12 Instant Pot Pasta Recipes for Easy Dinners - XO, Katie Rosario (2024)

Learn how to make easy pasta recipes you know and love in a one-pot wonder machine like the Instant Pot. These Instant Pot pasta recipes may seem too good to be true.

Instant Pots are growing in popularity every day because of their convenience and fast cooking. Since everything is made in one pot, the clean up is minimal. It can also replace other appliances that take up a lot of space like the pressure cooker, steamer, slow cooker, and rice cooker. This really comes in handy when you have a small kitchen or no pantry storage space because it is an all in one machine.

Honestly, I think it’s incredible, but some people get intimated by it and have no idea how to use the Instant Pot. Well, first of all, it’s a set it and forget it type of machine, just set up the timer and temperature and let it do its thing. Once the timer goes off, then you have a delicious, complete meal made in one pot.

Today we are looking at how to make different pasta recipes Instant Pot. Usually, pasta needs several pots or pans to make everything like pasta, sauce, topping, etc. But when you make pasta in the Instant Pot, you are cooking everything in one place.

Something that’s helpful about making pasta in the Instant Pot is you don’t have to drain any pasta water. Generally, you add the right amount of water that the pasta will absorb, so there’s no need to drain the extra water. The water also becomes the sauce which is nice because the pasta actually tastes better since everything is being cooked together at one time.

With a little cleanup, you can have delicious soul-satisfying Instant Pot comfort food pasta recipes you can’t wait to make. Here are 12 Instant Pot Pasta Recipes That Make Easy Dinners!

Let’s Get Cooking!

1. Instant Pot Pasta with Meat Sauce

12 Instant Pot Pasta Recipes for Easy Dinners - XO, Katie Rosario (1)

Found from The Lean Green Bean

This is super simple instant pot pasta recipe is great for a busy weeknight. It takes 15 minutes to cook, so you are done cooking in less than 30 minutes. This pasta uses ground beef in the meat sauce, but you can easily substitute ground turkey or ground chicken. The shell pasta is perfect for this meat sauce because the sauce holds on to the shells better so you can enjoy the sauce in every bite!

2. Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi

12 Instant Pot Pasta Recipes for Easy Dinners - XO, Katie Rosario (2)

Found from Garden In The Kitchen

This instant post shrimp scampi is an easy meal that’s light and fresh. The shrimp are perfectly cooked in the instant pot. The angel hair pasta is coated in a lovely sauce that’s buttery and tangy from the lemon juice and capers. Since this recipe uses angel hair pasta and shrimp two things that don’t need a lot of cooking time, this whole meal will be done and ready to eat in 20 minutes!

3. Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta

12 Instant Pot Pasta Recipes for Easy Dinners - XO, Katie Rosario (3)

Found from No. 2 Pencil

Chicken Alfredo is a classic dinner recipe, and it just got a whole lot easier to make. Using simple ingredients like chicken breast, garlic, cream, and parmesan cheese, instantly creates the most flavorful sauce. And the best part is how you can cook the pasta in the sauce, so the pasta takes on all this deliciousness!

4. Instant Pot Cheeseburger Mac

12 Instant Pot Pasta Recipes for Easy Dinners - XO, Katie Rosario (4)

Found from Foody Schmoody

This instant pot pasta is just like taking a bite out of a cheeseburger. Its got ground beef, cheese, and the secret ingredient Worcestershire sauce. It’s a hearty meal that you won’t feel disappointed. After it’s cooked, then you can add more cheese, and green onions, to complete your cheeseburger pasta. Serve it alone or with a garden salad.

5. Instant Pot Lasagna

12 Instant Pot Pasta Recipes for Easy Dinners - XO, Katie Rosario (5)

Found from Pressure Cook Recipes

If you never thought you could make lasagna in an instant pot, think again. This is a genius way to make lasagna. You still get the beautiful layers of meat, cheese, and pasta but the cooking time is literally half. I really liked how they use a cheesecake pan that has a removable bottom, so you keep the shape of the lasagna without crushing the layers when you’re cutting and serving it.

6. Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta

12 Instant Pot Pasta Recipes for Easy Dinners - XO, Katie Rosario (6)

Found from Sweet and Savory Meals

Tuscan chicken is an easy crowd favorite that you can have any day of the week. Quickly cook the pasta in the creamy, cheesy sauce and cook the chicken with Italian seasonings. Then add chewy sundried tomatoes and fresh spinach for color. Sprinkle parmesan cheese before serving and enjoy!

7. Instant Pot Chicken Pesto Pasta

12 Instant Pot Pasta Recipes for Easy Dinners - XO, Katie Rosario (7)

Found from Eating Instantly

This chicken pesto pasta is a lovely bright green and is packed with veggies. The sauce is a traditional pesto that gets folded into the pasta and chicken. It’s tangy, creamy and effortless to make any day of the week.

8. Instant Pot Mac & Cheese

12 Instant Pot Pasta Recipes for Easy Dinners - XO, Katie Rosario (8)

Found from Plating and Pairings

This Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese recipes are perfect any day of the week. The trick to this extra creamy and cheesy mac and cheese is evaporated milk and a combination of sharp cheddar and parmesan cheese! It’s everything you in a rich mac and cheese!

9. Instant Pot Bruschetta Chicken Pasta

12 Instant Pot Pasta Recipes for Easy Dinners - XO, Katie Rosario (9)

Found from The Girl On Bloor

This bruschetta chicken pasta is a light pasta dish that is all about the fresh ingredients. The chicken is paired beautifully with fresh tomatoes, basil, red onions, olive oil, and garlic, all the ingredients you would find in a traditional bruschetta on a crostini. The tomatoes burst and create a light sauce that delicately coats the pasta. It’s an excellent dish for a warm spring or summer night!

10. Instant Pot Hamburger Stroganoff

12 Instant Pot Pasta Recipes for Easy Dinners - XO, Katie Rosario (10)

Found from Julie’s Eats and Treats

This instant pot hamburger stroganoff is something that you can make fast especially for a last minute dinner. The sauce is velvety and rich in flavor. Using hamburger meat you can cut the cooking time down in half. It’s a meal that your family will enjoy on a busy weeknight!

11. Instant Pot Goulash

12 Instant Pot Pasta Recipes for Easy Dinners - XO, Katie Rosario (11)

Found from I Don’t Have Time For That

Goulash is the perfect comfort food it’s typically a Hungarian stew with some kind of meat and pasta. This recipe has a nice Italian twist with Italian seasonings, tomatoes, and ground beef. It’s easy to put together since you probably already have the ingredients in your pantry!

12. Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta

12 Instant Pot Pasta Recipes for Easy Dinners - XO, Katie Rosario (12)

Found from Kitchen at Hoskins

Chicken parmesan is usually a really time-consuming recipe to make. It’s easy to enjoy this chicken parmesan pasta anytime even on a busy weeknight. Although this pasta doesn’t have the crispy crust like traditional chicken parmesan, the flavor is still there. Its loaded with cheese, tomato sauce, and fresh basil that it will sure to be devoured.

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Making pasta in an Instant Pot just makes us fall in love with these comfort foods all over again. Some might say an Instant Pot is life-changing! Do you agree? What Instant Pot pasta recipes will you be making?

Happy Instant Pot Cooking!

12 Instant Pot Pasta Recipes for Easy Dinners - XO, Katie Rosario (13)

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12 Instant Pot Pasta Recipes for Easy Dinners - XO, Katie Rosario (2024)

FAQs

How much water for 12 oz of pasta in Instant Pot? ›

For every 4 ounces of pasta, use 1 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.

Why don t you stir pasta in Instant Pot? ›

Why do you not stir pasta in the Instant Pot? You don't stir pasta before pressure cooking in the Instant Pot because it may begin to absorb the water and affect the amount needed to bring the pot to pressure. You always stir pasta and sauce or liquid after pressure cooking.

How to cook pasta penne? ›

COOKING YOUR PASTA
  1. Bring 4 - 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil, add salt to taste.
  2. Add contents of package to boiling water. Stir gently.
  3. Return to a boil. For authentic "al dente" pasta, boil uncovered, stirring occasionally for11 minutes. ...
  4. Remove from heat. ...
  5. Serve immediately with your favorite Barilla sauce.

Does water have to cover pasta in an Instant Pot? ›

Add any pasta (at least 12 ounces but no more than 16 ounces) to the liner of your Instant Pot. Add enough water to nearly cover the pasta (a few pieces of pasta sticking above the water line is ok).

