This instant pot pasta is one of the quickest, easiest meals ever which makes it one of my favorites on a busy weeknight! This creamy garlic pasta comes together in just minutes and is loaded with tons of nutty Parmesan flavor along with tender-crisp broccoli.
You Will Love This
- It’s quick and easy! This may seem like a given with the instant pot, but this alfredo pasta is a seriously super quick meal. Everything cooks right in the instant pot which means it's a mostly hands off meal and clean up is a breeze!
- If you loved this penne alfredo recipe, be sure to check out my:
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Fresh Garlic + Garlic Powder - I like to use fresh minced garlic in combination with garlic powder in this recipe for extra garlic flavor. You can certainly leave one out if you want to limit the garlic, but we’re all garlic lovers in my house - and the flavor is amazing!
- Dried Oregano - Dried oregano adds a delicious herb flavor to the sauce and the pasta. Feel free to replace with Italian seasoning if that's all you've got on hand.
- Broccoli - Stick with fresh broccoli for this recipe so that it comes out perfectly tender, yet crisp.
- Pasta - I use penne for this recipe, though any noodle that is similar will work just as well. Please see the "Tips" section below for how to figure out the cooking time for other types of pasta.
- Vegetable Broth - If you aren't worried about keeping this dish vegetarian, feel free to use chicken broth in place of the veggie broth.
- Heavy Cream - Stick with heavy cream for the best flavor and texture. Whole milk or half and half just aren't going to give you the same result.
- Parmesan Cheese - I like to get a wedge of fresh Parmesan cheese and grate it myself using my food processor. Freshly grated Parmesan melts better than pre-shredded cheese.
Instructions
Turn the instant pot to the sauté function and add olive oil. Sauté minced garlic, oregano, and garlic powder along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper for a minute, stirring frequently.
Add a splash of veggie broth to help deglaze the pan if the garlic is sticking to the bottom of the pan. Then add broccoli.
Add pasta, remaining vegetable broth, and heavy cream along with a couple large pinches of salt and pepper.
Stir to combine, seal the instant pot and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
Use the quick-release vent and gently press on it to remove the steam.
Remove the lid, stir once, then let it sit for 3 minutes. Add shredded Parmesan cheese.
Stir until cheese melts.
Season to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper and enjoy!
Tips
- You can double this instant pot pasta recipe with ease! If you're feeding a crowd, make double batch but cook it for the same amount of time.
- Use a controlled quick release instead of a natural release for this recipe so the pasta doesn't overcook and you don't end up splattering hot cream all over the kitchen! Flip the pressure valve to "Venting" and then quickly back to "Sealing" allowing the steam to release in short bursts. Continue releasing the pressure in short bursts until no cream is coming out and just steam is being released. Once remaining pressure is released and the float valve drops, you can remove the lid.
- After you remove the lid, be sure to let the pasta sit for a a few minutes after cooking. The pasta needs time to cool so that the Parmesan can melt properly into the sauce. Don't rush this part!
- Your cooking time will vary slightly depending on what type of pasta you use. Check the package directions, find the lowest recommend cooking time, divide that in half and subtract 1. That will give you the length of time required to cook your pasta in the instant pot. For example if your pasta has a recommended cooking time of 10-12 minutes, your math will look like this:
- 10 / 2 = 5
- 5 - 1 = 4
- Cooking Time = 4 minutes
- If your pasta only lists an odd number for the cooking time, round down to the nearest even number. So if the cooking time is listed as 11 minutes, round down to 10 and then start your formula.
- I find that this pasta recipe works best with regular pasta as opposed to gluten-free pasta, brown rice pasta, or whole wheat pasta.
FAQ
Yes! As long as you've got enough liquid in the instant pot along with the pasta, you can add it right to the pot uncooked! Make sure there is plenty of liquid in the pot to cook the pasta. It is not guaranteed to be al dente, but it does not need to be cooked beforehand.
It takes about 4 minutes to cook perfectly al dente pasta in the instant pot. This does not include the time that it takes the instant pot to come to pressure. Your cooking time will vary depending on what type of pasta you use. To find your cooking time, take the lowest recommended cooking time on the package directions, divide it in half, then subtract 1.
For 8 ounces of pasta, use at least 2 cups of water or broth. For 16 ounces of pasta you'll need 4 cups of liquid. In this recipe, we use more liquid because we are making a creamy sauce right along with the pasta.
