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Instant Pot Butternut Squash Pasta

October 20, 2020 by Life is but a Dish 11 Comments

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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.

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Pasta

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!

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Pasta

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!

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Pasta

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.

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Pasta

More Tasty Pasta Dishes

  • Broccoli Pasta
  • Classic Three Cheese Macaroni & Cheese
  • Baked Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
  • Fresh Tomato Basil Garlic Pasta
  • Parmesan Chicken Baked Ziti

Food photography by Ashley Cuoco

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Butternut Squash Pasta

Butternut Squash Pasta

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Life is but a Dish
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Ingredients

  • 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

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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Filed Under: Dinner, Gluten Free, Instant Pot & Slow Cooker, Pasta, Quick & Easy, Vegetarian

Previous Post: « 6 Pumpkin Recipes for Fall
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rachel

    October 22, 2020 at 7:01 am

    WOW WOW WOW this is a keeper. I don’t have an Instant Pot, but I used my Ninja Foodi Cooker and it worked perfectly! I also added some pancetta so I sautéed that first and then added the onions, squash, etc. YUM can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch today!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Life is but a Dish

      November 2, 2020 at 3:04 pm

      Oh wow sounds amazing!! Thanks for the awesome review!

  2. Dustin

    October 25, 2020 at 7:24 pm

    I LOVE trying out new recipes in my Instant Pot, and this looks so delicious, quick and easy! My family would love it

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Life is but a Dish

      November 2, 2020 at 3:02 pm

      I hope you love it!

  3. Cortney

    November 1, 2020 at 11:10 am

    About how many cup of squash cubed would this be?

    Reply
    • Life is but a Dish

      November 2, 2020 at 2:58 pm

      About 3ish

  4. Cortney

    November 2, 2020 at 8:29 am

    Hoping to make this pasta for dinner this week. Can you tell me about how many cups of squash this would use. I only have a large one.

    Reply
    • Life is but a Dish

      November 2, 2020 at 2:57 pm

      You can use about half – 3/4 of it. I would say about 3-4 cups

  5. Jen

    November 18, 2020 at 5:06 pm

    I made this dish this evening. It was a big hit for my family. I loved that my kids actually ate the Kale and Butternut Squash. It was absolutely delish! Thank you Laney for this awesome recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  6. Melissa

    November 29, 2020 at 8:50 am

    I don’t have an instant pot, but want to try this recipe. Wpuld I just sauté the veggies to soften, then add the coconut milk and Raos (my favorite tomato sauce too!!) and simmer everything together while the pasta cooks? And then once the pasta is done cooking mix it all together with the kale?? It looks delicious and hoping it turns out well without an instant pot!!

    Reply
    • Life is but a Dish

      November 30, 2020 at 3:05 pm

      Yes that should work!

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