Today’s recipe is fro an instant pot ham and cheese pasta. Basically it’s a mac and cheese with ham in it. So, it can also double as a great instant pot mac and cheese recipe if you want to leave the ham out.
The creamy cheesy part of this dish comes from 4 items. Of course there is cheese, cheddar cheese that is. Then here is cream cheese, sour cream and milk. The sauce also has salt, pepper, garlic powder, and ground mustard for flavor.
In this recipe, I use rotini pasta. However, you can use just about any shaped pasta that is similar in size. Elbow macaroni would work just fine if you want that traditional mac and cheese look.
One of the things I love about cooking pasta in the instant pot is you can cook it in broth for added flavor. This recipe uses half broth and half water. When you boil pasta on the stove top, there is no way you would boil the pasta in broth. It would take too much to do that.
Instant Pot Ham and Cheese Pasta
- Total Time: 10 minutes plus time to come to pressure
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 (16 oz) pkg rotini pasta
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp ground mustard
- 1 lb diced ham
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp hot sauce, optional
Instructions
-
Add the rotini, chicken broth, water, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and ground mustard to the pot. Make sure the pasta is all in the liquid.
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Place the lid on the pot and make sure the valve is set to seal.
-
Cook on manual for 5 minutes. Once done do a quick pressure release.
-
Remove the lid and stir in the diced ham, cream cheese, and sour cream.
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Next, stir in the milk and hot sauce if using. Then add the cheese in thirds, stirring in between each addition until smooth. Serves 4-6.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes plus time to come to pressure
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Recipe adapted from The Salty Marshmallow.