Storage and Reheating
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
- Reheating: Reheat pasta along with a splash of broth in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until warmed through. Season to taste before serving!
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Creamy Instant Pot Pasta with Broccoli
This instant pot pasta is one of the quickest, easiest meals ever which makes it one of my favorites on a busy weeknight! This creamy garlic pasta comes together in just minutes and is loaded with tons of nutty Parmesan flavor along with tender-crisp broccoli.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Time to come to pressure: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Total Time: 19 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Instant
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6-8 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 cups bite size broccoli florets
- 16 oz. uncooked penne pasta
- 32 oz. vegetable broth
- 2 cups heavy cream
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
- 8 oz. freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
Garnish
- fresh chopped parsley
- shredded Parmesan cheese
- red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Turn instant pot to the sauté function and add olive oil.
- Sauté minced garlic, oregano, and garlic powder along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper for a minute. Stir frequently.
- Add a splash of veggie broth to help delgaze the pan if the garlic is sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add broccoli.
- Add pasta, remaining vegetable broth, and heavy cream along with a couple large pinches of salt and pepper.
- Stir to combine, seal the instant pot and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
- Use the quick-release vent and gently press on it to remove the steam.
- Remove the lid, stir once, then let it sit for 3 minutes.
- Stir in Parmesan cheese until cheese melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper and enjoy!
Equipment
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Notes
- You can double this recipe with ease! If you're feeding a crowd, make double batch but cook it for the same amount of time.
- Use a controlled quick release instead of a natural release for this recipe so the pasta doesn't overcook and you don't end up splattering hot cream all over the kitchen! Flip the valve to "Venting" and then quickly back to "Sealing" allowing the steam to release in short bursts. Continue releasing the pressure in short bursts until no cream is coming out and just steam is being released. Once the float valve drops, you can remove the lid.
- After you remove the lid, be sure to let the pasta sit for a a few minutes after cooking. The pasta needs time to cool so that the Parmesan can melt properly into the sauce. Don't rush this part!
- Your cooking time will vary slightly depending on what type of pasta you use. Check the package directions, find the lowest recommend cooking time, divide that in half and subtract 1. That will give you the length of time required to cook your pasta in the instant pot. For example if your pasta has a recommended cooking time of 10-12 minutes, your math will look like this:
- 10 / 2 = 5
- 5 - 1 = 4
- Cooking Time = 4 minutes
- If your pasta only lists an odd number for the cooking time, round down to the nearest even number. So if the cooking time is listed as 11 minutes, round down to 10 and then start your formula.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 288.8 mg
- Fat: 17.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 48.2 g
- Fiber: 2.9 g
- Protein: 9.4 g
- Cholesterol: 33.9 mg
Keywords: instant pot alfredo, pressure cooker pasta
Nikki
I would love to try this. However, I can’t get a clean print. Any suggestions on how I can remove the giant blank spaces from ads by Google that are remaining and take up a lot of space on my printed recipe?
Kylie
Try closing all adds on the screen before you print. Then click the options button and you can remove notes, images, etc. and also make the font size smaller or larger. If you're still having issues, check your print settings - sometimes the default is wonky with printing recipe cards. Hope that helps!
Natalie
Great recipe! I don't have an instant pot, so I made this on the stove top. The cooking time took a bit longer, but everything came out well!
★★★★★
Kathy
Looks yummy! At what point do you turn off saute function? Do you leave it on the entire time that you're adding the rest of the ingredients or turn it off after one minute? Thanks!
Kylie
I typically just leave it on sauté while I add the remaining ingredients. Then once I stir it together I turn it to pressure cook and let it go. Hope that helps!
Kristine
Is a 6qt instant pot large enough to double the recipe?
★★★★★
Kylie
Good question! I have not tried it before, but I do think that it would fit in that size even if it was doubled. It definitely didn't fill up the instant pot. I'd love to hear how it turns out if you give it a try!
Angela
Can chicken be added as well?
Kylie
I haven't tried this recipe with chicken in it, but I would imagine that it would work! I would recommend adding leftover grilled chicken breast or rotisserie chicken after cooking. Or look for an instant pot pasta recipe that includes chicken as I can't speak to how it would cook or if you'd need to add more/less liquid.
Luke
This pasta is so easy! I love that everything cooks right in the instant pot. We will be making this all the time!
★★★★★