A delicious, quick dinner that’s no-stress? Coming right up! Made fast in the Instant Pot, this penne pasta dinner comes together with the push of a button. It’s beyond easy, quick to make, and bursting with rich, tangy tomato flavor.
I am so pleased to introduce you to my all-time FAVORITE way to make pasta: In the Instant Pot. Cozy up. Get to know one another. I think you’ll be fast friends! This Instant Pot dinner recipe is about to solve all your weeknight dinner woes. Yet another quick, easy and delicious meal that you can make with confidence!
Really, guys, making pasta in the Instant Pot has been an absolute game changer. It comes out perfectly EVERY time and you can customize this recipe to work with whatever you’re craving or, better yet, whatever you have in the kitchen! Instant Pot Penne Pasta might sound boring, but trust me, it’s anything but.
Watch how easy it is to make
The Instant Pot Sauté
Did you know your Instant Pot has a sauté setting? True story! For this recipe you’ll turn it on sauté, let it heat for a minute, and cook the olive oil and onion for a minute or two before adding in the meat and spices. Cook it until it’s browned through.
Why do I get the burn notification?
Okay, this is the only part of this recipe that I have to be specific about! Pour the sauce on top of the pasta and DO NOT mix it in or you’ll get the burn notification from the due to the acidity of the tomatoes. If you leave it on top everything cooks up perfectly! Stir to combine after it’s cooked.
How long does pasta take in the Instant Pot?
The amount of time you cook on high pressure should be half the time your box of pasta calls for. So if the box says to cook the pasta for 8 minutes, cook it for 4; if the box says to cook for 12 minutes, cook it for 6. I’ve followed this rule of thumb for regular pasta and even gluten-free pastas like Banza or Jovial and it turns out perfectly every time!
When to add spinach?
A couple handfuls of spinach gives increased nutrition and it cooks down so much that you barely even notice it. Do this as the last and final step. The residual heat from the pasta will wilt the spinach quickly.
Instant Pot Pasta Add-Ins
Maybe the best thing about this penne pasta dinner is how versatile it is. Make it your own! What does your family love? What do you have in the fridge or freezer? Make it work, people! This Instant Pot Pasta would be great with:
- Ground turkey (how I made it here!)
- Ground beef
- Chicken
- Your favorite veggies
- Sausage
You know I love a pasta night! If this recipe isn’t speaking your language and you wanna try something a bit different and vegetarian, try this Butternut Squash Instant Pot Pasta Dinner. It’s warm and cozy just like any pasta dinner should be.
And if you wanna try something cozy and comforting without the Instant Pot, then this easy ground turkey pasta is the answer.
20-Minute Instant Pot Pasta (start to finish!)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
A delicious, quick dinner that’s no-stress? Coming right up! Made fast in the Instant Pot, this penne pasta dinner comes together with the push of a button. It’s beyond easy, quick to make, and bursting with rich, tangy tomato flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, small dice
- 1 pound ground turkey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon lemon pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups water
- 12 ounces penne pasta (or any short pasta)
- 2 cups marinara sauce (your favorite kind)
- 2–3 large handfuls fresh spinach
- 1 lemon
- Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot and let it preheat. Add the olive oil and onion and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the ground turkey, salt, garlic powder, paprika, oregano and lemon pepper and use a wooden spoon to break up the turkey meat and cook it through. Cook for about 5 minutes until turkey is browned. Add tomato paste and mix in.
- Press cancel. Add the water and dried pasta and mix until well combined. Pour the tomato sauce on top but DO NOT mix in. (Mixing in the sauce can cause the Instant Pot to have the burn notification). Close lid, turn the vent to seal and cook on high pressure for about 5-6 minutes. NOTE: The amount of time you cook on high pressure should be half the amount of time the box calls for. So if the box says to cook the pasta for 8 minutes, cook it for 4 minutes on high pressure. If the box says to cook for 12 minutes, cook it for 6. Time will vary depending on which pasta you use.
- Once it’s done cooking, quick release and open lid. Stir in spinach and the juice from one lemon. Add Parmesan cheese to taste and serve!
