Instant Pot Ham and Peas Pasta with Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce
A creamy kid-friendly comfort food pasta dish we love.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 4 large cloves fresh garlic minced
- 2 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth see note
- 1 cup heavy cream see note
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme or ¾ teaspoon chopped fresh
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil or ¾ teaspoon chopped fresh
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley broken in half
- ½ pound (8 ounces) spaghetti broken in half
- ½ cup (2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup (5 ounces) frozen peas
- 2 cups (8 ounces) diced cooked ham leftover ham works great, see note
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh chopped parsley & additional Parmesan cheese for serving, if desired
Instructions
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Using the low saute function melt the butter in the insert of a 6-quart Instant Pot and then add the minced garlic. Saute for just a couple of minutes, stirring often, until aromatic.
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Pour in the broth and cream and then add the salt, pepper, thyme, basil, and parsley.
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Add the pasta by sprinkling it in layers (don't add it all at once or it will clump); don’t stir, but if there are noodles popping up, make sure they are pressed down in the liquid completely.
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Secure the lid of the Instant Pot, set the valve to seal, and select “manual” or “pressure cook” and cook on HIGH pressure for 2 or 3 minutes, depending on how tender you like your pasta, the brand of pasta you are using, and how long you are planning on letting it naturally release (see next step and notes to guide you).
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Let the pressure release naturally for 6 minutes and then quick release the remaining pressure. If the pot starts to splatter when doing the quick release, cover with a dishtowel or turn the knob back to pressure and let it release naturally another 4 to 6 minutes naturally before doing the quick release.
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Add the Parmesan cheese, peas and ham and stir thoroughly. Then let it sit for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve the pasta immediately with fresh chopped parsley, and additional Parmesan, if desired.
Recipe Notes
1. For the broth, I often use 2 ½ cups water + 1 ¼ teaspoon chicken bouillon substitute. If you only have regular chicken broth, leave out the added salt in the recipe and add salt to taste at the end.
2. I've only made this with heavy cream, but I think you could substitute half-and-half or whole milk. It won't be as creamy and may a little runnier but I think it should still work.
3. This recipe would adapt very well to meatless, just leave out the ham. As a variation you could leave out or add extra cooked vegetables at the end if you like too, adjusting the salt if needed.
4. A good rule of thumb when trying to decide how many minutes to cook pasta in an electric pressure cooker is this: take the al dente cooking time listed on the package, cut it in half and subtract another 1 to 2 minutes.
5. I normally double this recipe for my family in my 6 quart Instant Pot. When doubling, I’ve found that I usually add more time to the natural release time, otherwise it will sometimes splatter out more liquid during the quick release. For a single recipe using the American Beauty brand of spaghetti, I normally use a 3 minute cook time + 6 minute natural release time. For a doubled recipe, I normally use a 2 minute cook time + 9-10 minute natural release time.