Rich, creamy and cheesy, this Broccoli Cheddar Pasta is comfort food at it's best! This family-friendly one-pot meal is everything a Broccoli Cheddar soup promises, and more. Here's a 30-minute dump-and-start recipe for your Instant Pot pressure cooker. Enjoy!
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Under 30-Minutes Dump & Start Recipe
This easy one-pot meal is very easy to put together. I prefer to make it in the Instant Pot versus on the stove, as it gets done in one pot in under 30 minutes, most of which is hands-off cooking time.
This Broccoli Cheese pasta works great for weeknights especially when all four of us come home late after a school game or an after-school activity. It's very easy to put together with just a handful of ingredients. Here's what we need to make this delicious pasta:
My Inspiration: Broccoli Cheddar Soup
This recipe is inspired by one of my favorite soups at Panera- Broccoli Cheddar Soup. This is my effort to extend these delicious comforting flavors beyond soup 🙂 It's such a convenient recipe where all the food groups meet in one dish!
Kids & Teen Approved Recipe
Oh, and this pasta is kid & teen approved too. My kids have a 'hate-hate' relationship with broccoli, and they LOVE this pasta dish. The cheese and pasta camouflage the broccoli really well. It becomes one with the creamy sauce and sticks to the pasta.
For little kids, this is a very clever way of sneaking in veggies in their pasta. This particular ratio of broccoli, carrots and pasta works great for my kids, but you can customize that to suits yours.
Add more broccoli if you like. Although, I must admit that when I added 3 cups broccoli instead of 2 during a test-round, I was 'gently' reminded by my kids that I was 'pushing it' 😉 You can even switch out or add grated zucchini in this and no one will know.
How to Cook Pasta in Instant Pot : Rule of Thumb
Since different pasta shapes require different cook times, here is what works for me: I half the lower number in the suggested cook time on the box, and subtract 1 minute from that. So, if a box suggests the cook time as 10-11 minutes, I cook it for 4 minutes in the Instant Pot (10/2=5; 5-1=4).
How to Cook Broccoli Cheddar Pasta in Instant Pot
Here are step by step instructions on how to make this easy meal in the Instant Pot, or any comparable electric pressure cooker like Mealthy:
Step 1: Pressure Cook (Picture 1)
- Turn Instant Pot on Saute mode. This will warm up the milk and water while we are adding ingredients and reduce the pressure building time. This step is optional though.
- Add milk (see notes for substitute), water, pasta, seasonings, carrots and broccoli in the pot. Stir and close the lid. Pressure cook for 3 minutes. This time works for medium shell pasta, check details in the description for cooking time calculations for different pasta shapes.
- After cooking time is up, wait 5 minutes and then manually release the pressure in bursts. What that means is, release pressure 1-2 seconds at a time, then stop.
- Repeat this till most of the pressure has released and its intensity has gone down. (Scroll down to read the detailed reason for this.)
- Now, you can release the remaining pressure by turning the pressure knob to 'venting' position in DUO models, or push down the pressure valve in ULTRA models. Open the lid after the pressure pin drops.
Step 2: Stir in Heavy Cream and Cheese (Picture 2)
- Stir in heavy whipping cream and cheddar cheese and stir till everything comes together. By stirring, the broccoli florets will further break down and integrate in the sauce.
- If at this point, your pasta looks dry, add ½ cup of warm water. Add more or less cheese, depending on your preference!
Mess-Free Way to Release Pressure for Pasta
Earlier, whenever I did a quickly pressure release (QR) after making soups or pasta in the Instant Pot, I was always prepared with extra paper towels to soak up the mess it created.
Due to the thin liquid in soups and starchy liquid in pasta, it always sprays out from the pressure knob as soon as you do a quick release.
In order to avoid that, I altered the way I release pressure. I release the pressure in bursts. Which means, I press down or rotate the pressure knob gently to release pressure 1-2 seconds at a time, then stop. I repeat this till most of the pressure has released and its intensity has gone down.
