Instant Pot Pasta Primavera
Light and refreshing, this quick and easy Instant Pot Pasta Primavera brings your favorite seasonal veggies to the table in less than 30 minutes.
Hit the farmers market this weekend, grab your favorite seasonal veggies, and throw them into this pasta. That’s all I ask. This week’s recipe is a total dream if you’re a pasta lover like me.
Come summertime, heavy lasagnas and saucy linguini aren’t in our dinner rotation. If the hankering for pasta hits, we whip up a chilled Greek pasta salad or chilled soba noodles instead. But this quick and simple pasta primavera has definitely won a spot in this summer’s cycle. It’s served warm, but it’s light and refreshing.
To start, seasonal veggies are sautéd with Italian spices until tender. You can use the vegetable medley I chose or swap some out for your own. Once the veggies are tender, they’re removed from the Instant Pot and replace with penne and vegetable broth. The penne is then quickly pressure-cooked in vegetable broth, picking up all of those delicious savory flavors from the veggies and the spices. When done, reserve a cup of the broth, drain the penne, and toss it with the vegetables, some freshly shaven pecorino romano or parmesan, and reserved broth. Et voilà! A fragrant and wholesome summer pasta that won’t weigh you down.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, I’ll include instructions for the stove top in the recipe card as well.
Away from the table…
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Podcasts! June 8th marked one year since the passing of Anthony Bourdain. Kat Kinsman from Food & Wine reminisces with his former assistant, Laurie Woolever, in a raw conversation that’s totally worth a listen. They also touch on the mental health crises in the culinary industry with chefs, self-care, and sobriety.
If you try this recipe or create your own variation, let me know in the comments! I love connecting with you. Then snap a photo and tag me on the Insta @killing__thyme to be featured in our newsletter.
Get the Recipe:
Instant Pot Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 cup roughly chopped broccolini tops (or broccoli)
- 1 cup thinly sliced and diced red onion
- 1 cup julienned sweet bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange)
- 1 cup roughly chopped asparagus (woody ends removed)
- 1 cup sliced cremini or baby bella mushrooms
- 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
- 3 large garlic cloves, smashed and thinly sliced
- 1 TBSP good Italian seasoning, *See notes
- 8 oz penne, rotini or rigatoni would also work.
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup freshly shaved pecorino romano or parmesan
- Freshly chopped basil or parsley, for garnish
Materials.
- Instant Pot or pressure cooker, *See notes if you don't have an Instant Pot
Instructions
- Place all of your veggies, from the broccolini to the garlic cloves, into a large bowl. Drizzle with 1 TBSP of olive oil and sprinkle with the Italian seasoning. (If the Italian seasoning blend you're using doesn't include salt, make sure to add some salt to taste. Start with 1/4 tsp.) Toss the veggies until everything is evenly coated with oil and seasoning; set aside.
- Set your Instant Pot to sauté mode. Drizzle in the other 1 TBSP of olive oil and let it heat up a bit (you won't have to wait long since the IP heats up very quickly).
- Add the vegetables and simmer, stirring occasionally, until they're tender—about 5-7 minutes. Once tender, transfer them back to their original bowl and cover them to keep them warm. Turn off the sauté function.
- Add the broth and penne to the Instant Pot. Give it a quick stir. Place and lock the lid down, set the valve to to "sealing", and cook on manual high pressure for 5 minutes, or half the time it states on the package's instructions (cooking pasta in the IP seems to work best when you halve the regular cooking time and round it down. So if the package says 11 minutes until al dente, go for five minutes. If it says 15 minutes to al dente, go for 7 minutes, etc.) When done, do a quick release.
- When you open the IP, scoop up 1 cup worth of the broth and set aside. Drain the rest. Add the pasta back to the IP. Toss in the vegetables and reserved broth, and give it a stir. Finally, add the cheese, and stir to combine.
- Serve immediately; garnish with freshly chopped basil or parsley if you wish!
3 Comments on “Instant Pot Pasta Primavera”
This has been a staple in my home for a little over two years now, so I decided to come leave it a review. Each time we eat it we go on about how delicious it is. I now use whole wheat pasta to add some fiber in and wow, it’s actually even better! Everyone who tries this one loves it, and I love how easy it is to throw together/meal prep by chopping veg a day or two before.
I also wrote the recipe down wrong the first time I made it. Instead of “good italian seasoning” I wrote down, “Good Seasons Italian Dressing Seasoning”. So, for the past two years I’ve used a salad dressing mix packet instead of Italian seasoning. I’d recommend trying this, it comes out absolutely delicious every time! Maybe next time I will try and make it the right way and see what I think.
Julia, thanks so much for the feedback. I’m so glad you all enjoy this! And thanks so much for popping in with a review. Let’s us bloggers know people are making and enjoying our recipes! I will totally look for that seasoning packet. Gotta love a delicious accident :)
I am complete novice when it comes to the Instant Pot. This is actually the first recipe I have tried in my Instant Pot. I needed to add a little more seasoning for myself but over all it was a simple recipe to follow and so yummy! Thanks!!!