Easy and fast one-pot pasta dish with a delicious tomato cream sauce using your Instant Pot. Ideal for busy weeknights, this recipe is a favorite with both children and adults. The entire process, from start to finish, takes just under 20 minutes. Serve with salad or a soup for a complete dinner.
Did you know that you can cook pasta in Instant Pot? You get perfectly cooked pasta in half the time and fewer dishes to do…it is a win-win for sure!
Step-by-Step Easy Instant Pot Pasta Recipe
In this vegetarian pasta recipe, I used penne pasta and a store-bought jar of marinara sauce. You can use any type of pasta, such as bowtie, ziti, etc. Also, use any tomato-based pasta sauce.
Start the instant pot in sauté mode and add the marinara sauce. Let it come to a boil. Then add in any veggies of your choice. I added green peas in the below images, but you can add others too, such as bell peppers or mushrooms. Stir in the penne. Now we are ready to pressure cook the penne.
Change the setting to manual mode for 4 minutes. For al dente, cook for 1 minute, less than half the time recommended on the box. Add one more minute for well-done pasta. For example, if the pasta box says 12 minutes, then I would pressure cook for 5 minutes. I prefer to cook al dente and then add a minute or so on sauté mode if needed.
When the instant pot beeps, quick release the pressure manually. Then, stir in the cream and cheese to get the rich, creamy flavor.
The penne in tomato cream sauce is ready. If it is not the exact consistency you like, change to sauté mode and cook for a couple of minutes. It came out perfectly for me, and I did not have to cook it any longer.
Pair this Creamy Penne with a soup or salad. Enjoy with a glass of wine 🙂
Easy Weeknight Pasta
Course: MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
servings5
minutes15
minutes20
minutesIngredients
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
5 cloves Garlic, diced (not paste)
9 ounces Penne Pasta, (about 3-4 cups)
12 ounces Marinara Sauce or similar tomato-based sauce
1/2 cup Cream
1/2 cup Cheese, Romano or Parmesan, or cheese of your choice
1 cup water
1 tablespoon Lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Salt, or to taste
Directions
- Start the instant pot in sauté mode and heat the oil in it. Add the garlic and cook until it is golden brown.
- Add a cup of water and then stir in the penne. Scrape if anything is stuck to the bottom of the pot. Most of the pasta should be covered in the sauce and water. If it is not, add some more water.
- Pour the marinara sauce on top, and don’t mix. This will help avoid the “Burn” issue in your instant pot)
- Close the instant pot lid with vent in sealing position. Change the setting to manual or pressure cook mode at high pressure for 4 minutes. The time to cook is usually 1 minute less than half of the suggest time on the pasta box. This will result in al dente pasta.
- When the instant pot beeps, quick release the pressure manually.
- Stir in the cream and cheese, so it is mixed well with the sauce. Add in lemon juice and salt to taste. Penne is ready to be served.