What Pasta Should I Use
For this recipe, any short pasta with a cook time of 6-7 minutes will work. Ive chosen Maccheroni pasta which is like longer tubes of macaroni. Its perfect for this recipe because it soaks up all the juices and holds the chunky sauce in it too. YUMM.
If you are using long pasta like spaghetti or angel hair pasta, add the pasta to the pot with the heat off. This will help the pasta to soften slightly and makes it flexible enough to bend and submerge under the sauce and stock. Just ensure the sauce and stock are hot before adding the pasta. This way, you wont have to break the pasta at all!
How To Make Instant Pot Spaghetti :
Note: Ive updated this post since making this recipe video, so please disregard the 4-minute cooking cycle shown in the video. That works just fine, but I prefer a shorter 3-minute cook time now so the pasta has a little more tooth to it.
- 5cupswater
- 1jar marinara sauce
- 2 to 3tablespoonstomato paste
How To Cook Long Pasta
Longer style kind of kinds of pasta like angel hair pasta, fettuccine, spaghetti can be done, you need to break the noodles in half. That way they can get submerged in the liquid that they are being cooked in. If you find your pasta is sticking together, try crisscrossing the noodles before you cook, this will help reduce that.
Read Also: What To Do If Your Instant Pot Says Burn
Free Printable: Formula For Perfect Instant Pot Pasta
Never look up how to cook pasta in the Instant Pot again! To receive your handy Pressure Cooker Pasta printable, simply fill out the form below.
Why make Perfect Pressure Cooker Pasta when the most common method is simply a matter of boiling water? I’ve got reasons for days.
Nothing drives me more crazy in the kitchen than dealing with a pot of pasta on the stove that WILL NOT STOP FOAMING! You stir, stir, stir, and when that doesn’t work, you take it off the heat, let it settle, only to put it back on the heat and have it quickly foam to the top and you repeat the entire process all over again.
I’ve tried all the gizmos, the wooden spoon trick, the oil trick, etc, etc, and I have resolved to lose the stovetop pasta battle.
To my rescue, totally awesome pressure cooker!
I can throw the pasta, salt, and water in and walk away. In fact, I can even have my daughter do it while I take a nap!
There are several different cook times and water to pasta ratios out there, and after a lot of experimenting, I’ve finally narrowed it down to my ideal time. Lots of good info here, let’s get started!
Formula: Calculate The Perfect Pasta Cook Time
For perfect Instant Pot pasta, theres a pretty simple formula to find the right cooking time: take the time listed on the box, cut it in half, then subtract an additional minute.
For example, for bowtie pasta, if the package says to cook for 12 minutes, Id pressure cook it for 5 minutes. .
This formula works for regular pasta, whole wheat pasta, gluten-free pasta, rice-based pasta, or pretty much any kind.
Tip: If the cook time is an odd number, I generally round down.
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Common Question For Instant Pot Pasta
Can you cook dry pasta in an Instant Pot?
Yes, thats exactly what this guide covers. All pasta, cooking times and formulas are based on packages of dried pasta.
How do you fix undercooked pasta in Instant Pot?
Mistakes often happen when first learning to cook Instant Pot pasta. If the pasta is seriously crunchy after the 3-5 minute rest after pressure cooking, add another ¼-½ cup water to the pot, seal it and pressure cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
Can you cook 2 pounds of pasta in Instant Pot?
Yes, but only in the 6 or 8-qt Instant Pot . For 2 pounds pasta, use 8 cups water, 2 teaspoons salt and 4 teaspoons olive oil. If using two quarts of broth, use 1 teaspoon salt and adjust the seasoning after cooking.
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Freezing And Storing Spaghetti
If theres a chance you have leftovers, theyll be even better the second day. I dont know what it is about Italian food, but its always better after the flavors have melded together overnight. One of my favorites for leftovers is Baked Chicken Spaghetti, it is so good! Sometimes I secretly hope there are leftovers, just so I can have them the next day for lunch. Warmed up with a slice of bread and Im set!
- Storing: Like most dishes, this will keep beautifully in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Freeze: This will freeze for 3-4 months well. If I know Im going to freeze leftovers Ill try to under cook the noodles just a tad bit so they are really al dente. Using the quick release valve stops the cooking process. Once the spaghetti has completely cooled I will portion out in individual freezer safe containers or bags. Thaw overnight in the fridge and warm on the stove top or microwave. Enjoy!
