Pesto Pasta with Shrimp ~Instant Pot

Sometimes the best meals aren’t the ones we planned, but the ones we create out of necessity. This Pesto Pasta with Shrimp in my Instant Pot was just that. Failure can sometimes be inevitable with experimentation…but it never fails to surprise me when it’s food related. Thank goodness I seared the Shrimp separately and reserved some of the delectable Pesto, I was able to adjust my plan and save dinner!
by: Kathryne

MMMM…Shrimp Pesto Pasta, a go to favorite for my family! No one even notices the spinach or whole wheat pasta. I usually prepare this recipe by cooking the pasta to just slightly less than al dente and finishing it with the shrimp that were perfectly browned in butter. However, I’m trying out my time saving instant pot, so I threw caution to the wind and adapted this recipe for Spaghetti Carbonara to a Pesto Pasta with Shrimp in my Instant Pot.

ingredients

1 pound peeled & deveined Shrimp
1/2 cup minced shallot
2 cups Chicken Broth
1 cup Spinach Walnut Pesto–this is my go to recipe
8 oz uncooked whole wheat spaghetti half of a 1 pound package (spaghetti broken in half)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese grated
2 cups raw baby spinach
2 tablespoons salted Butter
1/8 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper

Instructions

On your Instant Pot®, select the Saute setting. Add Butter and cook the Shrimp until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove the Shrimp. Add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Press Cancel.
Add the broth, pesto, and spaghetti to the pot. Lock the lid and close the pressure release valve. Select the Pressure Cook or Manual setting according to which model of Instant Pot® you’re using. (If using Manual setting, select High pressure.) Set the timer to 10 minutes (timer will begin counting down once the pot reaches pressure, takes about 10 minutes). When done, press Cancel and use the quick release method to release the pressure and let stand for 5 minutes.
Add the spinach and stir well. Top with the Shrimp and additional Parmesan cheese and season with cracked black pepper, if desired.

The idea was to sub out the ingredients from my chosen recipe and use the timings provided to ensure proper cooking…well, as it was stated above the noodles were a complete failure. The flavors were on point but the texture of the noodles was terrible, they were a mushy mess. NO ONE would take more than one bite. Fortunately I had sautéed the shrimp and removed them prior to cooking the pasta and reserved half the pesto, because it became a pesto shrimp salad for dinner instead.

The next time I try pasta in the Instant Pot I will set the timer for 5 minutes and then allow the pressure to release for 5 minutes. If you try out this recipe with my alterations, let me know how it turns out!

UPDATE!

I tried this recipe again. The perfect time for pasta was 3 minutes on manual then a quick release. Cuts down on cooking time 🙂

This will not be the end of my Instant Pot trials but for all future pasta recipes, cooking times will need to be cut to a fraction of the suggested time, I can always add a another cook time, but this time there was no saving that poor pasta!