Ingredients
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch black pepper
- 16 ounces penne pasta
- 1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, patted dry (one 4.4-ounce jar)
- 1 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ to 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Lightly grease the insert of a 6-quart Instant Pot.
- Add the chicken broth, basil, salt, oregano, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Add the pasta and sun-dried tomatoes. Gently stir and flatten out (don’t aggressively stir).
- Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes (to figure out the exact cooking time, take the al dente cooking time on the package, cut in half and subtract an additional 2 minutes).
- Let the pressure naturally release for 5 to 10 minutes and then quick release the remaining pressure.
- Stir the pasta to break it apart a bit and recombine the ingredients.
- Whisk together the half-and-half and cornstarch and stir into the hot pasta (see note). Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until melted and well-combined.
- Serve immediately. Pasta will continue to thicken as it rests.
- Garnish servings with additional chopped sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil, if desired.
Notes
Milk: This pasta is creamier using half-and-half or heavy cream, but you can experiment using milk (I recommend using 1%, 2% or whole milk).
Adding Chicken: While the pasta is cooking, season diced chicken with salt and pepper and saute in a bit of olive oil until golden and cooked through. Stir the chicken into the cooked pasta (or use cooked, chopped chicken, like rotisserie chicken meat).
Timing: It's important to stir the half-and-half mixture into the past while it is piping hot, so work quickly to make that happen. If the pasta has cooled a bit before adding the half-and-half mixture, use the Saute function on the Instant Pot to heat through and lightly thicken.