Instant Pot Creamy Italian Pasta is an easy one-pot meal comes that comes together in minutes. Pasta cooks up perfectly in a creamy, cheesy, tomato sauce right, absorbing all the delicious flavors of the sauce as it cooks. The flavors of this Instant Pot Pasta recipe are reminiscent of a Baked Ziti, but this easy recipe is perfect for busy weeknights.
While I love Slow Cooker Baked Ziti and Oven Baked Rotini. Making pasta in the Instant Pot is one of my favorite methods for a quick, affordable weeknight dinner. Made with pantry staples, this Instant Pot pasta is not only easy to make, but it is also surprisingly more delicious than traditional preparation, as the sauce flavors the noodles as they cook.
I have been asked by so many of you to Instant Pot Pasta and I gladly accepted the challenge.
I am happy to report that I have PERFECTED cooking pasta in the pressure cooker, after countless tries.
- I experimented with 4 types of regular noodles and one type of gluten-free noodles.
- I tested this instant pot pasta recipe with homemade tomato sauce and with jarred tomato sauce.
- I made my Italian pasta creamy with the addition of ricotta and cheese and I made it without dairy for a vegan-friendly pasta bake.
- I even tried this pasta bake with ground meat and Italian sausage.
The verdict?
I burnt a batch. I under-cooked pasta. I overcooked pasta.
But I finally landed on success and now have one of the EASIEST meals you can make for your family on a busy weeknight.
I will walk you through the different variations, and included at the bottom of this recipe is my favorite version for Instant Pot Baked Rotini--super creamy and delicious!
How to Perfectly Cook Pasta in the Instant Pot
Cooking pasta in the instant pot is about the easiest thing to do.
But just like all Instant Pot Recipes, there are a few important guidelines to remember when using your instant pot.
Liquid
- You need to be sure you have enough liquid for pressure to be reached AND enough liquid for your pasta to cook in and to leave a delicious sauce behind.
- The magic number instant pot pasta to water ratio is about 6 cups liquid to 16 ounces pasta. I know that may sound like a lot of liquid, but that includes the liquid in the tomato sauce.
Pasta
- You want to make sure you completely submerge your pasta in the liquid to cook.
- I have seen many recipes that place the pasta on top of the sauce "to steam" the pasta. Every time I have tried this, my pasta cooked unevenly and had dried, crispy spots--yuck.
- I like to pour my pasta in on top of the sauce and then lightly push down the pasta until it is just submerged. This will keep the pasta covered with liquid but not touching the bottom of the inner pot in the Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Pasta Cooking Times
The magic ratio for cooking pasta is typically half the cook time on the box and then letting pressure release for 5 minutes. This will cook your pasta perfectly.
- Spaghetti Noodles: 5 minutes on high pressure with 5 minutes natural release, then quick release (break spaghetti noodles in half so you can submerge in cooking liquid).
- Rotini/Penne/Cavatappi: 4 minutes on high pressure, 5 minutes natural release, then quick release
- Rigatoni: 5 minutes on high pressure, 5 minutes natural release, then quick release
- Linguine: I have NOT had success with linguine noodles, they all clumped together even when I tried to criss-cross them. I would just use spaghetti noodles.
- Elbow Noodles: 3 minutes on high pressure, 5 minutes natural release, then quick release.
How to Make Instant Pot Creamy Italian Pasta
Now that you know the ins and out os how to cook dried pasta in your Instant Pot, it is time to share with you my method for my favorite variety--Instant Pot Creamy Baked Ziti.
Step One: Homemade Tomato Sauce (optional)
I love homemade tomato sauce. It will need a bit of time to cook without the pasta to develop flavor, but this method is still super quick. Of course, you can opt to skip this step and just use your favorite jarred pasta sauce (directions for how to do this in the recipe card.)
- Add 2 cups of stock or water to your inner pot. Add in remaining ingredients for tomato sauce, along with wine and diced tomatoes.
- Cook sauce on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Let the pressure release for 10 minutes, then do a quick release. Because there is a large amount of liquid in the sauce, be sure to cover the vent with a kitchen towel and stay away from steam. It will take about one full minute for the pressure to release.
Step Two: Add Pasta
- Give homemade pasta sauce a good stir.
- Submerge 16 ounces of dried pasta--for this recipe, I use rotini but see notes below on other times of pasta you can use.
- You want to be sure to submerge the pasta into the sauce. Gently push down the pasta into the sauce, being careful to not push the pasta to the bottom of the inner pot.
Step Three: Add Ricotta Cheese
- Dollop ricotta cheese on top of the sauce and grated Parmesan cheese over the top. Omit the cheese and ricotta if you want to keep this pasta dairy-free or vegan-friendly.
Step Four: Cook Pasta
- Seal the lid and close the valve to sealed.
- Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
- Let release pressure for 5 minutes and then do a quick release and turn off Instant Pot.
It is SO important to watch that you don't allow more time to pass than 5 minutes for natural pressure to release so you don't overcook your pasta. I have found that 4 minutes for most pasta (see notes below) with 5 minutes natural release creates a perfect al dente pasta.
Step Five: Serve
- You will notice when you remove the lid the sauce looks very liquidy, just give it a good stir and the pasta and sauce will be perfectly incorporated.
FAQs and Tips for Instant Pot Pasta
- Can you add meat to this Instant Pot Pasta recipe? Absolutely! I stated that I have tried Instant Pot pasta with both ground beef and Italian Sausage. There are directions for how to add meat in the recipe card if desired.
- Vegan Pasta: Use a vegan-friendly jarred sauce and omit the Ricotta and Parmesan.
- I highly recommend using either chicken stock or vegetable broth instead of water for this recipe. The noodles absorb the liquid as they cook, so by using stock, you are imparting more flavor to the pasta.
- I add in a dry red wine, like Cabernet or Merlot for an extra rich flavor to my sauce. If you do not drink alcohol, you can use additional stock in place of the wine.
- This is one time not to let your Instant Pot sit on keep warm after you release pressure. The pasta can become soggy and dry out quickly.
More Instant Pot recipes using Pasta
Next time you are craving pasta, give this Instant Pot recipe a try. It is easy, comforting, and delicious! And be sure to let me know in the comments how much you enjoyed this recipe--I love to hear from you!
Instant Pot Creamy Italian Pasta
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- ½ cup dry red wine or addtional stock
- 15 ounce diced tomatoes
- 1 recipe homemade tomato sauce or 28 ounces jarred pasta sauce
- 16 ounces dried rotini see notes on additonal types of pasta
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
For the Homemade Tomato Sauce
- 28 ounce tomato puree
- 3 tablespoons dried parsley
- 5 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 2 tablespoons honey or sugar
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
Directions Using Homemade Pasta Sauce
- Place 2 cups stock or water in the Instant Pot. Add in wine, diced tomatoes, and all the ingredients for homemade tomato sauce. Do not stir.
- Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Once cook time has elapsed, let pressure release for 10 minutes, before doing a quick release. Stir sauce together
- Add in dried pasta and gently sumberge pasta in sauce. Dollop with ricotta cheese and parmesan cheese, if using
- Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes by hitting manual or pressure cook and adjust time to 4 minutes. Let pressure naturally release for 5 minutes and then do a quick release of any remaining pressure. Stir sauce, ricotta and pasta altogether and serve.
Directions Using Store Bought Sauce
- Place 2 cups stock in inner pot. Then add in wine, diced tomatoes, and 28 ounces jarred tomato sauce. Add pasta on top and gently push pasta into sauce. Dollop with ricotta and parmesan, if using.
- Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Let naturally pressure release for 5 minutes and then do a quick release of any remaining pressure. Stir sauce, ricotta and pasta altogether and serve.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- It is very important to start this dish by pouring stock or water into the instant pot before adding tomato sauce.
- The magic number instant pot pasta to water ratio is about 6 cups liquid to 16 ounces pasta. I know that may sound like a lot of liquid, but that includes the liquid in the tomato sauce.
- You want to make sure you completely submerge your pasta in the liquid to cook.
- Instant Pot Pasta Cooking Times: The magic ratio for cooking pasta is typically half the cook time on the box and then letting pressure release for 5 minutes. This will cook your pasta perfectly.
- Spaghetti Noodles: 5 minutes on high pressure with 5 minutes natural
- Rotini/Penne/Cavatappi: 4 minutes on high pressure, 5 minutes natural release.
- Rigatoni: 5 minutes on high pressure, 5 minutes natural release.
- Elbow Noodles: 3 minutes on high pressure, 5 minutes natural release, then quick release.
- Gluten Free Pasta: I experimented with Barilla gluten-free rotini noodles and my method still worked perfectly. Other brands have not been successful. Quinoa pasta will break down in the sauce and release starch that can cause you to get a burn notice, so are not recommended.
- How to Add Meat to this recipe:
- Start the recipe by browning up to 1 pound of ground beef/sausage. Once meat is browned, turn instant pot off and drain off any excess grease.
- Add in the 2 cups of stock and scrape off any browned bits on bottom of inner pot.
- Proceed with recipe and then proceed with making the sauce or using a jarred sauce.
- If using links of sausage, just add to sauce as it cooks.
- This recipe has been tested with an 8 and 6 quart instant pot.
Nutrition
Louise
This was so delicious and I didn't even follow instructions properly opps. I also used red lentil gluten free pasta and your timing was perfect. We will be having this again soon.
