A one pot pasta dish that uses... guess what... ONE pot. Your Instant Pot! I know you are skeptical about pasta and sauce all at once.... with a mere 4 minute pressure cook time. Stop being an Instant Pot fraidy cat and give this a try!
I obviously love this recipe because I dirty only one pot, but I also like it because it is a quick cook time, but the best part... you can prep the ingredients and freeze this raw! Then on a busy weeknight, dump it in your pot and BAM! hands off dinner in 20 minutes.
Pasta in the Instant Pot can sometimes end up as a clumpy fail. Tomato based sauces can also scorch. So, here area few tips to make this a fail-free IP adventure.
- This recipe uses canned diced tomatoes because they are mostly water. Thick tomato sauces will scorch.
- If using different pasta than I use in this recipe, my general rule is take the cook time on the box, and set your instant pot for half that time!
- To avoid clumpiness, make sure you just lay the dry noodles on top of the tomatoes, DO NOT MIX. Also when you add the water, make sure the noodles are just covered. Your set up should look like this.
During our FREE Instant Pot meal prep challenge in the Confessions of a Meal Plan Addict Community, this recipe was a hit, and I am happy to give it it's own post on the blog!
Recipe
Instant Pot Bruschetta Pasta {Freezer Friendly}
Ingredients
- 8 oz whole wheat spaghetti
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil highly recommended; can sub for 1 tablespoon dried in a pinch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 Tablespoon oregano
- 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¾ cup water or more to make sure pasta is all covered
Instructions
PREP DIRECTIONS (for freeze ahead):
- To a freezer bag or re-usable storage container, add the diced tomatoes (do not drain), balsamic vinegar, garlic, basil, salt, red pepper flakes, and oregano.
- To a sandwich sized bag or re-usable storage container, add the shredded mozzarella.
- Into a second gallon sized freezer bag (or re-usable storage container), add the bruschetta sauce container/bag, and the mozza bag so that your whole meal is being stored together. You can break the pasta noodles to fit into the bag, or simply store in your pantry.
- This recipe can also be frozen for up to 6 months.
TO COOK
- Add the sauce contents to the Instant Pot Insert (thaw first if you froze).
- Break pasta in half to fit and place on top of the sauce. DO NOT MIX OR STIR. Mixing will create one big clump when you open the lid.
- Pour ¾ cup water on top of the pasta. GENTLY push the pasta into the liquid.
- Put the lid of your Instant Pot on, set the vent to sealing, and set the pot to manual (or pressure cook) for 3 minutes (OR half of the time on the box of pasta if not using whole wheat spaghetti).
- When the pressure cycle is done, carefully release the pressure.
- Mix in the mozza into the cooked pasta mixture about ½ cup at a time to prevent large clumps.
Nutrition
So, there you have it! An easy peasy one pot pasta recipe to take the fear out of pasta in the Instant Pot!
Bonus points for a prep ahead freezer meal style recipe too!
If freezer meal prep is your jam, make sure you check out the Fill Your Freezer section of the blog for more inspiration!
Melinda says
So easy and so good, even toddler-approved! It was a little sour for us so we added a pinch of sugar. Loved all the cheese and added even more on top. Went right out and got more groceries to make the freezer meal version too.