Instant Pot Pesto Pasta
Instant Pot Pesto Pasta is a simple, delicious recipe that you can make with pantry staples.
Ingredients
- 8 oz Penne Pasta (be sure to weigh it)
- 2 ¼ cups Chicken Broth
- 4 oz jar Sun Dried Tomatoes in Oil, drained, but reserve 3 tsp of the oil
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Onion Powder
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- 4 Tbsp Pesto
- 1 Tbsp Dried Parsley (optional)
- ½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (omit for vegan)
- 12 oz can Chicken, drained (optional)
Instructions
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Add the pasta to the pot of the pressure cooker.
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Pour in the broth.
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Add the sun dried tomatoes, reserved sun dried tomatoes oil, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, pesto, and parsley. Do not stir.
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Place the lid on the pot and seal the vent.
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Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select 5 minutes*. High Pressure. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
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When the cook time has ended, immediately open the vent to do a quick release of the pressure.
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When the pin in the lid drops down, open it and stir the pasta. It may be a little watery, but will thicken up.
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Add the parmesan and stir (As an option, you could also add some baby spinach at this point if you have any).
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If adding the chicken, gently break up the chunks before adding. Then stir gently.
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Let the pasta sit in the pot for a few minutes for the cheese to melt and the chicken to heat through. Stir before serving.
Recipe Notes
*If you use a different pasta, the cook time may be different. Macaroni is usually 4 minutes, bow ties are 5 minutes, spaghetti is 8 minutes, etc. This could vary by the type of pasta. The rule of thumb is to cook for half of the time that the package directions state, minus one minute. Then quick release the pressure.