30 Minute Instant Pot Butternut Squash Pasta

This is a comforting pasta dish that can be made in your Instant Pot! It’s a creamy Butternut Squash Pasta made with in-season veggies and coconut milk.

Pasta in the Instant Pot? I’m there! This is the same process as my Easy Instant Pot Pasta but with some really excellent new flavors added in to make an Instant Pot Butternut Squash Pasta. Maybe my favorite addition is coconut milk! It gives this pasta a really creamy, luxurious texture with a mild flavor, so you don’t even taste coconut in your pasta! Butternut squash adds a sweetness to this otherwise savory dish that just makes it feel complete. Are you hungry yet? I totally am!

Making Pasta in the Instant Pot

I find that a lot of people don’t know you can make pasta in your Instant Pot. You totally can! Game changer? For sure. The only trick to it is putting the tomato sauce on the top and center of the pasta and DO NOT STIR. If you stir it, the acidity in the tomatoes will set off the burn notification on the Instant Pot. Leave the sauce on the tippy top and you’re ready to go!

Kale & Butternut Squash Pasta

While the pasta cooks I like to prepare the kale for mixing in. So many people think they don’t like kale, but I really think the secret is in the prep! If you give your leaves a good, thorough massage it breaks down the bitterness that’s usually associated with kale. Squeeze fresh lemon juice and add a sprinkle of salt over clean, stemmed kale and massage it until it turns a bright green color and softens.

Food photography by Ashley Cuoco

30 Minute Instant Pot Butternut Squash Pasta

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.6 from 7 reviews

• Author: Laney Schwartz
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Instant Pot
• Cuisine: American

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Description

This is a comforting pasta dish that can be made in your Instant Pot! It’s a creamy Butternut Squash Pasta made with in-season veggies and coconut milk.

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Ingredients

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• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced into ½ inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 12 ounces dried short pasta (I used Jovial Gluten Free but any pasta will work)
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• ¼ cup water
• 1 ½ cups marinara sauce (I used Rao’s)
• 1 bunch lacinato kale, de stemmed and roughly chopped
• ½ lemon
• ¼ – ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

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Instructions

1. Preheat the Instant Pot on the sauté function. Add the oil, onion, squash, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
2. Press cancel to turn off heat. Add the pasta and stir. Add the coconut milk and water and stir until well combined. 
3. Pour the marinara sauce on top of the pasta in the center but DO NOT STIR. Cover and lock lid, make sure the vent is on sealing and cook on high pressure for half the amount of time the pasta box says. (If the box says to cook for 12 minutes, then cook on high pressure for 6 minutes.) Once it’s done you can always add 1-2 more minutes if it’s not cooked to your liking. 
4. While the pasta cooks, prep the kale. Squeeze half a lemon over the kale and sprinkle a pinch of salt. Using clean hands, massage the kale for a minute until it turns bright green and begins to soften. 
5. Manually release the vent and open the lid. Stir in the kale. Add as much parmesan cheese as you like and serve!

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