This Instant Pot Pizza Pasta is a fun delicious dinner idea that packs together all the flavours of your fave pizza in a cheesy one pot pasta dish.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like canola or avocado oil.
- Yellow onion – white onion or shallots would also be good here.
- Garlic – fresh minced garlic is best but the jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Oregano – double up on the basil or swap out for some thyme instead.
- Basil – use double the oregano or try using tarragon.
- Mushrooms – any mushroom variety of your choice will work or you can swap out for another type of veggie.
- Pepperoni – diced sausage, ham or bacon would all be good in this pasta as well.
- Tomato sauce – just a jar of store-bought sauce is fine. If you’re feeling fancy, you can make your own tomato sauce.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth would be the best substitute here.
- Rotini – fusilli or another medium-sized pasta noodle are best for this recipe.
- Green pepper – substitute for any colour bell pepper or another veggie of your choice.
- Mozzarella cheese – I like using a ball of fresh pizza mozzarella but you can also use the pre-shredded stuff.
- Fresh chopped basil and parsley – to garnish. I do suggest topping your pasta with some fresh herbs for amazing flavour.
- Chili flakes – leave this off altogether if you don’t like spice.
How to make pizza pasta
- Add everything but the bell pepper and cheese to the Instant Pot in order.
- Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the pressure.
- Stir in the bell pepper and cheese.
- Let sit for 2-3 minutes.
- Garnish with remaining cheese and herbs and enjoy!
Different flavour combinations
This pizza pasta is so easy because you can literally use your favourite pizza toppings as fillings! Just make sure that you’re adding the vegetables in at the end vs. pressure cooking them in the Instant Pot. Here are some different flavour combos you can try:
- Supreme: Pepperoni, mushroom and green peppers
- Hawaiian: Ham and pepperoni
- Pepperoni: Pepperoni and cheese
- Vegetarian: red onions, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms and black olives
- Four-Cheese: Mozzarella, provolone, pepper jack and parmesan
Frequently Asked Questions
This Instant Pot pizza pasta is plenty filling on its own but if you’re looking for side dish ideas, you can’t go wrong with some fresh garlic bread or a nice side salad.
Nope! Just add the dry pasta to the pot along with the rest of the ingredients and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
I wouldn’t recommend substituting the marinara sauce for pizza sauce, as the flavour is different and pizza sauce can be thicker.
I haven’t tested this recipe using gluten-free pasta, and since the cooking time is usually longer for gluten-free noodles, you might want to cook the gluten-free pasta separately.
Storing and reheating
This Instant Pot pasta will last in the fridge for up to 5 days, which means you can enjoy it all week long! Store individual serving sizes in airtight glass containers and when you’re ready to eat, just sprinkle some water over top and reheat in the microwave for a couple minutes. You can also reheat on the stovetop with a bit of olive oil if you want the veggies to be nice and crisp.
Freezing this recipe
You can freeze this pizza pasta Instant Pot recipe, but the vegetables might not be as crispy after being frozen. After the dish has completely cooled, transfer it to freezer-safe glass bowls and freeze for up to 3 months. You can reheat it in the microwave from frozen or let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in the microwave or on the stovetop.
More Instant Pot pasta recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on packing this pasta in the freezer and defrosting in the microwave.
Instant Pot Pizza Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp basil
- 1 (227g) package mushrooms, sliced (about 2 cups)
- 1 (175g) package pepperoni
- 1 (650mL) jar tomato sauce
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 lb dry rotini or fusili pasta
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided
- Fresh chopped basil or parsley (optional garnish)
- Chili flakes (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Add olive oil, onion, garlic, oregano, basil, mushrooms, pepperoni, tomato sauce, broth and pasta to Instant Pot in that order. Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes then do a quick release of pressure.
- Open lid and stir in green peppers and 1 cup of cheese, then let sit 2-3 minutes with the lid on. Serve in bowls and top each serving of pasta dividing up remaining cup of cheese, garnishing with fresh basil, parsley or chili flakes if desired. Serve and enjoy!
