This easy, veggie-filled Instant-Pot Pasta Primavera saves dinner on busy weeknights!
When I first got my Instant Pot, I never imagined you could make a whole pasta dish in it. Pressure-cooking is a heavy-handed way to cook (or so I thought), so cooking pasta with it seemed like taking a sledgehammer to a house of cards. As in, you don’t need all that power to cook pasta, right? Plus, pasta might need more or less time under pressure than vegetables. Most vegetables cook very quickly in a pressure cooker, and I like lots of veggies in my pasta dishes. In short, it sounded pretty complicated.
As I learned the ins and outs of using my Instant Pot, I realized it wasn’t all that complicated, and using my new kitchen gadget to cook in batches became second nature. Cooking the vegetables separately from the pasta was the solution to Instant Pot pasta!
This Instant Pot pasta primavera recipe is the way to navigate pasta under pressure. The veggies are cooked using the sauté function, then transferred to a plate while the pasta cooks by itself. The result is a delicious, nutritious, perfectly cooked meal from the Instant Pot, which means this recipe has the added bonus of being a one-pot dinner.
Is This Instant-Pot Pasta Primavera Healthy?
Yes, this recipe is pretty healthy, thanks to all the veggies and the chickpea-based pasta. The carrots bring lots of vitamin A and fiber, and the onion and zucchini provide lots of potassium to the mix. All the veggies lend a bit of vitamin C, and the chickpea pasta brings protein and fiber to the plate. All in all, this is a nutrient-packed meal with healthy fats and lots of protein and fiber. It’s suitable for vegetarians and can be made vegan by simply replacing the Parmesan cheese with a plant-based version (or omitting the cheese altogether).
Playing With Pasta Sauces
If you’re like me and love a saucy plate of pasta, you might be wondering how to add some sauce to this dish. Don’t worry; I’ve got you (and your pasta) covered.
To add a traditional red pasta sauce to this recipe, I would advise heating up the sauce separately in a saucepan on the stove or in the microwave with a paper towel to shield the splatters. Add a little bit of the heated sauce to the veggies after they’re transferred out of the Instant Pot, and toss to coat. That way, the sauce is all up in there! Add more sauce to your plate of pasta if you like.
To add a pesto sauce to this recipe, don’t warm it beforehand. Rather, add enough pesto to the plate of veggies to coat them, much like the red sauce instructions above. I’d add a few tablespoons. But instead of adding pesto to your plated pasta at the end, add a few tablespoons of pesto to the Instant Pot with the lemon juice in step three of the recipe, and toss to coat.
For Alfredo or white sauce, just drizzle warmed sauce over your plate. It’s that simple!
How Do I Store Leftovers?
Store any leftover pasta primavera in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I wouldn’t recommend freezing the pasta due to the inevitable change in texture.
Serving Suggestions
This one-pot meal is fine to serve by itself, but feel free to give it a meaty (or non-meaty!) protein if you like. I love this Juicy Grilled Chicken Breast sliced on top of my pasta, and this Pan-Seared Salmon is a dream paired with all these veggies. You could also grill up some tasty sausage links and slice them up on top of your pasta for a salty bite. To keep the plate vegetarian, consider serving up some Crispy Baked Tofu with this dish.
If you’re a fan of pesto like I am, use The Perfect Basil Pesto Recipe to whip up a batch of the best green sauce in town. It’s incredible drizzled on top of this dish!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups broccoli cut into medium sized florets
- 1 cup carrot peeled and sliced
- ¾ cup onion roughly chopped
- ½ large zucchini sliced into half-moons
- ½ large red pepper roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 4 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 8 ounces chickpea penne pasta
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ – 1 lemon juiced (to taste)
- ⅔ cup Parmesan cheese grated and tightly packed (2 ounces)
- ⅔ cup cherry tomatoes halved
- Chopped fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil on "sauté" mode in your Instant Pot. Add the broccoli, carrot, onion, zucchini, and bell pepper, then cook, covering partially with the lid. Don't lock the lid closed, or your Instant Pot will beep at you! Stir the pot occasionally, cooking until the vegetables just begin to tenderize, about 10-12 minutes. Add in the garlic and Italian seasoning, then cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the garlic is golden. Transfer the veggies to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Put the chickpea pasta in the Instant Pot and cover with the water. Cover (make sure the lid is set to sealing) and cook on manual high pressure for 3 minutes. Let steam release naturally.
- Reserve ½ cup of pasta water and strain the pasta in a colander, rinsing with cold water. Add the pasta back to the Instant Pot. Stir in the reserved pasta water, salt, and lemon juice, then stir until combined.
- Add in the cooked vegetables, Parmesan cheese, and cherry tomatoes. Stir until the cheese is melted. Garnish with chopped fresh basil if desired.
Nutrition Info:
Nutrition information are estimates only and may vary based on the specific brands, ingredients, and portion sizes you use. This data is provided for informational purposes only.
This recipe didn’t have enough flavor. I also followed the recipe down to the letter, even the same brand of Instant Pot AND the same brand of pasta, and it miserably overcooked my noodles. I had to throw them all away and it made a huge mess. I would not ever make this again!
I am sorry it didn’t work for you! As you can see by other comments, other readers liked it, so I am wondering what went wrong for you.
Are you using fresh or dried garlic?
Hi Cheryl – Fresh garlic, minced!