Creamy Tomato Pasta is a delicious main dish recipe ideal for all the pasta lovers that can be prepared under 20 minutes!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Total time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 8 oz dry penne pasta ((about 2-2.5 cups))
  • 12 oz marinara sauce ((pizza sauce or tomato sauce (about 1.5 cups)))
  • 2 cups water ((or vegetable broth))
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 3-4 large garlic cloves ((minced or garlic powder))
  • 1-2 teaspoons dried basil ((or Italian seasoning))
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
  • salt (to taste)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese ((or parmesan or cheese of your choice))
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil (or parsley) (optional)

Method

Instant Pot Method:

  1. Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add olive oil and once it’s hot, add minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds or aromatic.
  2. Then add dry pasta, green peas, water or broth, red chili flakes, herbs, and salt to the instant pot. Spread tomato sauce on the top.
  3. Gently push all pasta under the liquid. Please do not mix it. Most of the pasta should be covered in sauce and water. If it is not, add some more water. * Burnt Alert? If your instant pot has shown BURN in the past, add ½ cup of extra water. In newer versions of Instant Pot, many people have faced burn issues. So that's why we are just spreading sauce on top of the pasta.
  4. Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes. Note: Generally The time to cook pasta in an instant pot is usually half of the suggested time on the pasta box and minus one for al dente pasta.
  5. Using penne pasta in this recipe has 10 minutes for cooking on the stovetop. So to cook on Instant Pot - Divide the cooking time by half and minus one for al dente pasta. So it's 4 minutes. For softer pasta, do 5 minutes.
  6. When the instant pot beeps, Wait 2-3 minutes and Quick Release the remaining pressure manually.
  7. Stir in the heavy cream and cheese, mix everything well. Add more cream and cheese if you want a more creamy texture.
  8. Creamy Tomato Penne Pasta is ready to be served.

Stovetop Pot Method

  1. 1. Cook 8 oz of penne pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve some pasta water and keep it aside. 2. In a pot, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil (or butter) on medium flame. Add 3 garlic cloves (minced) and saute for a few seconds until fragrant. 3. You can also add some onions and saute it till soft. I did not use it in this recipe. If you are using any vegetable like green peas, sweet corn, broccoli, or mushroom, saute at this stage until tender. 4. Stir in 1.5 cups of marinara sauce (or tomato sauce), 1/4 cup of heavy cream, 2 teaspoons of dried basil, red chili flakes, salt until smooth. You can also add the reserved pasta water if needed to adjust the consistency. 5. Add the cooked pasta, toss everything well, and cook for a minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning at this stage if necessary. 6. Lastly sprinkle cheese on top. Mix well.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.