Step 1 – Measure Ingredients
First, make sure you have your ingredients ready to go. You will need:
- 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
- 2 cups water, or low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Measure out the ingredients. If you want to add more flavor to your noodles, you can use chicken broth or another kind of stock.
To make the noodles fit in the insert, break them in half.
How long does it take to cook Spaghetti Noodles in an Instant Pot?
In order to cook spaghetti noodles in an Instant Pot, follow the directions on the package, divide the amount by 2, and then deduct one.
Pasta takes less time to cook in the Instant Pot than it does on the stove.
For instance, the cook time for my dried spaghetti packet was 10 minutes. Five divided by two equals four minutes. I deduct one.
Using the pressure cooker function, the spaghetti noodles are cooked in 4 minutes on high pressure. The pressure is then quickly released.
Instant Pot Spaghetti Technique
The Instant Pot’s cooked pasta will have varied textures depending on the method used.
I want to go into more detail with you about this because it’s a very important point.
The way that your dried spaghetti is added to the pot will determine how it cooks.
I’ve included some pictures of what I mean below.
Looking at the image on the left above, you can see that the spaghetti noodles are arranged flat and fairly close to one another in both directions.
Looking at the second image, you can see that the spaghetti noodles are diagonally crisscrossed.
The most important thing to note about the previous example is that level 1 pasta has less depth than level 2. This is significant because it implies that if spaghetti is added to the Instant Pot like the first time, less water will be required to cook it than the second time.
I prefer my spaghetti to have some bite, which works well for dishes like my Garlic Spaghetti. We must perfect the texture because this recipe is all about using simple ingredients and flavor combinations.
Soft mushy over cooked spaghetti doesnt cut it.
When spaghetti is added to the Instant Pot in step two, it becomes soft and non-bitter rather than al dente.
Either approach can be used, but be aware of your options and how they will affect the outcome up front.
