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Instant Pot Tortellini Alfredo

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Instant Pot Tortellini Alfredo is a rich, delicious pasta recipe. With chicken and spinach, or without (but with is so much better!), this is a pressure cooker Tortellini Alfredo that you will want to make often. Serve this easy Instant Pot recipe to your guests, and they will love it!

pressure cooker Tortellini Alfredo in grey bowl on wooden board

Instant Pot Tortellini Alfredo

Newer Instant Pot cooks are often surprised to learn that they can make a pasta meal in their pressure cooker. I enjoy teaching how to do this!

Tortellini are little pastas that are filled with cheese, pesto, or even a meat filling. They are round, and resemble a belly button, which is a nickname for them. Personally, I don’t see it, lol!

When I decided to make this Instant Pot Tortellini Alfredo recipe, it occurred to me that I could add some chicken. Then some spinach at the end and have a one pot meal! This is optional.

The steps to make this yummy Tortellini Alfredo recipe are easy:
cooking the bacon, onion, adding broth, tortellini
Adding chicken, cheese, spinach

I’ve had people ask me why I would make this in the pressure cooker. My answer is because I can!

I like the one-pot aspect of it. I don’t have to boil water in a separate pot, and the tortellini soaks up all of the great flavors of the garlic, cream, and chicken broth.

It really is better, in my opinion. Give Instant Pot Tortellini Alfredo a try and let me know how you like it!

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If you make this delicious pressure cooker Tortellini Alfredo, please leave a comment with a star rating below. I would like to know how you liked it!

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4.67 from 21 votes
pressure cooker Tortellini Alfredo in grey bowl on wooden board
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Instant Pot Tortellini Alfredo
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
14 mins
Total Time
39 mins
 

Instant Pot Tortellini Alfredo with chicken and spinach is so amazingly flavorful and rich. This is a tasty Instant Pot one-pot pasta meal. Make this pressure cooker Tortellini Alfredo when you want the best comfort food!

Course: Dinner, pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: pressure cooker tortellini
Servings: 5
Calories: 563 kcal
Author: Sandy Clifton
Ingredients
  • 3 slices Bacon, chopped
  • 1/2 small Sweet Onion (or 1 lrg shallot), diced
  • 4 cloves Garlic, pressed or minced (or 1-2 tsp garlic powder)
  • 1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth, low sodium
  • 3/4 cup Heavy Cream (or half and half)
  • 1/4 tsp Coarse Salt (more to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp Pepper
  • 20 oz Tortellini, pesto or cheese is good (refrigerated)
  • 2 Chicken Breasts (boneless/skinless) cut in thirds
To Finish
  • 4 oz Cream Cheese, cut in small pieces
  • 3 cups Fresh Baby Spinach
  • 1 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
Instructions

  1. Turn on the pot's sauté setting. Add the bacon and cook until about halfway done, stirring occasionally.

  2. Add the onion and cook a few minutes, until translucent.

  3. Add the garlic and stir.

  4. Stir in the broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to get up all of the browned bits (deglaze).

  5. Stir in the heavy cream, salt, pepper, and the tortellini.

  6. Place the chicken on top of the pasta.

  7. Place the lid on the pot and lock in place. Turn the steam release knob to the Sealing position.

  8. Cancel the sauté setting. Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button (or dial), then the +/- button (or dial) to select 4 minutes (3 minutes for a firmer tortellini).

  9. When the cook cycle ends, do a controlled Quick Release of the pressure (controlled QR is when you release the steam in short bursts so the force of the escaping pressure doesn't bring the sauce out with the steam. Keep doing short bursts until you are sure no sauce will spew out with the steam, then turn the knob fully).

  10. When the pin in the lid drops down, open the lid. Remove the chicken and gently shred or cube it, then add it back in.

