Instant Pot Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce
Just 5 ingredients and a mere 20 minutes are all it takes to put this amazing cream cheese pasta on your table. Just cook the pasta in the Instant Pot, and then stir in the ingredients for the cream cheese pasta sauce all in the same pot!
Servings: servings
Ingredients
For the pasta:
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 4 cups cold water
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
For the pasta sauce:
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, sliced into ½-inch pieces
- 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, sliced into ½-inch pieces
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the Instant Pot penne pasta by adding 1-lb. of dry penne pasta and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt to the insert pot. Cover with 4 cups water and pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Perform a quick release of the pressure. Do not drain any of the residual starchy pasta water left in the pot. (See: Cooking Pasta In Instant Pot for step-by-step instructions.)
- Leave the Instant Pot set on Keep Warm and immediately add the butter. Stir until melted completely.
- Add in the cream cheese and garlic powder, and stir until the pasta sauce is smooth. Stir in the shredded Parmesan cheese.
- Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Turn the Instant Pot off by hitting the Cancel button.
- Serve warm, garnished with freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes, as desired.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freezing is not recommended, as the sauce is likely to break when it's reheated.
To reheat: Warm leftovers up on the stove over medium-low heat. Add a tablespoon or two of cream, milk, or leftover pasta water, and stir constantly.
Stovetop preparation: To prepare this simple pasta dish on the stovetop, boil the penne pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve one cup of the cooking liquid before draining.
Add the drained pasta back to the pot, and turn the burner down to low heat. Pick up with the original instructions at step 2, adding ½ cup of the pasta water when incorporating the butter. Add additional reserved cooking water, as needed, to achieve a creamy pasta sauce.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.3g | Protein: 10.1g | Fat: 14.4g | Saturated Fat: 7.7g | Cholesterol: 40.6mg | Sodium: 736.8mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2.1g
