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Instant Pot Tortellini

This delicious Instant Pot Tortellini is an easy weeknight dinner recipe that the whole family will love.
a white bowl of tortellini topped with chopped basil
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This delicious Instant Pot Tortellini is an easy weeknight dinner that the whole family will love. Packed with flavor and ready in a flash, you’ll find yourself making this pressure cooker pasta every week!

A bowl of tortellini topped with basil on a white board

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This Instant Pot Tortellini is the kind of one-pot dinner that will make you wonder where it has been all your life! If you’re trying to streamline your meal planning and/or get kids involved in cooking, this Instant Pot pasta is the perfect dish.

The best-kept secret of this dish is that it is BETTER the next day. So write this at the top of your meal prep list and get ready to crush dinner.

If you are new to pressure cooking and the Instant Pot, check out this post on recipes for Instant Pot beginners.

What’s in this Instant Pot Pasta?

We have tested this recipe with both fresh/refrigerated and frozen pasta. While we prefer fresh, frozen is infinitely more affordable (at least half the price!), and still works great. Frozen tortellini is easy to keep on hand and is a low-cost freezer essential. Just a head’s up that the final texture will be a bit softer. Have extras? Try this Instant Pot Tortellini Soup or Tortellini Pasta Salad another night.

I do not recommend that you adjust the water that is called for in the recipe. Any less and you risk a “burn notice” with your pressure cooker. If the sauce you use is on the watery-side, you can thicken the dish after it cooks with a bit of tomato paste. 

3 process photos showing how to make tortellini in the Instant Pot

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

  • Do not defrost frozen tortellini prior to adding it to the Instant Pot.
  • If you’d like to add meat to your sauce, it needs to be cooked ahead of time (we use this Whole30 Breakfast Sausage recipe). You can cook in the Instant pot on saute until cooked through. Just make sure to deglaze (aka scrape) any stuck-on food from the insert prior to cooking. The cooking time for the rest of the dish remains the same.
  • Stir in 1/3 cup of warmed heavy cream to the cooked tortellini just prior to serving for a “pink sauce”. Warming the cream will prevent it from curdling when it hits the hot pasta sauce.
  • This dish will thicken overnight in the fridge.

a white bowl of pasta with a copper spoon on a white board

More One-Pot Dishes You’ll Love

a white bowl of tortellini topped with chopped basil
Print Recipe
5 from 2 ratings

Instant Pot Tortellini

Prep Time0 minutes
Cook Time2 minutes
Pressurizing/depressurizing time17 minutes
Total Time19 minutes
This delicious Instant Pot Tortellini is an easy weeknight dinner recipe that the whole family will love.

Ingredients

  • 15 oz tortellini {4 cups}
  • 2 cups water {or broth}
  • 24 oz prepared marinara {3 cups}

Instructions

  • Combine water and tortellini in the Instant Pot insert. Stir.
    2 cups water, 15 oz tortellini
  • Add marinara sauce, and stir to combine.
    24 oz prepared marinara
  • Lock the lid into place and set the steam release handle (valve on top) to “Sealing”. Press Manual>High Pressure>2 minutes. 
  • When the Instant Pot has finished cooking, it will beep and switch to ”keep warm". Allow it to sit with the lid on for 1 minute and then do a manual release with the nozzle set to venting.
  • Stir and serve.

Notes

Do not defrost frozen tortellini prior to cooking it.
If you'd like to add meat to your sauce, it needs to be cooked ahead of time
Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Tortellini
Amount Per Serving (0.5 cups)
Calories 186 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 20mg7%
Sodium 412mg18%
Potassium 282mg8%
Carbohydrates 28g9%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 9g18%
Vitamin A 368IU7%
Vitamin C 6mg7%
Calcium 88mg9%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

What To Serve With Instant Pot Pasta

This is a carb-forward dish, so I like to pair it with something that is veggie-centered! A side of Kale Chopped Salad, Frozen Roasted Broccoli, Air Fryer Roasted Beets, Roasted Frozen Vegetables, Air Fryer Green Bean Fries, or Cucumber and Onion Salad.

 

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4 comments on “Instant Pot Tortellini”

  1. Made this it was really good unfortunately got a burn notice in my 8QT instant pot. How would I adjust it so I don’t get burn notice. Luckily my tortellini on top still cooked. I also added sliced zucchini inside other then burn notice came out really good. Any idea how to adjust recipe for 8QT?5 stars

    • Larrye, I use an 8 quart so the sizing shouldn’t be a problem.

      Possible burn notice issues: some models are persnickety with tomato products touching the bottom of the insert. You could add the marinara and NOT stir it into the water/noodles. Cook with it just poured on top.

  2. I absolutely love this easy recipe! I just moved and I don’t have time to do elaborate dinners so do just throw everything in a pot is great. 

    Do you have this recipe but with an Alfredo sauce? 5 stars

    • Congrats on the move and I’m so glad I can be part of your new space!

      I don’t have a version of this with alfredo sauce. Tell me more (so I can think if it needs a separate post…), like a soup or more just like one pot tortellini in alfredo?