Instant Pot Pasta recipes

[pepperhead212]

I was skeptical about this method but it works great! The two I have tried so far both worked well, without overcooking the pasta.

Today I made a one dish pasta dish, in the Instant Pot, based on a recipe from Milk Street's book Fast & Slow. I saw them do this on a show yesterday, and remembered that it was one that I marked to make, once I started getting my cherry tomatoes coming in.

I changed it, but only slightly. I increased the tomatoes and garlic slightly, plus I added just a tsp of minced fresh rosemary to the 2 tb of fresh sage. I also changed the type of pasta - I never have bucatini on hand! The gemelli did well, but I wasn't sure how it would work - it was hard to get it all under the water, as recommended. Turns out, it cooked evenly, so nothing to worry about.

Here's the changed recipe. A change I'll make next time is switch the crushed red pepper flakes to some morita flakes I often use, since this has the smoked paprika in it, but that smokiness wasn't really noticeable. Not much color in it, because about 90% of the tomatoes are many of those gold tomatoes I grew. But they do have incredible flavor. Didn't use any sunsugars, since that has more sugar, but less flavor.

Instant Pot Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Fresh Sage

1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
2 large or 3 medium bay leaves
20 oz halved cherry tomatoes, about 2 pints
1 tb kosher salt
1/2 tsp sugar
3 cups water
2 tb fresh sage, chopped
1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
Sharved Pecorino Romano cheese, for serving

A. Heat the olive oil in the IP on sauté/high mode. When it begins to shimmer, add the garlic, bay leaves, and pepper flakes, and cook, stirring, until the garlic just turns to a golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, sugar, and water, and stir to mix. Then add the pasta, and stir it in, pressing the pieces below the surface as well as you can. Hit cancel, then cover the pot. Set manual high, for 5 minutes.

B. When finished, vent the steam, then open the pot. Stir in 4 tsp sage, and the rosemary, plus the smoked paprika. Re-cover for 3 minutes, then test the pasta for doneness; if necessary, cover another minute or two. Adjust salt (remembering the pecorino is coming later), and remove bay leaves, before serving, putting a pinch of the reserved sage on top of each bowl, along some shredded pecorino.
Pasta with cherry tomatoes and fresh sage, made in the Instant Pot. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[pepperhead212]

I made another one dish pasta meal today in the Instant Pot. This was an Italian style dish, for which I thawed some Italian sausage I had found in my refrigerator freezer; not where I usually keep it, but still good, since it was vacuum sealed. I also got several red bells, which are good in this type of dish. I added seasonings to the sausage, as always! Some of the garlic, sage, and rosemary, that went into the sauce, went into the sage, along with 1/2 tb of wine vinegar - a favorite addition of mine, learned from Mexican chorizo. I cooked that first, on high sauté, then removed, and made the sauce, starting on medium sauté, cooking a chopped onion, adding a large chopped red bell pepper. After about 8 minutes, I added 2 large minced cloves of garlic, and about 2 tsp each minced sage and rosemary (another tsp of each went into the meat), and 2 tb tomato paste, which I cooked until it was totally mixed up, and starting to stick. 1/2 c dry verouth was used to deglaze, then a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes was added, plus 2 fresh bay leaves. Then I covered it, set to 10 minutes on manual, then released quickly, when finished. I then returned the sausage to the pot, about 3 tb chopped parsley, plus 3 c water, I rinsed the can out with. Added a little salt (didn't really need much, with the sausage and canned tomatoes), and 1 lb dry pasta - I used small shell, this time - and mixed well. Then covered, sealed, and set to manual 5 minutes. When done, I stirred in about 3 tb minced basils - about 1/4 of it Thai basil, to add some more anise flavor. Then I served it with grated pecorino. Absolutely delicious, and easy, as well!
Sweet Italian sausage, cooked on high saute, in the Instant Pot, for a pasta dish. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Onion and red bell pepper, cooked in olive oil, on medium saute mode, in IP. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Sauce with a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, added to the sauteed seasonings, and cooked 10 minutes in high, then released quickly. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Basils being added to the cooked pasta dish - a little steamy, since it was just added! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Instant Pot pasta, just after mixing in the basils. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Instant Pot pasta, ready to eat! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[pepperhead212]

I just made a variation on that first recipe I posted here, this time adding some chickpeas, and using less pasta. Otherwise, it's about the same, using 2 different six oz leftover dry pastas.
I made another one of those IP pasta dishes, this time with just under 12 oz of pasta, and a cup of dried black chickpeas, soaked over 12 hours, then cooked on its own, to stir in at the end. It was based on a dish I had made before, from Milk Street, with over a quart of halved cherry tomatoes, 6 sliced cloves of garlic, and 3 tb freshly chopped sage (increased by me, as original recipe was bland), and a tsp of chopped fresh rosemary (added by me). I also used 3 fresh bay leaves (instead of 2 dry).

