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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!
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:
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!
Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta
Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Tuscan Chicken Pasta
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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!
Instant Pot Tortellini Alfredo
Ingredients
- 3 slices Bacon, chopped
- ½ small Sweet Onion (or 1 lrg shallot), diced
- 4 cloves Garlic, pressed or minced (or 1-2 tsp garlic powder)
- 1 ½ cups Chicken Broth, low sodium
- ¾ cup Heavy Cream (or half and half)
- ¼ tsp Coarse Salt (more to taste)
- ½ 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
- Turn on the pot's sauté setting. Add the bacon and cook until about halfway done, stirring occasionally.
- Add the onion and cook a few minutes, until translucent.
- Add the garlic and stir.
- Stir in the broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to get up all of the browned bits (deglaze).
- Stir in the heavy cream, salt, pepper, and the tortellini.
- Place the chicken on top of the pasta.
- Place the lid on the pot and lock in place. Turn the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
- 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).
- 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).
- 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.
- Add the cream cheese and stir gently and allow the cheese to melt.
- Add the spinach and gently stir. Let it start to wilt, then gently stir in the parmesan.
- Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
RESOURCES TO MAKE This Recipe and More
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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.
High fat dairy is okay to use. I wouldn’t pressure cook any dairy with less fat than half-and-half.
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.
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!
If you cook the refrigerated tortellini in the pot as directed it is not soupy at all. Perfect every time!
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!
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.
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!
Thank you, Sue! I’m so happy you like this recipe.
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?
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.
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!
That’s so sweet! I’m glad you and your son enjoyed this recipe!
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.
That’s great! Thank you for your review!
Did you make this in a 6qt?
I’ve got a 3qt so I would halve it?
I did make it in the 6 qt. You might be able to just reduce it by 1/3.
i am out of onion! and shallots – can I use anything else or just continue to make it without it?
Onion powder would work, or just leave it out this time.