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How To Cook Spaghetti Noodles In A Pressure Cooker
The strange thing about cooking spaghetti noodles in your Instant Pot is that you cant stir the mixture while it cooks. That means you cant break up the noodles, preventing them from clumping together, during the cooking process.
To avoid clumping, its essential that you break the noodles into smaller pieces, and arrange them in a criss-cross manner as you add them to the pot. You can simply break the noodles in half, but I like to go a step further and break them into thirds for maximum non-clumping.
If your noodles to stick together for some reason during the cooking process, it is relatively easy to pull them apart with a fork when the cooking cycle is complete, but its nice to avoid having to do that as much as possible. I almost never have an issue when I break the noodles into thirds!
Serving Instant Pot Pasta
After eight minutes on high pressure, release the pressure valve to do a quick release of pressure, carefully open the pot, and give the whole thing a swift stir. The pasta will be too hot to eat and will continue to cook as you remove the pot from your pressure cooker and get your bowls ready. A few minutes of cooling and a flurry of Parmesan cheese will make this the perfect weeknight dinner.
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Tips For Perfect Instant Pot Pasta
Id like to say that Instant Pot spaghetti is foolproof, but after spending a lot of time reading through comments in an Instant Pot Facebook group, I quickly learned that a few common problems plague this kind of recipe. But all of them can be easily avoided with good technique.
- Always scrape the bottom of the pot after browning the meat. The goal here is to avoid getting a BURN warning from your pot, so youll want to brown the meat, add a little water to the pot, and scrape, scrape, scrape before you add the marinara.
- Layer the water under and over the pasta. To cook the pasta evenly, youll want to make sure there is water both under the pasta and over it. I like to rinse my sauce jar with water and then pour it over the pasta to avoid waste, but feel free to skip this if youre using homemade sauce.
- Resist the urge to stir after the pasta is added. As soon as youve got the pasta in the pot and the water over it, put the lid on. You can give the pasta a gentle prod, but do not stir, which will give you gummy, stuck-together pasta.
Ingredients For Instant Pot Pasta Sauce
MEAT: We like lean ground beef in this recipe so there isnt lots of fat to drain. If you use regular ground beef drain the fat after cooking.
VEGGIES: Canned tomatoes make this easy and have the perfect consistency. We love the consistency that whole tomatoes add to the sauce.
Stir in extra veggies to use them up or to stretch the sauce. Zucchini, extra peppers or mushrooms, or even shredded carrot are all great.
SEASONINGS: Onion and garlic are cooked into the base of this sauce. A spoonful of Italian seasoning is all you need.
Read Also: How To Steam Corn In Instant Pot
Also Check: How To Defrost Ground Beef In Instant Pot
Why Cant I Just Cover The Release Valve With A Towel
If you are asking this, you likely havent read your manual. While it might be tempting to let the pressure just release while covering the valve with a towel to stop the starch from going everywhere, the Instant Pot instructional manual explicitly states that you cannot for any reason cover the pressure release valve with a towel, for safety purposes and for the health of your Instant Pot. So that is the reason for coming up with a way to deal with the escaping starch!
Tips For The Best Instant Pot Spaghetti
Youre going to love how easy this is, sometimes you just need to get a meal on the table and I love this one, especially if I dont want to spend a ton of time in the kitchen. If I have a bit more time Ill throw together this Slow cooker Italian Chicken and Potatoes or Incredible Homemade Calzone. Always family favorites!
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The Instant Pot Pasta Formula
To cook any type of pasta perfectly in the Instant Pot :
But theres no need to do all that math. Just use the chart below:
**0 is a real setting on the Instant Pot / pressure cooker. For small pasta shapes with a short recommended cook time, set the timer to zero minutes. The pressure cooker will fully pressurize but wont hold for any amount of time.
How To Cook Pasta In An Instant Pot
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Everybody loves pasta, but nobody loves having to use half the pots and pans in the kitchen to get it ready. With an Instant Pot, all you need is a single piece of cookware and about 10 minutes. Just throw your pasta and sauce of choice into the Instant Pot, along with 3½-4 cups of water. Secure the lid and set the manual timer to 4-8 minutes. Once the pot beeps, release the pressure valve and give everything a good stir. Youll have dinner on the table in less time than it takes to boil a pot of water!