After that when I do a full release of pressure, nothing squirts out of the knob. Easy and mess-free solution! However, if you want to completely avoid QR, here's what my kids do:
How to Avoid a Quick Pressure Release in this Recipe
My teen kids aren't big fans of Quick Pressure Release, mainly because it's too loud and the steam is very impactful. So, here is how they avoid it:
Instead of releasing pressure after 5 mins, they wait for 10 minutes. By then most of the pressure has released naturally. So when they do a quick release after that, there is barely any steam left.
But since the pasta stays in the pot for 5 minutes longer, to avoid over-cooking it, they reduce the cooking time by 1 minute. So, for this recipe, they pressure cook for 2 mins instead of 3 mins.
More Pasta Recipes from my Kitchen
Tips to Customize Broccoli Cheddar Pasta
- If you want to reduce calories in this dish, you can replace milk with broth or water, AND replace heavy cream with half 'n' half.
- You can customize the cheesiness of this dish. Add 2 cups for extra cheesy sauce.
- I like the flavor of cheddar cheese in this recipe, but you can replace that with any melting cheese of your choice.
- You can make this recipe with frozen and thawed broccoli florets as well.
- Gluten-Free variation: Simply replace the pasta type with any gluten-free shape and adjust cooking time based on the pasta cooking formula mentioned above.
- If the sauce looks dry after cooking add ½ cup of warm water. If it looks thin, you can saute for a few minutes. It will naturally thicken as it sits for a few minutes.
📖 Recipe
Broccoli Cheddar Pasta in Instant Pot
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Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk (I use 2%)(can replace with broth or water)
- 2 cups water
- ½ lb pasta, shells (roughly 2.75 cups) medium shells or macaroni
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (skip or adjust to make this mild)
- 1 cup carrots, shredded (I roughly chop matchstick carrots)
- 2 cups broccoli florets (heaping cups) (about 1 large head)
After Pressure Cooking
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese (add more or less to suit your taste)
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot on Saute mode. This will warm up the milk and water while we are adding ingredients and reduce the pressure building time. This step is optional though.
- Add milk (see notes for substitute), water, pasta, seasonings, carrots and broccoli in the pot. Stir and close the lid. Pressure cook for 3 minutes. This time works for medium shell pasta, check notes for different pasta shapes.
- After cooking time is up, wait 5 minutes and then manually release the pressure in bursts. What that means is, release pressure 1-2 seconds at a time, then stop. Repeat this till most of the pressure has released and its intensity has gone down.
- Open the lid, add heavy whipping cream and shredded cheddar cheese and stir till everything comes together. By stirring the broccoli florets will further break down and integrate in the sauce.
- If at this point, your pasta looks too dry, add ½ cup of boiling water. Add more or less cheese, depending on your preference!
Notes
Tips to customize Broccoli Cheddar Pasta
- Estimated Time includes roughly 10 mins for pressure build-up. Cook time = Time to set for pressure cooking.
- This recipe has been tested in a 3qt and 6qt Instant Pot. If making this in an 8Qt size, adjust the water quantity to meet the minimum requirement.
- If the sauce looks dry after cooking, add ½ cup of warm water. If it looks thin, you can saute for a few minutes. It will naturally thicken as it sits for a few minutes.
- If you want to reduce calories in this dish, you can replace milk with broth or water, AND replace heavy cream with half 'n' half.
- You can customize the cheesiness of this dish. Add 2 cups for extra cheesy sauce.
- I like the flavor of cheddar cheese in this recipe, but you can replace that with any melting cheese of your choice.
- You can make this recipe with frozen and thawed broccoli florets as well.
- Gluten-Free variation: Simply replace the pasta type with any gluten-free shape and adjust cooking time based on the formula below:
Hannah says
I doubled the recipe so that I could use an entire box of whole wheat elbows, my carrots were babies that needed using up so i threw them in whole. I prefer my food softer so I cooked the pasta a minute longer than your amazing tip for half the stovetop time. My toddler loves it!
Aneesha says
Hi Hannah, that's the best compliment for any dish 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to share this and rate the recipe.
Vicki C. says
This was so easy and turned out great. Next time I’m going to add chicken and throw some frozen peas in at the end. I almost skipped the optional first step but decided to try it. It really does help the IP come up to temp faster. A great trick! Thanks!
Aneesha says
Hi Vicki, thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Your additions sound yum and will definitely take it to the next level! Enjoy!
