Made in Instant Pot, this Spicy Chipotle Pasta has such a variety of flavors and textures. Crunchy vegetables, pasta, and the creamy sweet and spicy sauce will have you filling your plate with more because it is such a wonderful combination.
And when you top this dish with crispy tortilla chips…. yummy! There is nothing in this dish which I don’t like.
It is one of those recipes that you can whip up in no time if you have all the ingredients on hand. This simple pasta recipe is the vegetarian version of Cheesecake Factories chicken chipotle pasta!
Jump to:
I love making pasta in the instant pot. It’s super easy to make in one-pot and the result is always delicious.
Last year, I have shared several Instant Pot pasta recipes on the blog and this Spicy Vegetarian Chipotle Pasta was on my list for quite some time!
I love chipotle flavors be it in pizza in nacho sauce or pasta.
And you guys….This Chipotle Cream Sauce Pasta… I don’t have words to describe the flavor! In short, I can eat this pasta every day of the week, any time of the day!
The ‘heart’ of this dish is in Creamy Chipotle Sauce and I’m telling you that it will not disappoint you! This Sauce, what can I say…. I can drink with a straw. It has a ton of flavor and is utterly delicious.
Why I love This Spicy Vegetarian Chipotle Pasta?
- Perfect one-pot meal for a busy weeknight, weekend, party, gatherings, or game night
- No need to boil the pasta separately as this dish is made in one pot (instant pot)
- Has tones and tones of flavors
- It is creamy, spicy, tangy, and a little bit sweet
- has veggies like mushrooms, bell pepper, asparagus, and green peas!
- makes a hearty and delicious meal which gets done in less than 30 minutes.
All in all, this dish is AMAZING and costs you just a fraction of what you will pay for a dinner of four!
Ingredients required for this recipe
(Note- quantities are given down below in recipe card)
- Pasta – I have used penne pasta. If you do not have penne pasta any ridged pasta will do. Rigatoni, rotini, and shells all have ridges that will cup and cradle the chipotle sauce.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – This gives smokiness and spiciness to this pasta dish. These peppers are spicy. For this pasta recipe, I like to use both the adobo sauce in which the peppers are submerged and the peppers themselves too.
- Heavy cream – This makes the sauce creamy and gives it a rich taste.
- Maple syrup – It is used to balance the flavors of the spiciness.
- Vegetables – I love adding veggies to my pasta whenever possible. Here I have used red peppers, green peas, mushrooms, and asparagus. For asparagus, try to use a thin variety. As they steam quickly. You may use broccoli, corn, or zucchini too. You can even add firm tofu here to make it healthier and protein-rich. Just pan fry it before adding it to the pasta.
- Parmesan cheese – Gives nutty flavors.
- Onion and garlic for the flavors
- Salt and pepper
- Oil – I have used extra virgin olive oil. You can use light olive oil or butter.
How to make this recipe? Step by step process
Step 1 – Make Chipotle sauce
Take chipotle pepper, chipotle sauce, maple syrup, salt, pepper, and garlic in a blender. Blend until smooth. Keep it aside.
Step – 2 Cooking
Turn on the sauté button of the instant pot. Add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion. Saute for 30 seconds.
Now add green peas, bell pepper, and mushroom. Again saute for 30 seconds.
Add Chipotle sauce (made earlier). Stir well. Scrap the bottom of the pot and Make sure nothing is stuck.
Now add pasta and water. Press the pasta lightly with a spatula so that it’s slightly underwater.
Cover the instant pot with its locking lid, vent valve on sealing position.
Press the manual/pressure button and set the timer for 5 minutes under high pressure.
Once cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quickly release the remaining pressure.
Open the pot and press the saute button. Add in the asparagus, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. Give it a quick stir and cover the pot with a glass lid. Let the pasta simmer for 2 minutes on sauté normal mode.
Take the pasta in a serving bowl. Top it with cilantro (parsley or chives works too), some more grated parmesan cheese, and tortilla chips(strips). Enjoy!!
Note, pro-tips and quick FAQs
- The pasta sauce might look like a lot once the pasta is pressure-cooked but it all dries up as the pasta cools down.
- If you don’t prefer to eat spicy food, adjust the chipotle pepper sauce to taste and skip the chipotle chili.
- You can make the sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Yes, You can make it vegan by replacing the cream with coconut milk and parmesan cheese with 2 tablespoon of nutritional cheese
Yes, you can use whole wheat or whole grain pasta. Increase the cooking time – 6 minutes on high pressure, let the pressure release naturally.
Yes, absolutely!
I have never tried freezing this recipe. But yes, you can make the sauce in bulk and freeze it in an air-tight container for up to 2 months.
This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
More one-pot meal recipes
Have you tried this Recipe? Please feed us with your feedback, ★ star ratings, and comments below.
You can also FOLLOW me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST for more fabulous recipes and updates.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for tasty and easy video recipes.
Instant Pot Spicy Chipotle Pasta
Ingredients
For the Chipotle Paste
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (add less if you don’t like spicy food)
- 1 chipotle pepper from the can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
Other ingredients
- 8 oz penne pasta (225 grams)
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 1 cup bell pepper I have used a combination of red, green, and yellow
- 4 oz white mushrooms sliced around 7 mushrooms
- ½ cup green peas (i have used frozen)
- 3 oz asparagus trimmed and cut into 3 inches pieces (around 1 cup) (use thin asparagus)
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- cilantro parmesan cheese, and tortilla chips for garnishing
Instructions
Step 1 – Make Chipotle Paste
- Take chipotle pepper, chipotle sauce, maple syrup, salt, pepper, and garlic in a blender. Blend until smooth. Keep it aside.
Step – 2 Cooking (instant pot)
- Turn on the sauté button of the instant pot. Add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion. Saute for 30 seconds.
- Now add green peas, bell pepper, and mushroom. Again saute for 30 seconds.
- Add Chipotle sauce (made earlier). Stir well. Scrap the bottom of the pot and Make sure nothing is stuck.
- Now add pasta and water. Press the pasta lightly with a spatula so that it’s slightly underwater.
- Cover the instant pot with its locking lid, vent valve on sealing position.
- Press the manual/pressure button and set the timer for 5 minutes under high pressure.
- Once cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quickly release the remaining pressure.
- Open the pot and press the saute button. Add in the asparagus, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. Give it a quick stir and cover the pot with a glass lid. Let the pasta simmer for 2 minutes on sauté normal mode.
- Take the pasta in a serving bowl. Top it with cilantro (parsley or chives works too), some more grated parmesan cheese, and tortilla chips(strips). Enjoy!!
Stove top cooking
- Boil pasta according to instructions on the package and set aside. Reserve some water that was used for boiling the pasta.
- Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion. Saute for 2 minutes or until softened.
- Add in the mushrooms, peas, bell peppers, and asparagus and stir. Cover the pan with a lid and let the veggies cook for 3 minutes or until tender.
- Once veggies are done, add the Chipotle Paste (which we prepared in step one above), cream, and maple syrup. Mix everything. Add ½ cup preserved pasta boiling water and parmesan cheese. Mix well.
- Stir in the boiled pasta and mix. Adjust the consistency by adding some more of the reserved pasta water. Give a taste test and adjust seasonings to taste.
- Top it up with cilantro, parmesan cheese, tortilla chips and serve.
Video
Notes
- The pasta sauce might look like a lot once the pasta is pressure-cooked but it all dries up as the pasta cools down.
- If you don’t prefer to eat spicy food, adjust the chipotle pepper sauce to taste and skip the chipotle chili.
- You can make the sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Nutrition
Warm Regards,
Dhwani.
Leave a Reply