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How Long Does It Take To Cook Spaghetti
There are several methods and formulas out there for spaghetti, but Im going to let you in on my method, which I developed while writing The Fresh & Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook. The thing you need to know about pasta is that it creates a lot of foam as it cooks under pressure. That foam will shoot out of the vent in the top of your pressure cooker if you perform a quick release immediately after cooking it.
Many recipes will have you cook spaghetti noodles for 6 to 8 minutes, then perform a quick release, but that can lead to a messy counter covered with starchy water that shoots out of your vent. The whole point of using an Instant Pot is that its supposed to make your life easier, and cleaning up a messy counter isnt going to help matters.
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Instead, I prefer to cook my spaghetti for a shorter time, and then I allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes. This lets the foam settle in the pot while the pasta finishes cooking, so when youre ready to open the lid, theres NO mess. Its a win-win.
Here are my general spaghetti cooking times for the Instant Pot:
- Regular or Whole Wheat Spaghetti: 3 to 4 minutes at high pressure 10 minute natural release
- Gluten-Free Spaghetti: 0 minutes at high pressure 8 minute natural release
How To Fix Excess Foam Issue
- Dont use any dairy as cooking liquid for cooking pasta in Instant Pot. If youre making a creamy pasta, like chicken alfredo pasta, add milk/cheese after the pasta is done.
- Add just enough water to barely cover the pasta.
- Add a tablespoon or so olive oil. Fat helps to reduce foaming.
- Dont fill the pot over half way mark when cooking pasta. Instant Pot users manual suggests not filling the pot more than half way when cooking food that expand in volume.
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Instant Pot Pasta In Red Sauce
Just as good as the stovetop version, this Instant Pot Pasta in red sauce comes together in a single pot! Its saucy with tons of flavour and takes way less cooking time! Heres how to make red sauce pasta in the instant pot, with tips on how to make the sauce and pasta together, how to pressure cook it right, and more!
I dont usually endorse shortcuts in recipes, but Id feel bad if I didnt share this awesome Instant Pot pasta with you! This Instant Pot Pasta is a no-oven and no-using-hundred-different-pots kinda recipe!
Tips For Best Instapot Spaghetti Results
- To double the recipe: If you have 8 quart Instant Pot, you can double the ingredients for pressure cooker spaghetti but keep the same cook time. For a 6 quart pot, you can only add 1.5 times ingredients and the cook time remains the same.
- 3 quart Instant Pot: Cut all ingredients in half but keep the same cook time.
- If pasta is crunchy: Close the lid and let it sit an extra 10 minutes after cooking. Pasta cooks fast so its always better to undercook and allow it to sit. You cant reverse overcooked pasta.
- Too liquid-y? When you first open the pot, spaghetti might look very watery. Give it a stir and a few minutes to absorb more of the surrounding liquid.
- Clumping noodles: Criss crossing pasta resolves most of the clumping issue. Even if there is some clumping, thats completely ok. Just use a fork to separate them.
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Easy Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti
Published: · by Jess Smith · Jump to Recipe · · This post may contain affiliate links.
Easy Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti is a weeknight dinner dream. The Instant Pot cooks the pasta to a perfect al dente while the sauce thickens and coats the noodles. Adding garlic and basil gives this easy meal fresh flavor.
And here we continue with the Instant Pot theme of you-guys-told-me-it-was-great / what-took-me-so-long. Spaghetti in the Instant Pot is a revelation! So many of you have mentioned that you love cooking pasta in the Instant Pot / pressure cooker, but I only recently jumped on the bandwagon. This is going on repeat because we keep all of the ingredients on-hand and throw them together last minute. Pasta and sauce in the pantry check. Cubed chicken in the freezer check. Dinner can literally be on the table in 15 minutes. Heres how its done.
What Is Pasta Roni
Pasta Roni is a quick and easy meal for people on the go. It can be eaten as a side dish or even as a main entrée. Pasta Roni is full of flavor, which makes it perfect for any time of day!
The boxed pasta comes in many different flavors, such as White Cheddar and Broccoli, Shells and White Cheddar, Garlic & Olive Oil Vermicelli, and Jalapeno Cheddar. The recipe will work the same on all of the boxed pasta dishes.
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Can I Cook Pasta In An Instant Pot
Yes! You can, and whats more I highly recommend it as a time saving and low-effort way to make pasta that is super flavorful and perfectly cooked. Heres 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 .