  11. Add the cream cheese and stir gently and allow the cheese to melt.

  12. Add the spinach and gently stir. Let it start to wilt, then gently stir in the parmesan.

  13. Serve.

Recipe Notes

It will have a fair amount of sauce, and will thicken as it cools.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Heidi R.G. Weinert

    I remember reading in the long list of instant pot don’ts that you are supposed to wait until after cooking to add any dairy products before pressure cooking. Am I in error? I feel a bit frustrated by everything it can’t do. I am still kind of wondering what all the hype was about.

    Reply

  2. Kelly

    Very delicious! It was a bit soupy but nothing that a little cornstarch couldn’t fix. My family loved it. It was very flavorful too.i did use dry tortellini and cooked it separately in a pot. Then added it after mixing everything at the end.

    Reply

    • Sandy

      Thank you, Kelly. It was probably a little soupy as the tortellini wasn’t cooked with it to soak up the liquid. I’m so glad you liked it!

      Reply

  3. William Farrell

    The first time that I made it it was delicious. The second time I omitted the chicken but added mushroom as suggested. Then at the end I added raw shrimp with the spinach and Parmesan and cooked until the shrimp were pink. Very good!

    Reply

  4. Lindsay

    Make sure you add the cream cheese AT THE END. I goofed this step and got the food burn alert. Otherwise pretty tasty, I subbed in half and half for the cream and added some chopped mushrooms.

    Reply

  5. Sue McDonald

    This is hands down my family’s favorite Instant Pot recipe. I am so appreciative of those who have taken the time to publish recipes like this. I am not a cook but I am a fan of eating so all the work that someone does to make these recipes is very much appreciated! We have made this recipe several times and it comes out perfect always!

    Reply

  6. Toni C.

    Making this tonight but would love to add broccoli. Should I steam the broccoli in a separate pot or do you think it would be fine to put in the instant pot with the rest?

    Reply

    • Sandy

      Hi Toni, I would steam it first and add it after cooking. It’s possible that frozen broccoli, if the florets aren’t too large, can go in and cook in the residual heat (rinse it in hot water first). It will be al dente.

      Reply

  7. Susana Banana

    Made this last night. My grocery store had a sale on tortellini but the packages were only 9oz each. This worried me because I thought it would come out soupy. It didn’t. In fact, I thought it was lacking liquid. I was wrong. It was the perfect amount of liquid. The chicken was good too. I added about 1.5 cup more of parm cheese because my friend who’s a Wisconsin native was over. The pot was empty by the end of the night. My son made it a point to tell me how much he liked it before going to sleep and asked me to make it more often. Going to add mushrooms next time. Thanks for this fabulous and easy recipe!

    Reply

  8. David Yon

    This has become a standby favorite for me and my boys. To quote Peter Sagal, “Everything is better with bacon” (ok, maybe that’s a paraphrase). The only thing I do differently is to use thin-sliced chicken breasts and lay them down whole on top before pressure-cooking. I then take them out and dice them while wilting the spinach and then put them back in.

    Absolutely every time I’ve tried an Instant Pot recipe which calls for diced white meat it always comes out dry and tough. So I just thin-slice, cook, then dice afterward. So much better.

    Reply

    • Sandy

      Since you won’t be able to slice it up, It may not cook in the 4 minute cook time. If you can run the chicken under cold water and thaw it enough to cut it crossways into 3 pieces, it should cook in the 4 minutes. The tortellini can’t cook longer than that as they will get too soft.

      Reply

  13. Madison

    I made this dish last night and it was very good. I wish the sauce was a little bit thicker, but overall a good dish.

    Reply

  14. Trudy

    Delicious recipe. This is my second time fixing it and it always comes out perfect, I even doubled it this time for extra. Everyone loves it.

    Reply

  15. Megan

    Tried this tonight for dinner and my husband really liked it ! The recipe was easy to follow and it was not too soupy or too dry it was just right ! He did say the bacon flavor did “overwhelm” the dish a little so if your not the biggest fan of bacon this might not be the recipe for you! But all in all he enjoyed it and everything was cooked perfectly!!

