Instant Pot Pasta in Red Sauce
Totally fuss free, making pasta in the instant pot is a game changer. The sauce is made from scratch in the Instant pot and you get perfectly cooked pasta every single time. The pasta soaks up the flavours as it cooks and you are left with shiny, tasty pasta.
Servings 4 people
Calories 337kcal
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped Garlic
- 2 Onions chopped
- 3 Cups Canned Tomato (peeled) or fresh tomato puree
- 2 Cups dry Maccheroni Pasta uncooked (See note 1)
- 1 Cup Vegetable Broth or water
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Red Chilli Flakes
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Italian Pasta Seasoning
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons chopped Basil
- ¼ Cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Turn on the Instant Pot on Sauté mode on medium heat. Once the monitor displays HOT, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and allow it to heat up for a few seconds.
- Add garlic and sauté till fragrant, about 30 seconds. Next add onion and cook till translucent. Now add the canned tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Using a stick blender, lightly pulse all the ingredients in the Instant Pot. Ensure to break down the chunky tomatoes and blend until it resembles a coarse and lightly chunky sauce. Alternatively, you can remove the sauce from the Instant Pot and use a food processor or blender to blend it.
- Add red chilli flakes, pasta seasoning, salt, pepper and sugar. Taste to ensure that the sauce is perfectly balanced.
- Add the vegetable broth and the uncooked Maccheroni pasta. Push it down lightly to ensure all the pasta is submerged in the liquid. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and lightly stir to mix the broth and sauce, it does not have to be fully combined. The pasta will absorb all the broth liquid and moisture from the sauce while cooking.
- Press Cancel to turn off the Saute mode. Choose Manual on High Pressure and turn the timer on for 3 minutes. Close the lid of the Instant Pot and set the valve to Sealing.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually by turning the valve to venting. Remove the lid and stir lightly to combine.
- Garnish with grated chopped basil and parmesan cheese. Serve immediately while it is still warm.
Video
Notes
- Use any short grained pasta where the cooking time on the package is 6-7 minutes. Long grain pasta has a different cooking time. To calculate cooking time, round off the cook time on the pack to the nearest even number and then divide it by half. (For eg, round off
- Pasta made in the Instant Pot is best consumed immediately. This doesn't do well as leftovers as the pasta tends to get mushy over time
- Cook tomatoes on medium heat instead of low heat. This will give it an extra charred smoky flavour. Blend the sauce so that it becomes slightly chunky and coarse-ish. If you don’t blend it, the canned tomatoes won’t break down completely
- Alternatively, you could use this sauce recipe too: Simple Tomato Sauce Recipe
- The only caveat while making pasta in the Instant Pot can be uncooked bits of pasta. To avoid this, make sure the pasta is submerged in liquid. You can gently move the pasta around and press it down with the back of a ladle before pressure cooking.
- Do a Natural Pressure Release (NPR) for 5 minutes and then do a manual release. The 5 minutes resting time cooks the pasta a little more and prevents starchy water from sputtering out of the vent.
Nutrition
Calories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 1460mg | Potassium: 734mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 811IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 4mg