Instant Pot Vegetable Pasta
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Quick, easy, healthy, creamy instant pot vegetable pasta recipe, homemade with simple ingredients in 30 minutes. Packed with Italian herbs, tomatoes and lots of fresh veggies.
This meal packs tons of healthy pasta with veggies into a comforting dish that both, kids and adults will enjoy it and always ask for seconds. It’s just as delicious as this Instant Pot Swedish Meatball Pasta.
How to make instant pot vegetable pasta recipe from scratch?
- Saute vegetables– This includes onion, garlic, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, green pepper.
- Add seasonings and flavorings- This includes tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper.
- Add spaghetti- Just spread it on top without mixing.
- Add liquids- This includes water and marinara sauce.
- Cover- And cook.
- Release pressure- Quickly.
- Stir– Until combined.
- Cook uncovered- Until excess liquid is reduced.
- Garnish it– With basil, parmesan cheese.
What sides to serve with veggie pasta recipe?
This pairs deliciously with soup. Try one of these:
A simple salad will also compliment this dish well too:
- Easy Kale Salad (One Bowl)
- Creamy Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad (One Bowl)
- Italian Chopped Salad (One Bowl)
A classic pairing is bread:
- Garlic breadsticks
- Garlic toast
- Dinner rolls
- Homemade biscuits
- Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich (One Pan)
For a more filling meal, serve alongside protein:
Variations for vegetable noodles/ Veggie noodles
Grilled/ Roasted vegetable pasta– Reduce the quantity of veggies in the recipe below and when you are ready to serve, mix in these Oven Roasted Vegetables (One Pan). This is a great way to use up those leftovers.
Make vegetarian pasta bake– Once the meal is ready, spread it in a greased casserole dish with lots of shredded mozzarella cheese on top. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Veggie pasta soup– Add more broth for a thinner soup-like consistency.
Try other vegetables– Such as eggplant, artichokes, yellow squash, peas, or mushrooms.
Add protein– Such as Easy Instant Pot Shredded Chicken, steak cubes, diced turkey, sliced sausage, sauteed shrimp, or bacon crumbles. Be sure to add these at the end when meal is ready.
Add a combination of cheeses- Such as mozzarella, Romano, goat cheese, Gruyere, or Asiago. Freshly shredded is best.
Vary the seasonings– Try Cajun, Mexican, Greek, or curry seasoning for variety.
Make it healthy– Use low fat parmesan cheese.
Make it spicy- Mix in red chili flakes or cayenne pepper fro some added heat.
Add pesto sauce- This Basil Pesto Sauce (Blender) is incredible. Use 1-2 tablespoons.
Creamy vegetable pasta- Mix in cream cheese or heavy cream at the end.
Tips and Techniques for vegetable spaghetti/ Veggie spaghetti
What kind of pasta to use? I used spaghetti for this recipe, but you can use whatever pasta you prefer. Avoid angel hair pasta and thin pasta because they will become over-cooked and soggy.
Use non-stick pot- They can be bought online on Amazon and I highly recommend it over the regular stainless steel pressure cooker pot because it prevents sticking and burning.
Use unsalted butter– Because it prevents this meal from becoming too salty.
Fresh vegetables vs. Frozen veggies– Use a bag of frozen vegetables for a quick and convenient option but I always recommend fresh vegetables because it does not release a lot of water duding cooking.
Storage
Refrigerate- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave with a splash of water or broth.
Freeze– This is not recommended because pasta does not thaw well.
Make ahead instructions– This recipe can be made 1 day in advance and stored in the fridge. When you are ready to serve, heat in the microwave, instant pot or stovetop with a splash of water or broth (if necessary).
More One Pot Pasta Recipes
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta (One Pot)
- Garlic Lemon Pasta (One Pot)
- Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta (One Pot)
- Tomato Basil Pasta (One Pot)
Instant Pot Vegetable Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Butter, Unsalted
- 1 cup Onion, Roughly chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic, Finely minced
- 1 cup Carrots, Peeled, Roughly chopped
- 1 cup Zucchini, Diced
- 1 cup Broccoli, Cut into florets
- 1 Green pepper, Small size, Roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- Salt, To taste
- Pepper, To taste
- 8 oz. Spaghetti, Use half of the 16 oz. box
- 1 jar Marinara sauce, 24 oz. jar, Or any other tomato-based pasta sauce of your choice
- 2 cups Water, Or low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp Basil, Fresh, Finely chopped, For garnish
- 2-3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, Shredded, For garnish
Instructions
- Turn on the Instant pot and set the "Saute" mode.
- Add oil and butter.
- When it's heated, add onions, garlic and saute for a few minutes until garlic is fragrant.
- Add carrots, zucchini, broccoli, green pepper, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and saute for 2 minutes. Make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot and burns.
- Break spaghetti in half and spread in on top of the vegetables.
- Add marinara sauce and water and on top of the noodles. Do not stir!
- Put the lid on and turn the valve to “Sealing.”
- Select “Manual” mode and set the timer for 4 minutes.
- When the cook time is over, do a quick pressure release.
- Remove lid and stir everything until combined.
- Continue coking uncovered on the Saute mode until excess liquid is evaporated and absorbed by the spaghetti.
- Garnish with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave.
I loved this. So did my carnivore husband. I like the fact that you presented alternatives to the original recipe. I used eggplant (steamed it first), okra and chickpea pasta. Delish.
Threw in some cooked/frozen hot sausage I had in the freezer. Only used half a jar of spaghetti sauce b/c we don’t like our pasta super saucy. Used a splash of half and half at the end. My husband said “don’t be mad if I don’t like this dinner” because he doesn’t like so many things mixed together. After eating he admitted he was wrong and said to definitely make this again. It was so easy and absolutely delicious! I love that I can add whatever veggies I have leftover….including half full bags of frozen veggies.