Instant Pot pasta is a super easy one-pot recipe for making creamy and delicious pasta! Penne is cooked in a creamy tomato sauce in this dump-and-go recipe. You will not want to make pasta any other way!
My recipe for my favorite creamy Instant Pot pasta is finally here! This is a recipe I’ve been making for so long now - I make it whenever the kids ask for ‘creamy pasta’ – which is every couple of days or so - and truth be told, I’d make it happily every day if I could. This is truly a dump-and-go Instant Pot recipe, and there is no chopping or prep involved! Sounds too good to be true? Let's get to know more…
What you will love about this recipe:
- Dump and go, no prep required!
- Delicious, perfectly creamy pasta
- Just 30 minutes!
- A winner with the family, especially for kids
This recipe doesn’t compromise on the taste in anyway – I’ve always maintained that the Instant Pot makes excellent pasta…some of my favorite recipes such as butternut squash pasta and shrimp linguine come out perfectly well when cooked in the Instant Pot. Here’s why I think you should definitely make pasta in the Instant Pot:
Can I cook pasta in an Instant Pot?
Yes! You can, and what’s more – I highly recommend it as a time saving and low-effort way to make pasta that is super flavorful and perfectly cooked. Here’s why:
More flavor - Pasta cooked in the Instant Pot turns out more flavorful than pasta that is cooked with the sauce separately. The seasonings are mixed in with the water and liquid used to cook the pasts in the Instant Pot. The pasta cooks under pressure and absorbs all the flavors from the liquid. I like to add a good quality broth or bouillon to the liquid before pressure cooking, and this gives my super flavorful pasta every single time!
Perfect texture - The pasta comes out just the way my kids and I like it. A tad more done than al dente. The softer than usual texture is a hige hit with kids especially. If you like your pasta al dente and with some more bite, then simply reduce the pressure cooking time by a minute.
Naturally thick sauce – No need to reserve that starchy pasta water to thicken the sauce anymore! Many stovetop pasta recipes call for reserving the pasta water to thicken the sauce. When you cook pasta in the Instant Pot, the starch from the pasta is not drained away. It stays in the cooker, and the sauce is naturally thickened. This means you can add lesser cream or cheese or other thickeners (such as flour).
Hands-off! – Using the Instant Pot, you can make a dump-and-go pasta that will not require you to monitor the stove or check on the sauce. This recipe for creamy Instant Pot pasta has 0 prep and is a dump-and-go recipe with very little manual effort needed.
List of Ingredients
Here are all the ingredients you will need to make this creamy Instant Pot penne pasta:
Penne - You can use penne pasta or simply any type of pasta you prefer. Read below for the pressure cook times for different kinds of pasta.
Pasta sauce - I have used jarred Sugo sauce which is similar to marinara sauce. You can use any variety of pasta sauce that you prefer.
Seasonings - I have used garlic powder and onion powder as seasoning. You can also add Italian seasoning or paprika or your preferred choice of pasta seasonings.
Bouillon - You can use either a stock cube or bouillon powder if you are using water to cook the pasta. Or substitute the water with a good quality stock.
Step-by-step Instructions
Start by add 3 cups of water to the Instant Pot. If you are using stock, you can simply add stock instead of water. Then add the bouillon to the water. You can also skip the bouillon, I highly recommend it – it takes the flavor to a whole new level.
Then add the onion powder and garlic powder.
Add the olive oil and then the marinara sauce / pasta sauce ( I used Sugo sauce).
Then add the pasta and mix with a spatula. The penne should be just under the level of the water.
Then cover the lid of the Instant Pot and Pressure Cook for 5 minutes. As soon as the cooking cycle is over, perform a quick release of pressure and open the lid. Hit cancel to turn off the Instant Pot. Do not let it continue to cook in ‘Keep Warm’ mode, as this will casue the sauce to dry up.
Add the parmesan cheese and the cream and mix gently to combine. You creamy Instant Pot pasta is done. Serve hot!
How long does it take to cook pasta in an Instant Pot?
To make Instant Pot pasta I follow this simple rule:
Take the time mentioned on the box of pasta, halve the time mentioned on the box, and then reduce that by 1. This gives you the time needed to cook the pasta in the Instant Pot.
