I wish I could say that I created these recipes, but the Instant Pot pasta recipe is something I have encountered in several places on the internet—I don't remember where, originally. This is my take on it. The recipe for Vegan Parmesan Sprinkles is an old favourite from the classic How It All Vegan by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer. I often use this blog as an "on-line cookbook" so I have put these recipes here to make them easy for me to find, as well as sharing them with you.
The basic recipe is pasta, processed tomatoes (either sauce or diced tomatoes), and water. Add seasonings, vegetables, and beans as desired.
I used Rizopia gluten-free brown rice pasta, but I think this would work with any type of pasta. Add about 3-1/2 cups of either canned diced tomatoes or tomato sauce. Then add 3 cups of water if using diced tomatoes, or 4 cups of water if using sauce. The thicker liquid of the sauce may burn to the bottom of the insert, and the Instant Pot won't cook properly (I learned this from experience.)
Add whatever veggies you like—fresh or frozen—and a can of your favourite beans. I like to add two hard veggies like mushrooms and carrots, and one green like spinach or kale. Just watch the amounts and don't overfill your Instant Pot—try to stay around 2/3 full. Chickpeas, red or white kidney beans, or Romano beans are all good choices.
Close the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the pressure release valve is set to SEALING. Cook using the Manual setting for half of the suggested stove-top cooking time for the pasta. For example, if the stove top instructions say 10 minutes, then cook for 5 minutes. The pasta I used said 7-10 minutes, but I know I like to cook it on the stove for 12 minutes, so I set the cook time to 6 minutes. Release the pressure immediately, stir to combine, and serve.
Garnish with Vegan Parmesan Sprinkles (find the recipe at the end of the post) and fresh cracked black pepper.
makes 4-6 servings
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound or 8 mushrooms sliced
1 cup of baby carrots, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
1-454 gram (1 pound) package pasta
2 cups cooked or 1 can beans, drained and rinsed
1-796 ml (28 oz) can of diced tomatoes or tomato sauce
500 grams or 1-398 ml (14 oz) can cherry tomatoes
3-4 cups water
a couple of big handfuls of pre-washed spinach
To your health and happiness (even when you're too busy),
Beans and Rice
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
Lightly toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until slightly darkened and aromatic. Put the sesame seeds, nutritional yeast and salt in a spice grinder and grind for 10-20 seconds—not too long or you'll make a paste. Store in a glass jar with a lid in the refrigerator. Serve on everything.