Instant Pot Vegan Pasta Puttanesca
By the Gracious Vegan
Pasta in the Instant Pot? Yes. Whole-grain pastas work especially well in the pressure cooker, and you can cook the sauce and pasta all together with a one-pot approach. You can increase or decrease the olives and/or capers to your own taste. This dish tastes best right after it’s cooked, but you can also refrigerate (or freeze) the leftovers. You may have to add a little water when you heat it back up.
Makes 6 servings (each 1 + 1/3 cup)
Add the following ingredients to the Instant Pot and stir gently. Use “Manual” setting. Set knob to “Sealing.” Set for 4 minutes (* see note on timing). Release pressure immediately after the 4 minutes are complete.
4 cups (12 ounces) whole-grain short pasta such as penne or fusilli
3 cups water **
1/2 cup Greek (Kalamata) olives, either whole, halved, or sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
1 Tablespoon capers
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper
(add the tomatoes last, on top, after you stir the other ingredients) One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
After turning the knob to “Vent” and waiting for the pressure to release, open the lid and stir the pasta. It is ready to serve. Recommended topping:
* A number of bloggers have written about a formula for cooking pasta in the Instant Pot. They say to start with the timing that the package recommends for “al dente” cooking, then divide it in half, then subtract 1 minute. My whole wheat penne package says 10 minutes for al dente texture. I halved it to 5 minutes, then subtracted 1, which is where the 4 minutes came from. You may need to adjust your timing based on the pasta and softness you like.
** Note: If your Instant Pot often displays a “Burn” alert, add 1/2-1 cup additional water
See also:
Timing: About 20-25 minutes
Can use gluten-free pasta