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing that red lentil pasta worked Louise, that will help other gluten free readers 🙂 And of course, glad YOU enjoyed!
Jen Wagner
SOOOO amazing! And easy!
Kristen Chidsey
YAY!!! I am so glad you enjoyed Jen!
Karen
Thank you. My husband wasn’t sold on anything but chicken soup that I fixed in Instant Pot, but he loved this recipe. I used jarred spaghetti sauce and cream cheese. I also cooked for 6 min because we like our paste cooked a little more than al dente. It was perfect. Can’t wait to try more of you recipes.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you and your husband enjoyed this pasta Karen! I hope you find many more recipes here to enjoy (and sell him on the Instant Pot😉)
Sara
I see that you’ve worked really hard on this recipe so I wanted to add my experience! I made this tonight with bacon jalapeño ground venison I needed to use. I previously cooked and froze it so I put in the IP on sauté to thaw then added the jarred sauce in with the meat. At that point I saw in the recipe (oops, I usually read completely through beforehand) to first add liquid, then diced tomatoes, then sauce, then pasta. So I grabbed my extra insert and did just that. I dirtied two pots but the one other time I tried pasta in the very IP I got a burn notice so I wasn’t gonna chance it. Right before it came to pressure I got the burn notice! So I released the pressure that had built and opened up to see what was happening. The pasta was al dente but I wanted it a little more cooked so I gave it a stir to make sure nothing was burnt on the bottom and then put the lid on low pressure and “less” pressure cook for 1 minute. Then it was cooked perfectly, yay! I halved this recipe because my family of 4 doesn’t eat much dinner for some reason. I didn’t have ricotta so I used cream cheese. I didn’t add the cream cheese and parm until after because I’ve read so many times to add dairy after cooking. I know you’ve tested it and I’m sure it would be ok with ricotta but I didn’t want to risk ruining anything since I was using cream cheese. This IP sure has humbled me after 25 plus years of cooking but i think I’m starting to catch on and I love it. Thanks for putting so much time into this post, super helpful!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Sara! I am so glad you were able to enjoy the recipe and that you enjoy my site. I really believe that it is because you halved this recipe that you received the burn notice--it would need more thin liquid to properly cook the pasta, especially in an 8 quart. However, in the future, if you have the 8 quart model, it can show burn warning for less than a minute and revert to cooking--and all is fine (as evidenced by your experience with this recipe--nothing was burned). I am so glad you were still able to enjoy a delicious dinner 🙂
Jennifer Kinch
Excellent and so easy!!! My 17-year old son is incredibly picky and he loved it! Wow! This is a definite redo!
Kristen Chidsey
Thank you for taking the time to review Jennifer! I love it when a meal appeals to everyone (especially our picky kids 😉)
Michele
Thank you for figuring out the timings! I haven't actually made this recipe, but I have used your timings for my own recipes. Yours are the most accurate I have found. I have used a pressure cooker for well over 20 years (stove top then IP), but I have never managed to get pasta correct.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Michelle! I am so glad you have found my recipes to be accurate! I test and test and then take every comment/reader experience to heart to see if something still needs tweaked. And I hope you enjoy the Pasta 🙂
Cindy
In your recipe box, under "Instructions", the end of #1 it says "Do not....." and it doesn't finish. Do not what?
Kristen Chidsey
Do not stir---so sorry Cindy! I recently switched designs and clearly that was cut off and not caught. Updating now 🙂
Moe
Hi - I'm in the midst of trying the recipe and running into a snag.
I've had an ipot for 2 year (love it) and use it a lot. What is happening is that I have put in the recipe you listed;
-650 ML store made sauce
-2 1/2 cup stock
-1 can of chopped tomato
-1 LB of whole wheat spaghetti (covered with the sauce)
Since I used a store made sauce, I've gone straight to the 4 minute hi pressure part (having skipped the 10 minute part to make the sauce) and am finding the pot never gets enough pressure to lift the seal button. The pot gets hot but there doesn't seem to be enough liquid from the sauce to create the pressure to lift the seal button. Am I missing something??
Any suggestions would be helpful. I will also keep you posted.
Great post BTW.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Moe,
Sorry for your issue. Be sure you start with the chicken stock or water first inside your instant pot. Of you start with the tomato sauce it is so thick, it may cause a burn notice of for your instant pot to not fully reach pressure. Hope that helps clarify.
moe
thanks for the reply - I will give that a try once I get some more of the jarred stuff.
Kristen Chidsey
I hope it turns out perfectly for you!
Quinn
I tried this and it’s so good I have to leave a response! Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed Quinn! Thank you for taking the time to let us all know.
Cayla
Can you sub cream cheese for ricotta?
Kristen Chidsey
Yes, I had others tell me that works perfectly!