This Pressure Cooker Chicken Spaghetti Casserole is creamy, cheesy, comforting, and made almost entirely in one pot. Chicken, peppers, spaghetti noodles, cream of chicken soup, and Colby Jack cheese all cook together for an easy family dinner that’s ready in about 30 minutes. This chicken spaghetti casserole made in a pressure cooker I use a 6 qt Instant Pot brand pressure cooker to make this recipe, but any 6 quart pressure cooker would work. And I especially love that there’s no separate pot of boiling pasta or casserole dish to clean afterward.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready in about 30 minutes.
- Made almost entirely in one pot.
- The spaghetti cooks right in the pressure cooker — no separate pasta pot required.
- Creamy, cheesy, and incredibly comforting.
- Chicken and peppers make it a complete family dinner.
- Uses simple, easy-to-find ingredients.
- Great for busy fall and winter weeknights.
- Bacon on top is optional, but very delicious.
Can You Cook Spaghetti Directly in an Instant Pot?
Yes! And that’s one of my favorite things about this recipe.
You add the dry, uncooked spaghetti directly to the pressure cooker with the chicken broth and creamy sauce. Break the noodles in half so they fit easily, gently press them down so they’re mostly covered by liquid, and — this is important — don’t stir after adding the pasta.
Then everything pressure cooks together for 8 minutes.
No boiling water. No draining pasta. No separate casserole dish.
Why Does My Chicken Spaghetti Look Soupy?
This is the big thing to know before you open the lid:
It is supposed to look a little soupy at first.
Don’t panic and don’t start adding anything to thicken it immediately.
Stir in half of the shredded cheese, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, and let the casserole sit uncovered for a few minutes. As the cheese melts and the pasta rests, everything thickens into that creamy chicken spaghetti texture.
If it still looks looser than you’d like after 2–3 minutes, simply let it sit uncovered for another couple of minutes.
Tips for Success
- Use a 6-quart pressure cooker. That’s the size I use and what this recipe was developed for.
- Chop the vegetables fairly small. You want little pieces of pepper and onion throughout the spaghetti rather than large chunks.
- Make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom. After sautéing the chicken and vegetables, scrape up any browned bits before pressure cooking.
- Break the spaghetti in half. It fits into the pot much more easily.
- Do not stir after adding the spaghetti. Gently press it into the liquid instead.
- Don’t worry if it looks soupy when you first open the pot. The pasta and cheese need a few minutes to finish absorbing and thickening everything.
- Use freshly shredded cheese when possible. It generally melts more smoothly than pre-shredded cheese.
- Let it rest before serving. Even 3–5 minutes makes a noticeable difference in the texture.
Customizations and Variations
- Add crumbled bacon over the finished casserole.
- Add fresh parsley for color and freshness.
- Use a mix of red and yellow bell peppers.
- Substitute Monterey Jack or cheddar for the Colby Jack.
- Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat.
- Stir in frozen peas after pressure cooking and let them warm while the cheese melts.
- Add mushrooms with the peppers and onions.
- Use water instead of chicken broth if needed, although broth adds more flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make this in an Instant Pot? Yes! That’s actually what I use. Instant Pot is a brand of electric pressure cooker, so a 6-quart Instant Pot works perfectly for this recipe.
- Do I cook the spaghetti before adding it? No. Add the spaghetti dry and uncooked. It cooks directly in the pressure cooker.
- Why shouldn’t I stir the spaghetti? After adding the dry pasta, gently press it into the liquid instead of stirring. This helps reduce the chance of pasta sticking or triggering a burn warning.
- Why does my casserole look watery when I open the lid? That’s normal. Stir in the cheese and let the pasta sit uncovered for a few minutes. It will thicken considerably as it rests.
- Can I use water instead of chicken broth? Yes. Chicken broth adds more flavor, but water works.
- Can I use green bell peppers? Absolutely. I prefer red, orange, or yellow because they’re a little sweeter, but green peppers work just fine.
- What cheese works best? I love Colby Jack because it melts beautifully and has a mild flavor the whole family likes.
This is exactly the kind of pressure cooker recipe I love: cozy comfort food without all the pots and pans that usually come along with it. The chicken, peppers, pasta, creamy sauce, and cheese all come together in one pot, and somehow you end up with a dinner that feels like a baked casserole without ever turning on the oven. Add a little bacon on top if you really want to make everyone happy!
