set aside an hour to make this pasta sauce in bulk and stack them in the fridge until you need it. Reheat and serve over pasta, ravioli, garlic bread, spaghetti squash…easy peasy.

You’ll Enjoy Instant Pot SpaghettiSauce Because:

• Easy to make ahead – perfect for meal prep!
• Freezer-friendly – make a big batch & freeze for later, then reheat when ready and serve.
• Full body, balanced flavors packed with umaminess
• Meaty, rich, and thick Spaghetti Sauce

Instant Pot SpaghettiSauce is Great for:

• Serving over pasta, ravioli, garlic bread, spaghetti squash…
• Lasagna, stuffed pasta shells…
• Meal prep & freezer meals

Step-by-Step Guide: Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients for cooking Spaghetti Sauce in Instant Pot:

• 1 2/3 pound (752g) ground beef
• 4 (10g) cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (328g) carrots, minced
• 2 (105g) celery, minced
• 1 (310g) large onion, minced
• 1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• A pinch of dried oregano
• A pinch of dried basil
• A dash of red wine or white wine
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

Umami Chicken Stock Mixture:

• 1 cup (250ml) unsalted chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons (49g) tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) regular soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) fish sauce (optional – can substitute with regular soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) Worcestershire sauce

ToolsforInstant Pot SpaghettiSauce

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
• Wooden spoon
• Small mixing bowl
• 500ml measuring cup

Preparation

First minced the garlic, carrots, celery, and large onion.

Pro Tip:Speed up the prepping by using a food processor to mince the ingredients.

1

Prepare Instant Pot

Heat up your pressure cooker over medium high heat (Instant Pot: press “Sauté” button and “Adjust” button once to Sauté More function).

*Note: Ensure your pot is as hot as it can be (Instant Pot: wait until indicator says “HOT”).

2

Brown Ground Beef

First, season the ground beef generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Add 1 tbsp (15ml) of olive oil in the pressure cooker. Ensure the oil is coated over whole bottom of the pot.

Then, add the ground beef in pressure cooker. The ground beef will begin to release moisture.

At the 5-minute mark, remove the ground beef juice and reserve it in a small mixing bowl.

Allow the ground beef to brown. Stir occasionally until they are slightly crisped and browned (~5 – 7 minutes).

Taste and adjust the seasoning with more kosher salt and ground black pepper.

3

Mix Umami Chicken Stock Mixture

While the ground beef is browning, create the Umami Chicken Stock Mixture: mix 1 cup (250ml) unsalted chicken stock, 2 tbsp (30ml) fish sauce, 2 tbsp (30ml) regular soy sauce, 3 tbsp (49g) tomato paste, and 1 tbsp (15ml) Worcestershire sauce in a 500ml measuring cup.

4

Sauté Onion, Garlic, Spices, and Vegetables

Add the minced onions, minced garlic, 2 bay leaves, a pinch of dried oregano and dried basil in the pressure cooker. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the spices start to release their fragrance. Stir frequently.

Then, add in the minced carrots and celery. Sauté for another 3 minutes.

Taste & season with kosher salt and ground black pepper if desired.

5

Deglaze

Pour in a dash of red wine or white wine (you can also use chicken stock) and deglaze the bottom of the pot by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits with a wooden spoon.

Pour in the Umami Chicken Stock Mixture and reserved meat juice and mix well. Ensure the bottom of the pot is fully deglazed.

6

Pressure Cook Spaghetti Sauce

Layer 1 can of crushed tomatoes with all the juice on top. Do not mix (as shown in photo below).

Close lid and pressure cook at

• Pressure Cooking Method: High Pressure for 10 minutes + Natural Release for 5 minutes

Turn the venting knob to the venting position to release the remaining pressure.

Open the lid carefully.

Pro Tip: Do not mix the crushed tomatoes into the Spaghetti Sauce to preventscorching issues.

7

Reduce and Season

Find & discard bay leaves.

The spaghetti sauce may look runny, give it a quick stir and it will thicken up quickly.

Pro Tip: If it is still too runny, cook for another few minutes over medium heat (Instant Pot: Press Sauté button).

Taste and season with more kosher salt.

Serve with: pasta, ravioli, garlic bread, or Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash!

Enjoy cooking Spaghetti Sauce in Instant Pot!

Some Useful Tips & Resources

50+ Instant Pot Recipes

All Our Pressure Cooker Recipes

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