For example, I made this pasta recipe using penne which called for 11 minutes of cooking time. Halve it (5.5), reduce that by 1, which makes it 4.5 minutes going by the rule above. Round that off to the next number ie, 5 minutes. Cook the penne pasta for 5 minutes!
How much liquid do you need to cook Instant Pot pasta ?
A general rule of thumb for cooking Instant Pot pasta is to use four cups of liquid for every pound of pasta. Your dried pasta should be covered in the liquid - the liquid can be simply water, or tomato sauce, or dairy-based.
When in doubt, just ensure that the pasta is just about submerged under the liquid, and you should be good!
Expert Tips
Pasta should be submerged in the liquid – Make sure that the level of water in the Instant Pot just covers the level of dried pasta. If there is not enough liquid in the Instant Pot, the pasta can be undercooked.
Water can be replaced with broth – I like to add bouillon or stock to the pasta liquid before pressure cooking. This gives the pasta a boost of flavor and takes it several notches above regular pasta.
How to Prevent the ‘Food Burn’ error – Sometimes when cooking Instant Pot pasta, the IP can trigger a ‘Food Burn’ error. This can happen if you are using a very thick tomato-based sauce or if your sauce has too much cheese or cream. You need to also check to see that there is no residue stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot, as this will also trigger a Burn notice.
Replace penne with Spaghetti – You can replace the penne in this recipe with spaghetti noodles, however, you need to break up the spaghetti in half and spread them in the Instant Pot. This will prevent the noodles from clumping together.
Add veggies at the end – To add to the nutritional value of the dish, add a handful of baby spinach or broccoli florets or peas at the end of the recipe, after you open the lid. Then close the lid without letting too much steam escape. Open the lid after 4 minutes. The veggies will cook in the residual steam of the Instant Pot, and you can then mix them in with the pasta.
More easy Instant Pot recipes
Instant Pot Chicken and Broccoli
Instant Pot Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb Penne pasta
- 2 cups Marinara / Pasta sauce
- ½ tbsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tbsp Onion Powder
- 1 tbsp bouillon or substitute with 1 stock cube
- 3 cups Water or substitute with stock
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- ½ cup Parmesan, grated
- ⅓ cup Heavy cream
Instructions
- Start by add 3 cups of water to the Instant Pot. If you are using stock, you can simply add stock instead of water. Then add the bouillon to the water. You can also skip the bouillon, I highly recommend it – it takes the flavor to a whole new level.
- Then add the onion powder and garlic powder.
- Add the olive oil and then the marinara sauce/pasta sauce.
- Then add the pasta and mix with a spatula. The penne should be just under the level of the water.
- Then cover the lid of the Instant Pot and Pressure Cook for 5 minutes. As soon as the cooking cycle is over, perform a quick release of pressure and open the lid. Hit cancel to turn off the Instant Pot. Do not let it continue to cook in ‘Keep Warm’ mode, as this will cause the sauce to dry up.
- Add the parmesan cheese and the cream and mix gently to combine. Your creamy Instant Pot pasta is done. Serve hot!
Video
Notes
- Make sure that the level of water in the Instant Pot just covers the level of dried pasta. If there is not enough liquid in the Instant Pot, the pasta can be undercooked.
- Sometimes when cooking Instant Pot pasta, the IP can trigger a ‘Food Burn’ error. This can happen if you are using a very thick tomato-based sauce or if your sauce has too much cheese or cream. You need to also check to see that there is no residue stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot, as this will also trigger a Burn notice.
- You can replace the penne in this recipe with spaghetti noodles, however, you need to break up the spaghetti in half and spread them in the Instant Pot. This will prevent the noodles from clumping together.
- To add to the nutritional value of the dish, add a handful of baby spinach or broccoli florets or peas at the end of the recipe after you open the lid. Then close the lid without letting too much steam escape. Open the lid after 4 minutes. The veggies will cook in the residual steam of the Instant Pot, and you can then mix them in with the pasta.
This was SO easy and my family loved it! Thank you!
I love how easy this recipe is! I've been hesitant to try pasta in my Instant Pot, but it really is so easy.
A recipe after my own heart. Looking forward to trying this version. I cannot wait to try this instant pot pasta.
I love delicious dump-n-go recipes like this pasta! Perfect weeknight meal.
I want to try this, but use sour cream instead of the heavy cream. I also wondered about yogurt.