What are the best toppings for this dish?
- Crumbled bacon
- Parsley
Other posts you might enjoy:
- Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Risotto
- Healthy Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
- 5 Ingredient Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Simple Truth extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 onion medium, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 bell peppers finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped/pressed
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup 10.5 oz. each Simple Truth (condensed)
- 4 cups chicken broth or water
- 1 pound spaghetti
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 cups Colby jack cheese shredded
Optional Toppings
- crumbled bacon 1/4 lb. cooked/crumbled
- fresh parsley
Instructions
- Press the “Sauté” setting on a 6 qt. pressure cooker and add in olive oil. Add in onion and bell pepper and sauté for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in garlic and cubed chicken breast and sauté for another 2 minutes. Make sure no chicken is stuck to the bottom of the pressure cooker.
- Spoon the contents of 2 cans of cream of chicken soup into the pressure cooker and pour in 4 cups of chicken broth (or water). Stir to combine.
- Break dry/uncooked spaghetti in half and put into the pressure cooker. Gently press the spaghetti down so that the spaghetti is mostly covered by liquid. Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Do not stir dry spaghetti, space will be tight.
- Seal the pressure cooker lid and set the pressure cooker to “High Pressure” for 8 minutes.
- Flip the valve to release the pressure (quick release) and when the pressure subsides open the lid and stir in 1 cup of cheese. Sprinkle remaining cup of cheese on top and let sit for 2-3 minutes, until it has melted. Contents of the pressure cooker will thicken as it sits with the lid off, so if it seems like there’s a little too much liquid, let it sit with the lid off for a few additional minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post is brought to you by my partnership with Pick ‘n Save, as always, all opinions are mine alone. Thank you for supporting the brands that make the SweetPhi blog possible. For more inspiration from Pick ‘n Save, be sure to follow their Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest accounts.
April Meiller says
This is probably one of my top SweetPhi meals!
Love the Chicken Spaghetti casserole. Freeze it thaw and bake. Family favorites.
Keep them coming. So keep this on your list too all her Boom Books to read. Why do we need the NYTImes list we have SweetPhi.
How does she find time to read, 🙂 Thanks for all you do.
Sweetphi says
I’m so glad you love this recipe, I make it into a freezer meal and then thaw and bake it too! Thanks so much for commenting!!!
Ed says
I have 3 qt Instant Pot that I’d like to get started making some easy recipes. Would it be too much to send some
recipes for this?
Tanya says
I can’t wait to try this. It may actually get me to use my instapot, which for some reason, I have been resistant to use! I adapt everything to my crockpot, which I am obsessed with when Fall starts! From one pot weekday meals to Soup Sunday, the crockpot never gets put away! My absolute favorite is Sweet potato black bean chili (double batch!).
Jenny Rae Pearson says
Saving this right now as the cooler weather has me craving comforting meals like this! My favorite for the past couple years has been the one pot Thai shrimp and quinoa…I could literally eat it all day!
CATHERINE says
One of our favorite comfort dishes is a big bowl of homemade chili mac topped with cheese and sour cream.
Chili is great for so many comfy meals.?
VICTORIA HARRAH says
I just bought a new pressure cooker and this recipe has been added to my Plan to Eat meal plan for Saturday Night!! I can’t wait to try it!!
My favorite comfort food is a White Chicken Chile. I use ground chicken instead of shredded which makes a perfect “dip” for tortilla chips!! My kiddos love it and it’s my go to Potluck contribution!
Sweetphi says
Oh I think you’re going to love this recipe! And I love your favorite comfort food!!
VICTORIA HARRAH says
Thank you again for sharing!! =)
Linda Bick says
Favorite comfort dinner =?tacos!
Sweetphi says
Tacos are always a huge favorite!
Mary W says
My #1 comfort dinner is Scotch Broth Soup with fresh bread or rolls. The soup is really a stew made with Lamb and Barley – two of my favorite ingredients. I also think of pizza as a comfort meal.
Sweetphi says
Oh yum, that sounds so comforting and amazing!
Wendy Burrow says
Totally making this tonight!
