Vegan Instant Pot Pasta

bowl of pasta with the Instant Pot in the background

This vegan Instant Pot Pasta recipe is bursting with flavor! Tender pieces of penne in rich, flavorful, tomato pesto cream sauce cooks up like a dream in your Instant Pot.

Servings

Author Becky Striepe

Ingredients

For the Pasta

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic minced
28 ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 ½ cups water
2 ½ cups penne
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon salt
6 ounces baby spinach or other quick-wilting greens - about 5 cups

For the Pesto Cashew Cream

1 cup cashews (soaked in hot water for 10-15 minutes, then drained)
½ cup water (NOT the soaking water)
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup fresh basil leaves minced

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the pasta

Use your Instant Pot's Sauté function to heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic, and a good pinch of salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion starts to brown. If the pot gets too dry, add splashes of water to help things cook evenly.
Put all of the remaining pasta ingredients -- except the spinach -- into your Instant Pot, and stir to combine. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes, then do a quick release. (TIP: Throw a kitchen towel over the release valve, because Instant Pot pasta can cause the valve to spurt a lot.)

Make the pesto cashew cream while the pasta cooks.

Combine all of the cashew cream ingredients -- except the basil -- in your blender, and puree until smooth. Stir in the basil, then set aside.

Finish the pasta.

When the pasta is done cooking, add the spinach to the Instant Pot, stirring it into the hot sauce until it wilts completely. If it is having a tough time wilting, you can hit the pot's Sauté button to warm things back up. If you do turn on the Sauté function, hit Cancel after the spinach wilts into the sauce. This should only take a few minutes.
Stir in the pesto cashew cream, then taste and adjust the flavors. Add more salt if needed, add more vinegar, if you want more tang. You can also add a little sugar, if your canned tomatoes weren't sweet enough.

Video

Notes

Store any leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for 3 to 5 days.

To reheat, you can either warm it in the microwave or transfer to a pan on the stove. On the stovetop, cook on medium heat, stirring, until heated through. If the sauce has thickened up too much, you can add water, a tablespoon or two at a time, to thin it out.

Nutrition

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Course Main Course

Cuisine Vegan

Keyword instant pot pasta, vegan instant pot pasta