How much pasta can you cook in a 12 quart pot? ›

For 1 pound of pasta, start with 1 gallon of cold water, and make sure your pot is large enough. This is a 6 quart stockpot (for 2 pounds of pasta I would use a 12 quart stockpot).

What foods should not be cooked in an Instant Pot? ›

6 Things You Should Never Cook in an Instant Pot
  1. Creamy Sauces. If there's one food group you should avoid in the Instant Pot, it's dairy. ...
  2. Fried Chicken. The best fried chicken is crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside and perfectly golden brown. ...
  3. Cookies. ...
  4. Burgers. ...
  5. Pie. ...
  6. Steak.

Why does my pasta keep burning in Instant Pot? ›

Lai says the most common cause for a burn notification is not adding enough liquid to the pot or using thick ingredients like a thick tomato sauce. "If you sauté prior to pressure cooking and you do not properly deglaze the bottom of the pot, food stuck to the bottom can cause the burn notification," says Lai.

Why is my pasta too soft in the Instant Pot? ›

First, you're going to want to nail down exactly how much liquid to use in your recipe. If you add too much, the pasta will likely turn out mushy. If you add too little, the pasta will be too dry, or even set off the appliance's BURN error, per Kitchn. America's Test Kitchen recommends a specific ratio of 5:1.

How many cups is 2 ounces of pasta? ›

Two ounces of dry pasta is equal to 1/2 cup dry, which boils up to be 1 1/2 cup cooked, or a heaped 1 cup.

What is the difference between penne and pasta? ›

Elbow pasta and penne both fall under the macaroni category of pasta. Penne pasta is a ridged, straight, tube-shaped pasta, whereas elbow pasta is a smooth, curved, tubed-shaped pasta. Both penne and elbow pasta are great for saucy dishes.

How do you make penne taste better? ›

5 Ways to Make Pasta Taste Like It Does in a Restaurant (Without Cream)
  1. Don't cook the pasta in advance. Raise your hand if you've ever had your noodles finish cooking before your sauce is done. ...
  2. Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. ...
  3. Save the pasta cooking water. ...
  4. Add the cheese at the end. ...
  5. Skip the dairy altogether.
Nov 16, 2017

How long do you cook pasta in Instant Pot formula? ›

Cooking Times for Different Pasta Shapes - How Long Does It Take To Cook Pasta in Instant Pot?
Pasta ShapePressure Cook Time (El Dente)Pressure Cook Time (Soft)
Elbow Macaroni3 minutes4 minutes
Spaghetti4 minutes5 minutes
Linguine4 minutes5 minutes
Fettuccine4 minutes5 minutes
9 more rows
Nov 18, 2020

Can you overcook pasta in Instant Pot? ›

Oh yeah, pasta can most definitely be overcooked (pretty easily) in an Instant Pot. That's why I'd recommend sticking to 1-4 minutes for your cook time.

What to do if pasta is not done in Instant Pot? ›

Fix undercooked pasta in an Instant Pot

If it's still pretty crunchy, you'll be glad to know that learning how to fix undercooked pasta in Instant Pot is super easy! Just add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water to the pot, re-seal it, and allow it to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes before checking it again.

How much water do I need for 12 oz of pasta? ›

Use plenty of water and use only COLD or COOL Water:

Fill that big pot 3/4 full of COLD water or use at least one quart of cold water for every four ounces of dry pasta. Four quarts is a bare minimum per 12-ounce package of pasta, six to eight quarts is ideal.

How much does 12 oz of dry pasta make? ›

How many cups is 12 oz of pasta? In using dry pasta, such as rotini, a 12-ounce bag is equivalent to 3.4 US cups. Remember, the quantity doubles as you cook your pasta!

How much water should you put in a pot for pasta? ›

1. For every one pound of pasta, bring 5 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Once water is boiling, add salt. We recommend about 2 tablespoons of coarse sea salt to every 5 quarts of water.

What is the liquid ratio for Instant Pot? ›

Follow this tip: Unless otherwise specified in the recipe, use just enough liquid (usually water or broth) to bring the cooker to pressure. Amounts will vary between recipes, but in general, 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid is needed to get cooking.

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