The chickpeas I started soaking yesterday with a small amount of baking soda, and a larger amount of salt in the water. Then today, I rinsed them, and cooked them in the IP for 60 min, and it was ready to open after 18 minutes, and I drained and rinsed them again, and let them wait. While cooking, I got the tomatoes cut, and the rest of the ingredients ready.

I rinse the pot out, let it dry from the heat, then add 4 tb olive oil, and set for sauté/high. Stir in the 6 sliced garlic cloves, and cook until golden, adding the 3 bay leaves toward the end. Also stir in the tsp of rosemary at this time, and after about 30 sec, add the generous quart of halved cherry tomatoes, and 2 c water, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 tb kosher salt, then 12 oz pasta. Mix well, pressing down, and when it starts bubbling, hit cancel, stir again, and put the lid on, setting the seal. Set manual for 5 min, and when finished, release pressure. Remove lid, mix well, adding 2 tb chopped fresh sage, and a tsp of smoked paprika, then put the drained chickpeas on top, and replace lid, unsealed. Let sit 3 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Serve with some grated pecorino, and a little more sage, for garnish.
A little over of a cup of black chickpeas, soaked over 12 hours, then pressure cooked 1 hour, and still al dente! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

starting the IP pasta dish, with a large number of sliced garlic cloves, peppers, and bay leaves, in olive oil. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Over a quart of halved cherry tomatoes, 1 tsp minced rosemary stirred in, and 12 oz of 2 pastas, plus 2 c water, before cooking 5 minutes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The pasta pressure cooked for 5 minutes, with the tomatoes and garlic, almost ready, but the sage and smoked paprika to be stirred in, with the chickpeas. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished dish, with some pecorino, and a little more sage, to top it. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[larry_stewart]

Other than the obvious, what's the difference between black chickpeas and (regular) chickpeas? Also, was there a reason you mixed pasta shapes? or just using up what you had ?

 

[Badjak]

Black chickpeas are smaller and more nutty flavoured.
At least that's what I've been told. Just bought a bag the day before yestrday

 

[pepperhead212]

Other than the obvious, what's the difference between black chickpeas and (regular) chickpeas? Also, was there a reason you mixed pasta shapes? or just using up what you had ?

That's exactly what I did - used up two boxes of different pasta I had leftover, when I used about 10 oz of each.

The black chickpeas do have a stronger, nutty flavor, and firmer than the regular ones, and the skin stays on them better. If not soaked, I would cook them about 80 minutes, in the IP - most beans would turn to mush! They are the ones chana dal are made from, simply split and hulled. They also stay more firm than other types of dal, which is why I use a lot of chana dal in lentil salads.

Something I sometimes do with the whole kala chana is sprout them, before using in soups or curries.

 

[pepperhead212]

I made something with the absolute last of my cherry tomatoes, almost all of which had ripened - only 2 stayed green out of all those. And only 8 went bad, in all the time they sat on the tray, to ripen, while I got about 2 pints, when I halved them.

I made another one of those same batches of Instant Pot pasta, but I used less pasta, and this time added some channa dal, which I cooked while prepping the other ingredients. I also added just over 8 oz mushrooms (could have used a few more, but only had that 8 oz tub), also cooked separately, and added later. And minced together about 2 tsp fresh rosemary, and 1½ tsp fresh sage, and set aside with 3 fresh bay leaves.

Started on sauté with about 1 tb minced garlic and 1 tsp crushed red peppers in 3 tb EVOO briefly, until just getting golden, about a minute, then the 4 c halved tomatoes, and 2 1/3 c water, and 2 tsp salt. Added 10 oz penne pasta, bay leaves, and half the herbs, stirred until all was under water. Hit OFF, then MANUAL, and set for 5 minutes, and closed the pot.

After 5 minutes, I release the pressure, remove the lid, then stirred in the pre-cooked lentils and mushrooms, and the remaining herbs, and stirred 3 minutes, and tasted for seasoning (needed a little more salt). Served with some pecorino grated on top. Would have minced a little more sage for topping, but I really didn't want to go out there for any more at that time! I'll get more for leftovers.
The absolute last of my cherry tomatoes, about 4 c halved. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Just over a half pound of mushrooms, and 2 c of cooked channa dal, to be added to the pasta. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished pasta dish. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished pasta dish, served with some pecorino topping. by pepperhead212, on Flickr