If you thought your Instant Pot was only good for long-cooking cuts of meat, allow us to change your mind. This spaghetti with goat cheese, mint and peas (from Christopher Kimball’s new cookbook, Milk Street: Fast and Slow) is creamy and bright, and ready in 30 minutes.
The key to al dente pasta in a pressure cooker? Drop the noodles in dry with the aromatics so they absorb as much flavor as possible, then quick-release the pressure when they’re cooked (so they don’t go mushy on you). Making dinner is officially so easy, it’s almost like magic.
Reprinted with permission from Milk Street: Fast and Slow by Christopher Kimball, copyright © 2020. Published by Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown Books.
Instant Pot 2-Cheese Pasta with Cauliflower
Ingredients
2 cups frozen peas, thawed and patted dry, divided
8 ounces fresh goat cheese
⅓ cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup chopped fresh mint
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 pound spaghetti or fine linguini, broken in half
Directions
1. Add 1 cup of the peas to a medium bowl. Using a fork, mash the peas into a coarse puree. Add the goat cheese, the ⅓ cup of oil, the lemon zest and juice, half the chopped mint, ½ teaspoon salt and ¾ teaspoon pepper. Mash well, then set aside. On the Instant Pot, select More/High Sauté. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, the onion and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Pour in 5 cups water, then stir to combine. Add the pasta, placing the strands horizontally so they lay flat, then press them into the liquid until submerged
2. Select Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual, and make sure the pressure level is set to High. Set the cooking time for 3 minutes. When pressure cooking is complete, quick-release the pressure by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.
3. Using tongs, toss and stir the mixture to separate the strands of pasta, then add the goat cheese mixture and the remaining peas. Toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with the remaining mint.