How to Cook Plain Pasta in the Instant Pot

plain pasta
plain pasta

Plain Pasta in the Instant Pot

www.GrandmaBehrendt.com
Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 4 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Pasta
Cuisine American
Servings 1 Box

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb pasta (16 oz box) any shape
  • 4 cups water or broth
  • 2 tsp salt (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil (optional but helps with sticking if you don't have sauce)

Instructions
 

  • Add 1 lb box of dry pasta to your 6 Qt or 8 Qt pressure cooker. (Only half a box for the 3 Qt pot, or up to 2 lbs pasta for the 8 Qt pot.)
  • Pour in 4 cups of water (per 1 lb box of pasta) into your pot on top of the pasta. You can use vegetable broth or chicken broth if you want a little more flavor.
  • If you are using water, sprinkle 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt right on top. This is for flavor and is totally optional. Just like when you cook pasta on the stove, salting the water gives it the most flavor and helps keep pasta from being too bland, but you can leave it out if you want.
  • Now add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. This is helpful to keep your pasta from sticking together after cooking if you aren't using a sauce. This is also an optional step. Totally up to you.
  • Since you can use any shape pasta with this recipe, the timing is going to vary. Look at your box of pasta and find the lowest cooking time indicated on the box. I have a box of penne that says 9-11 min. So you will take the lowest time which is 9 min and divide it in half and round down to the nearest minute. So, like this: 9 divided by 2 = 4.5 and round down to 4 min. Now, that is your cooking time.
  • Place the lid on your pot, set the cook time by using Pressure Cook or Manual. Set the valve to Sealing if your pot requires that (some models auto-seal). And press Start (if your pot requires that.)
  • When the cooking time is up, use a QR to release the pressure. If you have any foaming or spewing out of the valve, switch to a Controlled Release by letting the pressure out in spurts until it is safe to fully open the valve.
  • When all the pressure is release and the pin drops, open the pot. Stir your pasta.
  • If your pasta is ever a little undercooked, that's okay. After you stir the pasta quickly put the lid back on and let the pot sit for another 3-4 minutes. Your pasta will finish cooking through.

Notes

Tips:
If you are going to use this for a cold pasta salad, you may need to reduce the cooking time by 1 minute and be sure to plunge pasta into cold water to stop the cooking process.
If you prefer your pasta firmer (al dente) reduce cooking time by 1 or 2 minutes.
A 16 oz box of pasta is measured by weight, not volume. It is 1 lb. Some get confused and think that 16 oz means 2 cups. That is not the case. If you use the cup measurement, your recipe ratio will be way off.
 
Keyword noodles
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Plain Pasta in the Instant Pot

Prep Time1 minute
Cook Time4 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Pasta
Cuisine: American
Keyword: noodles
Servings: 1 Box
Author: www.GrandmaBehrendt.com

Ingredients

  • 1 lb pasta (16 oz box) any shape
  • 4 cups water or broth
  • 2 tsp salt (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil (optional but helps with sticking if you don't have sauce)

Instructions

  • Add 1 lb box of dry pasta to your 6 Qt or 8 Qt pressure cooker. (Only half a box for the 3 Qt pot, or up to 2 lbs pasta for the 8 Qt pot.)
  • Pour in 4 cups of water (per 1 lb box of pasta) into your pot on top of the pasta. You can use vegetable broth or chicken broth if you want a little more flavor.
  • If you are using water, sprinkle 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt right on top. This is for flavor and is totally optional. Just like when you cook pasta on the stove, salting the water gives it the most flavor and helps keep pasta from being too bland, but you can leave it out if you want.
  • Now add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. This is helpful to keep your pasta from sticking together after cooking if you aren't using a sauce. This is also an optional step. Totally up to you.
  • Since you can use any shape pasta with this recipe, the timing is going to vary. Look at your box of pasta and find the lowest cooking time indicated on the box. I have a box of penne that says 9-11 min. So you will take the lowest time which is 9 min and divide it in half and round down to the nearest minute. So, like this: 9 divided by 2 = 4.5 and round down to 4 min. Now, that is your cooking time.
  • Place the lid on your pot, set the cook time by using Pressure Cook or Manual. Set the valve to Sealing if your pot requires that (some models auto-seal). And press Start (if your pot requires that.)
  • When the cooking time is up, use a QR to release the pressure. If you have any foaming or spewing out of the valve, switch to a Controlled Release by letting the pressure out in spurts until it is safe to fully open the valve.
  • When all the pressure is release and the pin drops, open the pot. Stir your pasta.
  • If your pasta is ever a little undercooked, that's okay. After you stir the pasta quickly put the lid back on and let the pot sit for another 3-4 minutes. Your pasta will finish cooking through.

Notes

Tips:
If you are going to use this for a cold pasta salad, you may need to reduce the cooking time by 1 minute and be sure to plunge pasta into cold water to stop the cooking process.
If you prefer your pasta firmer (al dente) reduce cooking time by 1 or 2 minutes.
A 16 oz box of pasta is measured by weight, not volume. It is 1 lb. Some get confused and think that 16 oz means 2 cups. That is not the case. If you use the cup measurement, your recipe ratio will be way off.