Instant Pot Pasta Primavera

Step 1

Prep the vegetables ahead of time. They only take a few minutes to cook so you want all your attention on the pot once you start cooking. What's great is that you can cook all the vegetables in one pot for this recipe.

Step 2

Add frozen peas to a bowl and pour over hot boiling water to thaw them out briefly. Then strain and set aside.

Step 3

Set up the Instant Pot and press the Saute setting on Normal mode.

Step 4

Add the olive oil and onions and cook for 1-2 minutes to soften. Follow by broccoli, zucchini and bell peppers (as these take longer to cook) and cook for 1 minute, stirring a couple of times.

Step 5

Then add asparagus and cherry tomatoes and stir for about 30 seconds.

Step 6

Then add the garlic, lemon zest, chili, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Stir for 20-30 seconds.

Step 7

Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1/2 cup of vegetable or chicken stock and cook for 1 minute, stirring a couple of times.

Step 8

Remove the vegetables and most of the cooking stock liquid with a big spoon. A little garlic and onion can remain in any leftover cooking broth in the pot.

Step 9

Add the pasta and 1 teaspoon of salt to the pot. Pour in 3 cups of water, it should cover the pasta completely. Stir through, scraping the bottom.

Step 10

Secure and lock the lid. Pressure cook for 4 minutes on HIGH. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 1-2 minutes and then use the quick release to let the steam off. Don't leave it on NPR for longer than that or the pasta will overcook.

Step 11

Strain the pasta. Return it to the Instant Pot and add the vegetables and the cooking stock from the bowl, as well as butter, cream and Parmesan. Stir through. Set to Saute for a minute or two to reheat as the cream and butter would have cooled down the pasta.

Step 12

Taste for salt and pepper. Finally, stir in chopped or sliced basil leaves. You can also drizzle a little extra lemon juice, to taste.