Description
Instant Pot Cacio e Pepe spaghetti in 20 minutes! Make this Roman classic dish for your family, dinner guests or a special date. Serve with a green salad.
Ingredients
Part 1
250 g dry spaghetti ( we used #3)
4 cups water
2/3 tsp salt
Part 2
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid
3.5 oz / 100 g grated Pecorino cheese or Parmesan cheese (1 cup)
1 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground is best)
Extra cheese to grate on top
Instructions
- Break the dry spaghetti in half and add to the pot. Pour in 4 cups of water and make sure all pasta is submerged. Add the salt. Stir it with your hands gently to make sure the water goes between all the spaghetti strands.
- Pop the lid on, lock and make sure to top valve is pointing to Sealing. Set to Manual/Pressure Cook, HIGH pressure for 3 minutes. Often, pasta recipes will call for 4-5 minutes cooking time in the Instant Pot but we are reducing it to 3 minutes and allowing some natural pressure release instead. This helps to settle the foam that forms during pressure cooking so that when you release the steam, it doesn’t spurt as much.
- Once the timer is done, allow 7-8 for natural pressure release but not much longer than that or the pasta will overcook. Point the top valve to Venting to do the quick release. You may get some foam squirting out which happens after cooking pasta, but don’t worry as it is normal.
- Open the lid and stir the pasta through. Scoop out about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and strain out the rest.
- Return the empty pot to the base and press the Saute function key. Add the butter and pepper and stir through until melted and starting to bubble. Press Cancel to stop the Satue function.
- Add the reserved 1/2 cup of cooking pasta liquid and the strained spaghetti. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and stir through the pasta until melted and incorporated into the sauce.
- As soon the cheese has melted and the pasta is well coated in the sauce, transfer all of it to a serving bowl and fill the empty pot with hot water to make it easier to clean.
Notes
Important! As soon the cheese has melted and the pasta is well coated in the sauce, transfer all of it to a serving bowl and fill the empty pot with hot water. Ideally, clean the pot as soon as possible. If the cheesy sauce thickens and gets stuck to the bottom of the pot, the best way to clean it is to fill it up with a little hot water and place it back on Saute function. The pot will heat up and melt the stuck cheese sauce, making it easier to scrape off. Using a stainless steel scrubber or scourer or a good brush will make the job very easy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 483
- Sugar: 2.5 g
- Sodium: 1088 mg
- Fat: 14.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 8.4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 63.9 g
- Fiber: 2.9 g
- Protein: 23.6 g
- Cholesterol: 34.2 mg
Keywords: Spaghetti, Pasta, Roman