Megan says
Thanks for sharing the recipe. This was delicious. I added boneless chicken breast to it. It will definitely be on my supper rotation.
Aneesha says
Hi Megan, that's awesome! I'm so glad your family enjoyed it. Hope you try other pasta recipes too!
NICOLE PENCE says
This was fantastic and very easy! Do you think I could safely double it to serve more?
Aneesha says
Hi Nicole, thank you, I'm so happy to hear that. Yes, you can easily double this recipe in a 6qt or 8 qt cooker. Double the ingredients, but the cook time stays the same. Enjoy!
Savitri says
Hi Aneesha,
I made it again but this time with homemade vegan cheese sauce and it was so delicious !!
Last time I used vegan cheddar cheese and soy cream and it was very tasty but also very filling and that's why we gave it 4 stars.
So this time selfmade vegan sauce and no soy cream and now we give it 5 stars, it was so very delicious !!
Greetings from The Netherlands,
Savitri + twin daughters
Aneesha says
I Savitri, glad to hear from you and so happy that you were able to customize this recipe to your liking- that's what cooking is all about! Take care!
Nicole says
I sort of combined a couple of different ideas. For this I Followed the her weak idea of this recipe but instead of milk and broth, I just used 2 cups low sodium chicken broth with the pasta, carrots and broccoli. Then when I added cheeses, I mixed 1/2 c Greek yogurt with 1/2 c half n half, (instead of a whole cup of half n half) and mixed up cheddar and hvarti. In the end, I added sautéed onion, garlic and chicken sausage. Yum!
Aneesha says
Hi Nicole, glad you were able to customize it and enjoy this dish! Thanks for sharing your feedback!
Christie says
Easy and delicious! Definitely added more broccoli than it called for, but we loved it. There was a bit of a zip from just the 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes which surprised me, but we like a little spice. 🙂
Aneesha says
Hi Christie, I'm so glad you enjoyed it and customized it to your liking! Thanks again!
Pooja says
Hi Aneesha, I tried this recipe, and is one of the best (and easy) dishes I have made!
Thank you so much! My kids cleared their plates ????
Aneesha says
Hi Pooja, that is so awesome to hear, thank you! I am super glad your family enjoyed it too, thanks again!
Savitri says
We liked it.
Easy and very quick to make!
Made with "oat milk and water" instead of "cow milk and water", and with vegan soy cooking cream and vegan cheddar cheese.
And with gluten-free macaroni (organic corn elbows).
However, it was very filling, so next time I will make it with homemade vegan cheese sauce and without the soy cream.
And I followed your teen daughters instructions "How to Avoid a Quick Pressure Release in this Recipe", and they were very helpfull!
Thank you Aneesha.
Greetings from The Netherlands ????
Aneesha says
So nice to hear from you Savitri! I'm glad you enjoyed it, thanks!
sandra says
Just made this . I cannot believe how easy it was. I literally had 7 minutes. I put all the things in the instant pot and turned it on in 5 min. It came out so delicious and the pasta perfectly cooked. Thank you!
Aneesha says
Hi Sandra, thank you! I'm super glad you liked it. This is one of my go-to recipes and my kids love it 🙂 I am working on similar recipes, due to release in the new year, so stay tuned 🙂 And thanks again for sharing your feedback!
M says
Any advice for adding chicken into this dish?
Aneesha says
Hi M, it's very easy to add chicken to this dish. Cut chicken in 1 inch pieces and add with everything else and pressure cook the same time. Since the chicken pieces are small, they'll cook in the same time as pasta. After that continue with the recipe instructions. Hope this helps!
M says
Thanks Aneesha, going to try this one later in the week!
Aneesha says
Hi M, Sounds great. I would love to hear how you like it! Enjoy!
Betsy G. says
I substituted zucchini since I didn’t have any broccoli. Delicious!
Aneesha says
Hi Betsy, thank you, that's a clever variation! I'm going to try it with zucchini next 🙂
Cam says
Amazing and simple! The family loves it! This is definitely a new go-to dinner in my home!
Aneesha says
Hi Cam, Yay! SO glad to hear that. Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
Sam says
Delicious! And so unbelievably easy- thank you for this recipe!
Aneesha says
Hi Sam, It's always great to heat that. Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!