Instant Pot Tortellini
Instant Pot Tortellini pasta cooked in an ultimate tomato based creamy sauce with browned sausage to make a fantastic quick one pot pasta dinner. Your whole family will enjoy this frozen cheese tortellini instant pot recipe.
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Servings: 6 people
Calories: 229kcal
Cost: $8
Equipment
Ingredients
- 19 ounce Frozen Tortellini **538g or 1 pound 3 oz. I used frozen cheese tortellini. No need to thaw.
- 1 pound Ground Italian Sausage **I used mild Italian sausage. 16 oz or 453 g.
- 1 cup onion **roughly chopped. Use yellow onion.
- ½ tbsp garlic **minced.
- ½ cup red bell pepper **roughly chopped.
- 14.5 ounce diced tomatoes **Italian style diced tomatoes. 411g.
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil **use light or extra light olive oil.
- Salt (to taste) **use according to your own personal taste preference.
Seasonings
- 1 tsp Paprika **Use sweet paprika. DO NOT use smoked paprika.
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes **skip if heat intolerant.
Liquid
- 1.5 cups Water **warm water.
- 1 tbsp Better Than Bouillon **chicken base stirred in the above mentioned water to form an instant homemade chicken stock.
Dairy
- ¾ cups Heavy Whipping Cream **slightly warmed up in microwave oven.
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese **grated.
Instructions
Sauté Aromatics
- Set instant pot on SAUTE mode on HIGH heat settings. You can adjust the heat settings by pressing the "SAUTE" button more than once. Add oil, when the oil becomes moderately hot gently release the onion & garlic and sauté until the onion begins to turn soft.
Brown ground sausage
- Now, add the ground Italian sausage. Break it down with the help of a spatula and stir from time to time until the sausage turns brown. Add the chopped red bell pepper and sauté for 30 seconds. CANCEL the SAUTE mode.
De-glaze pot
- Now, pour the chicken stock (water + better than bouillon mixed together) into the instant pot. Deglaze the pot very well by scraping the sides & the bottom of the pot with the help of a spatula. This will help loosen any stuck food particles and help prevent the BURN error! DO NOT rush this step!
Layer Tortellini, tomatoes
- Now, transfer the frozen tortellini (no need to thaw) into the pot and spread them into a single layer on top of the sausage with the help of your spatula. DO NOT stir or mix. Next, add the diced tomatoes and the tomato paste on top of the tortellini. DO NOT stir or mix. Add the seasonings, again DO NOT stir or mix.
Pressure Cook Tortellini
- Secure the lid of the instant pot, seal the valve and PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for just 1 minute! The pot will take about 7-10 mins to come to pressure. Once, the cooking cycle is over perform an immediate pressure release manually by moving the valve from the sealing to the venting position. Open the lid carefully once the floating metal pin on the top of the lid drops. Give everything in the pot a good stir!
Add dairy & serve tortellini pasta
- Hit the SAUTE mode and set it on LOW heat. Pour the slightly warm heavy whipping cream into the instant pot and mix well until it incorporates well with the tortellini. Add salt according to your personal taste preference, mix well. Do a taste test. Salt will help to pop the flavors even more. Finally, add the grated parmesan cheese and give everything a very good mix until the cheese completely melts and incorporates into the creamy sauce. You can definitely play around with the cream & parm cheese quantities. Serve the Instant Pot Tortellini and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Saucy Tortellini - Add more cream.
- Cheesy tortellini - Add more parmesan cheese.
- Can I use spinach cheese tortellini? Yes you can.
- Fresh Tortellini - You can sub the frozen tortellini with fresh tortellini. The cook time will remain the same.
- Ground Italian sausage sub - You can use spicy ground turkey sausage. Tastes so good!
- Heat intolerant - Skip the red pepper flakes!
- Can I use half & half? Yes, you can sub the heavy whipping cream with half & half. Use same quantity.
- Can I use milk? I have not tested the recipe using milk.
- Love more heat? Add more red pepper flakes. You can even add more while serving the instant pot frozen tortellini pasta.
Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Tortellini
Amount Per Serving
Calories 229
Calories from Fat 180
% Daily Value*
Fat 20g31%
Saturated Fat 9g56%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 9g
Cholesterol 46mg15%
Sodium 181mg8%
Potassium 269mg8%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 1230IU25%
Vitamin C 25mg30%
Calcium 155mg16%
Iron 1mg6%
* Read our privacy policy - Calorie information is provided as a courtesy only and should be leveraged as an estimate rather than a guarantee.Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition
Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 181mg | Potassium: 269mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1230IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 155mg | Iron: 1mg