    Reply

  16. Katie

    I’m not sure what I did wrong, but mine was borderline dry when I opened the pot. No worries– I just added a combo of milk and cream until I got it to the right consistency. But had I not added more liquid, by the time the cream cheese melted–and certainly before adding the parmesan–i would have hardly been able to turn the spoon for it’s thickness! I’m scratching my head trying to figure out how other folks had a “soupy” problem.
    But most importantly, it was delicious!!! I used a package of diced pancetta for the bacon (it’s what I had on hand), and I added some salt and pepper on top of the chicken before closing the lid to cook. Those were my only changes, aside from the necessary milk addition, to the recipe. I will certainly make again. I may add mushrooms or sundried tomatoes to a future batch. Rich and filling and creamy and delicious–everything one would want from an Alfredo pasta.

    Reply

    • Sandy

      Ho Katie, I’m glad you liked it. I think the soupy or not soupy is due to not weighing the pasta. I’m not sure though. I weigh mine and it works every time!

      Reply

  17. Patty

    I have some leftover cooked chicken. Thinking of making this again, but using the leftover chicken instead of raw chicken. Should I adjust the time?

    Reply

  19. Patty

    This dish reminds me of an expensive dish in a restaurant. So delicious and easy to make. I will be making this again. So rich and creamy. I used half cream and half half and half. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  21. Bob

    Tonight I made the Instant Pot Tortellini Alfredo. Came out delicious….and I’ll be making more of this in the future! I made exactly to your recipe. The two others in my family love it.

    Reply

  22. Morgan

    I would like to make this for dinner, but it’s just my husband and I. If I cut everything in half, will the cook time still remain the same?

    Reply

  23. Oksana

    I made those yesterday. Delicious!!!!! So so creamy. I forgot to put chicken pieces but it turned out yummy anyway)) Awesome recipe. Will do it again for sure

    Reply

  24. Sruti

    Hi Sandy! I am interested in making this recipe but I only have dried tortellini. The cook time on that says 16-18 minutes. How long do you think I should put it on manual?

    Reply

    • Sandy

      Hi Sruti, for dry pasta my rule of thumb is half the time the package directions call for. I would try the shortest time first, so 8 minutes. If you decide to add chicken breasts, leave them in large pieces so they don’t overcook. Maybe just cut them in half. Let me know how it works please, as I’m sure others will want to know!

      Reply

  25. Susan E Roe

    JUST MADE THIS WONDERFUL RECEPI CHICKEN ALFREDO TORTELLINI, ONLY THING I DID DIFFERENT I ADDED BABY PORTABELLA MUSHROOMS, TO ALL OF THE OTHER INGREDIENTS,AND USED 5 SLICES CUT UP MICROWAVE BACON, SO I ADDED JUST A TINY BIT OF OLIVE OIL, IT WAS THICK, IT WAS SO GOOD, THANK YOU SO MUCH , I WILL MAKE THIS ONE AGAIN,IT WAS EASY PEASY TO MAKE, THAT IS A GOOD THING
    SUSAN

    Reply

    • Sandy

      Hi Diane, I haven’t tried it. You can get away with pressure cooking heavy cream and it won’t curdle (I believe it is due to the fat content). Half and half may work as well. I just haven’t tested it.

      Reply

      • Nichole

        Half and half works. The heavy cream had too many calories in it for my liking. Substituted half and half and turned out amazing! Recipe is very good!

        Reply

    • Sandy

      Hi Becky, no, it is not normal for it to be extremely soupy. There is sauce, of course, and it will thicken up as it cools. The one thing I can say is that I measure my pasta carefully, and if by chance you didn’t use enough, it will be more soupy. Hope that helps!

      Reply

    • Sandy

      Diane, I don’t think it is cooked, it is “fresh” and has been refrigerated. You can also find frozen and dried. The dried will require a longer cook time, which will overcook the chicken unless you cut larger pieces. The frozen should still be 4 minutes.

      Reply

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