Instant Pot Cajun pasta
Penne cooked with the holy trinity of peppers, onion and celery in a creamy, smoky Cajun sauce with a gentle kick.
- 30 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.76 a serving
- 570 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 12 oz penne
- 1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 2 stalks green onions, sliced (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Each serving has about 570 calories, 18 g protein, 82 g carbs and 19 g fat, and costs about $2.76 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No green bell peppers? Yellow bell peppers work.
- No red bell peppers? Yellow bell peppers work.
- No penne? Rigatoni or elbow macaroni works.
- No diced tomatoes? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the onion, both peppers and the celery, and the garlic.
Dice. Dicing means cutting food into small, even cubes, usually a quarter to half an inch across. Pieces the same size cook at the same speed, so nothing burns while the rest catches up.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are little cubes about the size of a chickpea, and they all look close to the same.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Set the Instant Pot to , add the oil, and cook the onion, peppers and celery 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until .
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Softened. For vegetables it means cooked until they bend and lose their crunch; for butter, left out until it dents easily. Soft onions taste sweet, and soft butter mixes in smoothly.
How you’ll know: Onions squash easily against the pan with your spoon, and butter dents under a finger without looking greasy.
Timer: 4 min 30 sec
Stir in the garlic and Cajun seasoning for 1 minute, .
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Timer: 1 min
Pour in the broth, scrape the bottom well so nothing is stuck, and press Cancel.
Add the penne and press it under the liquid, then pour the tomatoes over the top without stirring.
Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing, and pressure cook on high for 4 minutes.
Timer: 4 min
Dolly’s tip: It takes about 10 minutes to come up to pressure before the countdown starts. That’s normal.When it beeps, carefully turn the valve to Venting with a long spoon, keeping your hand and face away from the steam.
Stir in the cream and parmesan and let it sit 2 minutes to .
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Timer: 2 min
Dolly’s tip: Cajun seasoning is salty, so taste before you add any salt.Serve topped with green onions.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
More dinners like this
Instant Pot baked ziti
30 min
Instant Pot black bean taco pasta
30 min
Instant Pot mushroom orzo
30 min
Instant Pot broccoli cheddar pasta
25 min
30-minute dinners ›One-pan dinners ›What to make with pasta and parmesan ›What to make with canned tomatoes and bell peppers ›What to make with canned tomatoes and parmesan ›