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White bowl of spaghetti topped with marinara sauce with Roma tomato and garlic in the foreground and a small bowl of marinara sauce and bread in the background.
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Instant Pot Marinara Sauce

Instant Pot Marinara Sauce tastes tastes rich and robust like it has been simmering all day but is ready in about an hour in the Instant Pot pressure cooker.
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Instant Pot Marinara, Instant Pot Marinara Sauce, Marinara, Marinara Sauce
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Pressurization 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 109kcal
Author Michele @ Flavor Mosaic

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 white onion, chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup vegetable broth (or water or red wine)
  • 2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes (or whole tomatoes) (see note for fresh)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (divided)
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional - see note below)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar (OPTIONAL - add AFTER pressure cooking)

Instructions

  • Press SAUTE on the High setting, and when the display says "Hot" Add 2 tablespoons oil to the inner liner pot of the Instant Pot. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the onions are softened. Add in the minced garlic and stir for 1 minute.
  • Pour in 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth (or red wine or water) and deglaze the pot by using a large wooden spoon and scraping any bits of onion or garlic off the bottom of the pan.
  • Add two 28-ounce cans of diced tomatoes (or whole tomatoes), and DO NOT STIR!!! (Stirring could cause you to get a "Burn" message.)
  • Add salt, pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme, and 2 tablespoons of fresh basil.
  • Press CANCEL. Place the lid on the pot and turn the pressure release valve to the SEALING position. Select PRESSURE COOK (or MANUAL depending on model) and HIGH PRESSURE and adjust the +/- button to set the time for 25 minutes. (The Instant Pot will display "On" and will take 10 - 15 minutes to come up to pressure.) When the Instant Pot has reached full pressure, it will beep and start counting down the time from 25 minutes.
  • After the Instant Pot has finished 25 minutes of pressure cooking, allow it to release pressure naturally. It will likely take 15 minutes. (This means you do nothing for 15 minutes.) After 15 minutes, if the pin has not dropped, carefully move the pressure release valve to the VENTING position to release the rest of the pressure.
  • After the Instant Pot has fully released pressure and the floating pin has dropped, then carefully open the lid. Add a tablespoon of sugar. Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce for a minute or two. (NOTE: The longer you blend the more smooth the sauce will be. The shorter time you blend, the more chunky it will be.)
  • If you would like to thicken the sauce, select the SAUTE function on HIGH to heat the sauce for about 5 minutes or until it has thickened.
  • Add remaining chopped basil before serving.

Notes

If using fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes, use 4 lbs of fresh tomatoes, and leave out the canned tomatoes.
If you like more spicy heat, increase the amount of the crushed red pepper. 1/2 teaspoon is a starting point.
If you don't like spicy heat at all, then leave out the crushed red pepper.

Nutrition

Calories: 109kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 300mg | Potassium: 543mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 398IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 3mg