High Protein Instant Pot Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon each: fine sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups chicken broth or water, divided*
- 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara or favorite pasta sauce
- 8 ounces uncooked high-protein spaghetti* (noodles broken in half)
- 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- chopped fresh basil, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Sauté beef
- 2
Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add olive oil and ground beef. Cook, crumbling the beef as you go, until browned and cooked through, about 5–6 minutes. Stir in salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder.
6 min - 3
Deglaze
- 4
Turn off Sauté. Add 1/2 cup of the water and scrape the bottom of the pot well with a wooden spoon to remove any browned bits.
- 5
Layer pasta and sauce
- 6
Break spaghetti in half and scatter it in crisscross layers over the beef. Pour the marinara sauce evenly on top, then pour in the remaining 1 1/2 cups water. Do not stir.
- 7
Pressure cook
- 8
Lock the lid and set the Instant Pot to Manual (or Pressure Cook) on high pressure for 7 minutes. (*See note below for different cooking times for different brands of high-protein pastas.*) Once cooking ends, quick-release the pressure.
7 min - 9
Blend the cottage cheese.
- 10
While the pasta is pressure cooking, blend the cottage cheese in a blender (or you can use an immersion blender) until completely smooth.
- 11
Add cheeses
- 12
Remove the lid and gently stir the pasta. Stir in the blended cottage cheese until creamy, then mix in the Parmesan. Let rest for 2–3 minutes — the sauce will thicken as it sits.
3 min - 13
Serve
- 14
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve warm, topped with fresh basil and extra Parmesan if you’d like, and enjoy!
