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4.75 from 4 votes
Instant pot pasta with creamy vegan brccoli and spinach suace
Instant pot pasta with vegan broccoli and spinach sauce

Creamy and delicious vegan pasta cooked in the instant pot with a delicious vegan sauce made with the goodness of broccoli, spinach and avocado.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: instant pot
Servings: 2
Author: Preethi Venkatram
Ingredients
For the pasta
  • 2 cups uncooked pasta I used penne
  • 1/3 cup chopped mushrooms
  • 11/2 tbsp finely minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup minced shallots / finely chopped onions
  • salt to taste
  • water to cook the pasta
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
For the sauce
  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 1 cup tightly packed spinach
  • 1/2 avocado (optional)
  • 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 cup cashews ( can substitute with any nut of choice)
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes ( use more or less as per spice levels)
  • 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp lemon zest (optional)
  • salt as needed
  • water as needed / can also use almond milk
Instructions
INSTANT POT RECIPE
  1. First soak the cashews in some water.

  2. Switch on the saute mode in your IP and add the olive oil. When it heats up, add the garlic, shallots / onions and saute until translucent.

  3. Next add the mushrooms and saute for a couple of minutes, until they become golden brown and caramalised. Add a tbsp or more or water if needed to deglaze the pan.

  4. Now add the uncooked pasta, water just enough to cover the pasta (Do not be tempted to add more) and 1/2 tsp salt.

  5. Add the chopped broccoli and spinach in a small bowl and keep the bowl on a trivet on top of the pasta in the IP ( The bowl should be smaller than the IP vessel as it needs to fit inside) Don't add water inside the bowl to cook the vegetables. They will be blanched in the pressure and steam from the pasta cooking.

  6. Close the IP lid and cook the pasta. Now for the cook time - If your pasta box instructions says cook for 9 to 11 minutes, take the lowest time and subtract 1   ( 9-1=8) and halve that number (8/2=4) and again subtract 1 minute from that no. (4-1= 3 minutes) So you will be cooking it for 3 minutes and release pressure immediately. This will give you al dente pasta. If you want it well cooked, I guess you can cook it extra 1 minute ( 4 minutes )

For the sauce
  1. When the pasta is done cooking, you would release pressure immediately and take out the steamed/ cooked broccoli and spinach. Switch off the keep warm mode to prevent additional cooking of the pasta.

  2. Add the steamed vegetables, basil, soaked cashews, avocado, red pepper flakes, salt, apple cider vinegar, lemon zest nutritional yeast, water / almond milk and blend it to a smooth creamy puree.

For the pasta
  1. Now add this creamy sauce to the cooked pasta in the IP and mix. Adjust salt as needed. Add more milk / water to adjust the consistency of the pasta if needed.

  2. Serve hot with sauteed veggies. I served it with some caramalised mushrooms and micro greens.

STOVE TOP METHOD:
  1. Soak the cashews in some water

  2. Boil water and cook the pasta as per the instructions in your pasta box and set it aside. Reserve some pasta water for the sauce.

  3. Boil another pan and blanch the broccoli and spinach. First blanch the broccoli, then add the spinach. You could also steam or saute until the broccoli is slightly tender. Set it aside to cool. Spinach gets blanched very fast. It would need only a minute in boiling water.

  4. Now add the blanched broccoli / spinach, soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, red pepper flakes, pasta water, apple cider vinegar, basil, lemon zest, salt to a blender and blend to a smooth creamy puree. This is your pasta sauce.

  5. Now heat a pan and add the olive oil. When it heats up, add the chopped garlic, shallots / onions and saute until the onions turn translucent.

  6. Now add the mushrooms and cook until nice and golden.

  7. Add the cooked pasta and mix.

  8. Add this creamy sauce to the pan with the cooked pasta and mix.

  9. Serve hot with a side of sauteed veggies / more greens.

Recipe Notes
  • It is important to deglaze your instant pot after sauteeing the mushrooms. If not the pasta might stick to the pan.
  • If you can't find nutritional yeast, you could substitute it with parmesan ( vegans use vegan parmesan)
  • Adding avocado is optional. It tasted creamy without avoacado too.
  • If you don't want to blanch the broccoli and spinach pot in pot with the pasta, do it separately in a pan and use it for the sauce.