This fresh and light Instant Pot pasta is a perfect example of how to enjoy Italian cuisine in a healthy way. Made with nutritious ingredients such as protein and calcium-rich ricotta, spinach and lemon, it’s a dish is that is both tasty and easy to prepare.
With the popularity of Whole30 and keto diets, traditional staples like pasta and rice often get shunned in favour of lower carbohydrate foods. However, these affordable staples can still make an appearance in a healthy meal plan. The key is to use a lot of nutritious ingredients and fresh produce with pasta and rice serving a delivery vehicle.
This Instant Pot pasta with ricotta, lemon and spinach is the kind of nutritious Italian dish that you can easily enjoy as part of a balanced, healthy diet. It’s got a lot of protein as well carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals in an easy and fast to prepare one-pot dish that the whole family will enjoy.
Find all of our Instant pot pasta recipes here.
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:
Print
PinDescription
Enjoy healthier Italian cuisine with this delicious Instant Pot made with ricotta, lemon, spinach and cherry tomatoes. It’s light, fresh and nutritious.
Ingredients
For cooking pasta 10 oz / 300 g spiral pasta (we used tri-colour pasta like this) 1 L / 4 cups of water (we use 250 ml cups) 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/4 cup tightly packed with defrosted spinach OR 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves Zest of 1/2 lemon 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1 teaspoon salt 5 cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters For finishing the pasta Zest of 1/2 lemon Juice of 1/2 lemon 1 garlic clove, finely diced or grated 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 extra tablespoon of olive oil 1/2 cup ricotta cheese 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese A few mint leaves or basil leaves, chopped or sliced 6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
Instructions
Turn the Instant Pot on and add the cooking pasta ingredients inside. Stir through and pop the lid on top. Lock it and set to Manual, HIGH, for 3 minutes. Make sure the top valve is pointing to Sealing. After 3 beeps, the Instant Pot will start to build up the pressure and cooking will commence. Once the timer goes off, use the quick release to let off the pressure and steam. If you leave it in the pot under pressure, the pasta will keep cooking so you should quick release it as soon as possible. Open the lid. If there is any excess liquid, strain it while holding the pasta back. Add the finishing ingredients, including the ricotta and Parmesan cheese, and stir through. Serve with extra fresh herbs and a side salad. 
Notes
Ricotta cheese can be replaced with cottage cheese. You can also add a little feta cheese for extra tang and saltiness.
Keywords: fresh light pasta Italian cuisine healthy nutritious ingredients protein calcium-rich ricotta spinach lemon easy
SAVE THIS RECIPE TO PINTEREST
2 Comments
Melanie
August 8, 2019 at 3:58 pmThis recipe is amazing! I make it several times a month for a quick, awesome dinner. I want to make it for a larger group – do you think I can simply double everything and have it come out okay?
★★★★★
instantpoteats
August 12, 2019 at 8:44 amThanks, Melanie. Glad you love it so much! Yes, in theory, doubling should work. Just make sure there is enough room in the Instant Pot. I think you need to leave a third of the pot empty at the top (especially as the pasta expands when it cooks). Let us know if you do make a bigger batch.