Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce

This sauce tastes like it's simmered on the stovetop for hours - no one has to know it was cooked right in the Instant Pot in a fraction of the time!

Prep: 15

Cook: 20

Total: 35

Yield:8 servings

Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Once pot is warm, add avocado oil. Warm oil until hot and shimmery, then add ground beef, Italian sausage, chopped onion, minced garlic, and green bell pepper.
Cook, stirring periodically, until meat is browned and crumbled and vegetables are tender, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
Drain grease from Instant Pot insert and return insert to Instant Pot. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Stir to incorporate, making sure to scrape up any browned bits that may be stuck to bottom of Instant Pot.
Add bay leaf, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper to Instant Pot. Stir well to incorporate spices.
Secure lid on Instant Pot and set valve to sealing position. Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure for 7 minutes. Instant Pot will pressurize and then cook time will begin.
When cook time ends, immediately (and carefully) Quick Release pressure. Once steam is completely released, carefully remove lid.
Remove bay leaf and discard. Stir in grated parmesan, then taste sauce and adjust salt and pepper as desired.
Once pasta is cooked, immediately transfer spaghetti noodles from pot of water (without draining) and into Instant Pot. Stir well to toss pasta with sauce, then let pasta and sauce cook together 1 to 2 minutes.
Divide pasta and sauce into serving bowls or onto plates. Top with additional grated parmesan if desired and serve warm.

Pasta: Cook your pasta at the same time as your spaghetti sauce, so the pasta isn't sitting around or cooling off. Undercook the pasta just slightly so it doesn't overcook when it's added to the sauce in the Instant Pot. Adding the cooked pasta to the sauce this way allows the noodles to absorb some of the sauce, giving them more flavor.
Burn Notice: There should be enough liquid in this sauce to prevent the burn notice on your Instant Pot - I didn't have any trouble with mine. Every unit behave differently, though, so if your Instant Pot is particularly sensitive, you may want to add just a touch of water.
Make it Meatless: Omit the ground beef and Italian sausage. Sauté the onion and bell pepper in the avocado oil, then proceed with the recipe as written. No need to change the cook time.
Freezer Option: Let sauce cool completely. Transfer cooled sauce to freezer-safe airtight containers (glass jars, sealable bags, or plastic containers). If using sealable bags, remove as much air as possible before sealing bag completely. Freeze sauce up to 4 months. To reheat, defrost in fridge overnight then reheat on the stove until sauce is just warmed through.