This Instant Pot Pasta Primavera is tossed in a delicious lemon and garlic butter sauce and crisp-tender spring vegetables.
Served hot or cold this pasta primavera is easy to make and is perfect to serve at potlucks or in lunches.
The pasta in this recipe can easily swapped out for your pasta of choice!
Instant Pot Pasta Primavera Pasta Salad
Making pasta in the Instant Pot once you learn how to do it. To make successful pasta in the Instant Pot, the pasta should be completely submerged under the broth or water so that the pasta will cook evenly.
For this recipe, I used pappardelle pasta but penne and rotini pasta are other great options.
To adjust the water to pasta ratio based on what pasta you are using - it is 1 ½ cups of water or broth per every 4 OZ of pasta.
RELATED: Instant Pot Pesto Pasta
Ingredients in Instant Pot Pasta Primavera
With an abundance of spring vegetables, this is a fantastic pasta salad to make. The sauce for this pasta salad is made from vegetable broth, garlic, lemon, and butter.
- 1 lb box of pasta of choice - I used pappardelle pasta but rotini and penne pasta are other great choices.
- Carrots - thinly sliced
- Asparagus - ends trimmed and cut into one-inch pieces
- Sweet Onion - diced
- Cherry tomatoes - to toss the salad with
- Zucchini - sliced and quartered
- Red Pepper - julienned
- Broccolini - baby broccoli
- Lemons - zest and juice - this lemon zester and juicer is helpful!
- Seasonings - Italian seasoning, salt, and red pepper flakes
- Vegetable Broth
- Dry white wine
- Parmesan
- Fresh basil
RELATED: Instant Pot Taco Pasta
How to Make Instant Pot Pasta Primavera
The first step to making Instant Pot Primavera is to prep the vegetables. The zucchini is sliced and cut in half, the carrots are thinly sliced, and the asparagus is trimmed with cut into one-inch pieces. The red pepper is also julienned and the cherry tomatoes are halved.
The onion is also finely chopped and the garlic is minced and added to the inner liner of the Instant Pot.
Once the veggies are prepped, the Instant Pot is set to Sauté and the lemon zest, lemon juice, white wine, and garlic are added.
The prepared veggies (carrots, broccolini, asparagus, zucchini, and red pepper) are added in and sauteed for about 3 minutes. You don't want to pressure cook the vegetables with the pasta because it create tender veggies that may turn into mush.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the sautéed vegetables from the Instant Pot and set them aside. Leave the juices in the pot.
Next, the pasta is added into the inner liner liner and the vegetable broth is added on top. The lid and vent is closed on the Instant Pot and it is set to High Pressure or Manual for 4 minutes.
Once the 4 minutes is up, a quick release is performed slowly and carefully. Steam will escape so you want to keep faces and hands away from the vent to prevent burning.
Always refer to your pressure cooker's manual for best practices on how to carefully operate your pressure cooker.
After all of the steam has been released, the lid is opened and the pasta is removed. A pasta fork or a slotted spoon is used for this step. The juices left in the pot will create a smooth lemon garlic and buttery sauce for the pasta salad.
Once the pasta is removed from the pot it is returned to SAUTE and a cornstarch slurry is used to create a smooth sauce to pour over the pasta and veggies.
When serving this Instant Pot Pasta Primavera, toss the pasta with the lemon garlic butter sauce and serve with halved cherry tomatoes and shredded parmesan.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Pasta Primavera
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb pappardelle - can substitute for rotini or penne
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup broccolini - baby broccoli
- 1 cup carrots - sliced
- 1 cup asparagus - trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 sweet onion - diced
- 1 zucchini - sliced and cut in half
- 1 red pepper - julienned
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes - halved
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 3 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese - for garnish
- ½ cup dry white wine
- Fresh basil - for garnish
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water for cornstarch slurry to thicken sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables by washing and cutting them.
- Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE and add the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and the white wine.
- Add all of the vegetables except for the cherry tomatoes.
- Saute for 3 to 4 minutes and then remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon.
- Leave the juices in the Instant Pot and add the pasta.
- Pour the vegetable broth over the pasta and close the lid and the vent.
- Set the Instant Pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK for 4 minutes.
- Once the 4 minutes is up, carefully and intermittently release the pressure.*
- Open the lid, carefully away from the face, and remove the pasta with a slotted spoon.
- Set the Instant Pot to saute and mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl before adding it to the pot.
- Saute for a minute or two or until sauce begins to thicken.
- Toss the vegetables and pasta together and drizzle with the prepared lemon garlic butter sauce.
- Garnish with the halved cherry tomatoes, parmesan, and fresh basil.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
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