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Comments
Meg Domzalski
This is the recipe that finally got my 28 year old daughter to start cooking instead of ordering carry out. Simple. Delicious. Thank you Laney!
Laney Schwartz
Wow!! I love that!!
Jessica Gonsalves
I make this recipe all the time (probably more than I want to admit. I love pasta) and I love it so much! So easy and simple but so so good. I love Raos sauce & their pasta is so good too!
★★★★★
Laney Schwartz
It’s one of my favorites too!! Thank you for leaving a review!
Vickie
Going to try this out this week
★★★★★
Laney Schwartz
I hope you love it Vickie!
Minna
Finally going to make this tonight. So easy and looks so yummy.
★★★★★
Laney Schwartz
I hope you love it! Let me know how it goes!
Angela
Holy s**t, this is the best pasta I EVER MADE
★★★★★
Laney Schwartz
Best review ever!!!
Katie
A simply delicious one pot dish that is great for weeknight dinners -definitely part of the rotation for my family! Adding lemon juice at the end really makes the dish!
★★★★★
Joye
Would this recipe work with potato gnocchi also?
Life is but a Dish
Not sure that it would work the same
Juliet S.
Huge hit with the whole family. My husband said it was the best pasta I’ve ever made lol.
I love how easy it was!! Perfect for a “what’s for dinner?!” kinda night.
★★★★★
Sarah
What if you don’t have an Insta Pot?? Is there another way to make this??
Brittany
Made this tonight for my husband and we both thought it was fantastic. I added more spinach and some sliced mushrooms in it as well. 10/10 will definitely be making this a regular at our home!
Life is but a Dish
So glad you enjoyed it! Always more spinach!
Brittany F McAuliffe
Mad this tonight for my husband and we both thought it was fantastic. I added more spinach and some sliced mushrooms in it as well. 10/10 will definitely be making this a regular at our home!
★★★★★
hmgreg16
This recipe is awesome! So grateful you took the time to test it out so that I could have a quick, easy meal tonight. I plan to keep this template on hand!
★★★★★
Bridget
Literally eating this as I type because it’s so good I wanted to make sure I wrote this. I didn’t have spinach, but everything is so good. I made it with gluten free pasta and it was cooked perfectly! I feel like this is just a great base recipe and I can’t wait to try more variations!
★★★★★
Whitney S
OMG you are a wizard. This recipe was perfect as is. I added mushrooms, similar to other folks on here, and it turned out so yummy! Used veggie broth instead of water. Just delightful with the lemon and loaded it up with parm and an entire bag of spinach. Your carrot soup is my all time favorite recipe though, hands down. We love you!
★★★★★
Laney Schwartz
Awww thank you!!! So happy you love it as much as I do! xo
Faith
I love how quick and easy this recipe is. Everyone loves it too. The first time we made this, I was able to send the recipe to my husband and he made dinner for the family. He doesn’t cook much more than grilling so it was nice for a change of pace. We have made this multiple times now and we love it every time.
★★★★★
Danae
I used whole wheat pasta and Italian sausage in this. It was perfect and SO delicious. Love how easy this recipe is to adapt! Thanks, Laney!!
★★★★★
Isgouhee
Have made this with standard pasta before and it’s great but used rice pasta this last time and it was mushy pasta. Any tips?
Life is but a Dish
I think it depends on the brand. I’ve used both Jovial and Banza and it works perfectly
Ro
If you’re using frozen spinach, when would you add it in? Thanks!
Life is but a Dish
At the end as well
Akaylah
Can I use crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce?
Life is but a Dish
yes!
Jenn G
I’ve used this recipe multiple times now as is and as a template and it has worked out amazingly! This weeks was shredded chicken with chicken stock first then I added pasta and Trader Joe’s bruschetta sauce – still came out great! Love that I can do this with minimal dishes too.
★★★★★
Anice Byrd
Made this recipe yesterday and it was so easy and delicious! I will now forever put spinach in all the pasta dishes I make. Best part very few dishes to clean at the end!
★★★★★
Life is but a Dish
Yes!!