How to Cook Plain Pasta in an Instant Pot
Cooking plain pasta in an Instant Pot is a breeze! Follow these easy instructions to have a batch ready for your favorite sauce in no time flat.
Equipment
- Instant Pot (6-quart or larger)
Ingredients
- 1 pound whole-grain long pasta (e.g., spaghetti, linguine)
- 4 cups water (See Note; slightly more or less may be needed based on the size of your Instant Pot)
Instructions
- Place the stainless-steel liner bowl in the Instant Pot.
- Break the noodles in half and add them to the stainless-steel liner bowl. Disperse the noodles evenly so they form a fairly flat layer. This will help them cook more evenly.
- Add just enough water to cover the pasta. (See Note)
- Press the pasta down slightly with the back of a spoon to submerge it as much as possible.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot and turn it to seal.
- Select Pressure Cook on high for 4 minutes.
- When the timer beeps at the end of 4 minutes, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Then, using a wooden spoon, press the quick release button to release any pressure remaining.
- Remove the lid and stir the pasta. If any liquid remains in the Instant Pot, lift the stainless-steel liner bowl with oven mitts and pour the pasta into a colander to drain the excess liquid.
Notes
- The pasta depicted in the photos is linguine.
- This recipe was developed in a 6-quart Instant Pot. You may need to slightly adjust the water level for larger or smaller Instant Pot models.
- To cook other types of pasta in the Instant Pot, check the pasta package for the total recommended cook time and divide that number in half. The resulting number will be how long you should set the timer on the Instant Pot. As in this recipe, after the cook timer goes off, allow a natural 10-minute pressure release before doing a quick release.