The version I've included here is by far my favorite, but you should feel free to skip the pancetta if you'd like to keep it vegetarian, or swap out the cheddar for another medium-soft grater-friendly cheese like Gruyère. I added a stovetop-crisped panko topping that came together in minutes, while the pasta was cooking. I omitted broth and tried it with water in broth's stead. I experimented with different types of cheese. From there, potential embellishments poured forth like the liquid from my dishwasher the one time I forgot to fully shut its door.

To my delight, not only were my noodles far from mushy after a five-minute jaunt in the pressurized pot-they were infused with a subtle, irresistible cheesiness from the cooking liquid that I'd never before encountered in cooked pasta. Then, I stirred in big handfuls of grated cheddar, and got to sampling.

So I did, for the first time around: I added milk, cream, broth, Pecorino, salt, pepper, and the uncooked pasta, and let it rip. I wanted to dump everything into the pot, press start, open the lid, and commence my nursery food–enjoyment. So, a few weeks back, when a mac and cheese craving struck, I decided to give it a shot.īut if this was going to be truly convenient, that meant I didn't want to deal with the whole rigmarole of draining noodles, or making a roux. And there's nothing more comforting or heartening than a big bowl of noodles. Pressure cookers are, after all, just a (very clever, high-tech) way to make warm, soft victuals-the type of meals Laurie Colwin called 'nursery food' in Family Happiness-in a fraction of the time. It's no surprise that so many people have conceived of such dishes. With this in mind, I took note as Instant Pot pasta recipe after Instant Pot pasta recipe cropped up on blogs and within cookbooks alike.

It's the kind of craving that grips you by the shoulders and shakes you until it's been addressed. And when I come down with a craving for cheesy pasta, it's not one to be shaken off lightly. Wouldn't a pressure cooker completely obliterate the noodles beyond the point of chewiness, to complete mush?īut, I'm also a sucker for convenience. Accordingly, I was as skeptical as the next person about making pasta in an Instant Pot.

How to make mac n cheese in instant pot