Our favorite comfort foods are oven-baked mac and cheese, quesadillas (make in 5 minutes and add anything) and also anything you can wrap in a tortilla, like a combo of scrambled eggs/new potatoes/tomatoes/beans/jalapenos. Hint: chop the potatoes and then precook them in the microwave…finish in the frying pan!
Sweetphi says
I hope you love this dish! And I love the tip about the potatoes, thank you for sharing!
Marlee says
This dish looks amazing but I don’t gave a pressure cooker, how could I make this on the stove or oven?
Sweetphi says
You could make this stovetop/oven by cooking the pasta like you normally would. Then you’d make the chicken and veggies like in the recipe, you’d combine all the ingredients (except don’t add water) to a baking dish and then bake it covered in cheese at 350 for about 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is all melty, then serve and enjoy 🙂
Donna Trice says
One of our fall favorites is boneless pork roast with dry onion and condensed cream of mushroom in the crock pot. We have it over rice with steam bag veggies.
Sweetphi says
This is genius Donna! Would you mind if I made a version of this for the blog to share with others? I think others would love to see a recipe like this! I’ve made something similar with pork roast, potatoes and italian seasoning in a crock pot, but love the dry onion and condensed cream of mushroom!
Gloria Aman says
We have several comfort foods. One is Homemade Chili and the other is Lasagna. I entered but where I live I have never seen a Pick N Pay store here.
Sweetphi says
Homemade chili and lasagna are such great comfort foods! Is there a Kroger near you? If your comment is selected as the winner we could do a Kroger gift card for you or work something out 🙂
Nancy S. says
Our go-to for comfort food is actually a side dish of cheesy potato casserole. It goes well with burgers as well as breakfast. Mmmm.
Sweetphi says
I LOVE cheesy potato casserole as a side dish – I never thought of them as a side dish for breakfast too, but that’s genius, thank you for sharing! I make cheesy potatoes in the slow cooker and it’s always such a hit at parties, and I love it because it’s so hands off! (recipe here in case you’re interested- https://sweetphi.com/5-ingredient-slowcooker-cheesy-potatoes-recipe/)
Lisa Burkhart says
My favorite comfort food is a pot on my homemade chili. Getting ready to make a pot with the cooler weather.
Always reminds me of my mom.
Sweetphi says
Aw – I love how certain dishes remind us of certain people. Homemade chili sounds amazing with the cooling weather!
Heather says
Now that the weather is changing (a little too early) I am craving comfort food. One of my faves is what we call mashed potato hot dish. It is kind of like pot pie, but the crust is mashed potato. So yummy and my 3.5 year old loves it!!!!!
Sweetphi says
Isn’t it crazy how quickly the weather changes? that mashed potato hot dish sounds amazing, I’m going to have to look that up because it sounds like something my son would love (if you have a link or a source for the recipe you use, I’d love to know!)
Jeffrey says
You can’t go wrong with a pasta dish, but lately there has been something that comforts me more than anything…French Toast Bake. I like using stale bagels, buttermilk, blueberries and a hefty shot of bourbon!
Sweetphi says
Wow – that French Toast bake sounds amazing, and so comforting!
Jess Hay says
My favorite comforting dinner is pork chops with rice and gravy, and broccoli with ranch dressing on the side. My mom made it with cream of mushroom soup-gravy when I was a kid, and it’s been a favorite meal since then!
Sweetphi says
That does sound like such a great comforting dish, yum!
Monica M says
With it getting colder this time of year, I am looking forward to making my homemade chili. It is my favorite comfort food (and probably my husbands favorite to).
Sweetphi says
I love a good chili – so does my husband, it’s just an all around comforting dish! I recently made a chili con carne (it’s just a meat no beans chili) in a pressure cooker and I cannot wait to share the recipe here on the blog in the next few weeks because it was so good!!
Monica says
Can’t wait to read your chili recipe ?!!!!!
Denise E. says
This recipe looks scrumptious! I am definitely going to send it to my daughter. She has a pressure cooker, but I don’t. She’s always looking for something like this to feed her picky eaters!
I rely on my good old slow cooker. My absolute favorite is Mississippi Pot Roast.
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with your daughter, I always appreciate the shares! Mississippi pot roast sounds amazing – it’s a dish I recently learned about, something I’ll have to make this winter for sure!