I have been using the pressure cooker for a long, long time. But before the instant pot, I never thought of cooking pasta in a pressure cooker.  However, now that I have tried Instant Pot Pasta, it is hard to return. Perfectly cooked pasta in half the time and fewer dishes to do…it is a win-win for sure! This is one of the first dishes I tried when I was an instant pot newbie 🙂
Step-by-Step Easy Instant Pot Penne 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 type of tomato-based pasta sauce. However, choose the one with no or very, very minimal cheese.  As we are pressure-cooking the sauce and penne together in the pot, we don’t want the cheese in the sauce to get stuck at the bottom of the instant pot insert.  You can also choose to make the sauce at home. 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 🙂 Check out more instant pot pasta recipes
Spinach Artichoke Lasagna Spaghetti in Pesto Sauce Vegetarian Fajita Pasta Lemon Parmesan Orzo