13 Classic Italian Recipes Made Easy in the Instant Pot

Instant Pot® Lasagna

A layered lasagna with tomato sauce, ground beef, fresh spinach, and cheeses comes together quick and easy in the Instant Pot. "You might feel like making lasagna in a pressure cooker is crazy. Don't you need an oven for those crunchy edges? To make sure the meat is cooked through? How can anyone make lasagna without baking it? Well, trust us," says Shauna James Ahern. "This lasagna is well worth making. If you have a 6- or 7-inch springform pan and you kept the trivet that came with your Instant Pot, you can make a delicious layered lasagna pie in 30 minutes. And if you want to make it ahead, you can prep the lasagna, put it in the freezer, then put it right into the Instant Pot for an easy dinner."

Instant Pot® Shrimp Risotto with Peas

"If you love risotto but hate all of the stirring and time involved, you'll love making it in the Instant Pot," says lutzflcat. "You'll have creamy, tender risotto, and adding some shrimp turns this into one delicious main course. Top with an additional sprinkle of Parmesan, if desired."

Instant Pot® Tuna Puttanesca

Use your Instant Pot to turn frozen tuna steak and some basic pantry ingredients into tuna puttanesca. "Nana's Tuna Puttanesca Sauce with Spaghetti Pasta has long been a favorite dish of mine, and one I regularly turned to when I had canned tuna, but this time when the craving hit, I only had frozen tuna steak," says thedailygourmet. "Instant Pot to the rescue! I chose to cook my pasta separately from the sauce. Serve with crusty bread, if desired."

Instant Pot® Linguine with Pesto and Peas

Combine linguine with ricotta, pesto, and peas for a quick pasta dinner that's ready in 35 minutes. "This is a deliciously easy pasta dish made in the Instant Pot®!" says peloquinswife.

Instant Pot® Chicken Saltimbocca

Here's a twist on the classic saltimbocca recipe, made with chicken breasts in the Instant Pot. It also features fresh sage, prosciutto, and mozzarella cheese.

Instant Pot® Chicken Cacciatore

"This wonderful, traditionally slow-cooked recipe has been translated into a quick and easy pressure cooker meal," says Diana71. "Using the Instant Pot®, you get an intensely flavorful meal made in minutes that will have your family thinking you simmered this all day. Serve over spaghetti noodles, rice, cauliflower rice, or eat as a stew!" Kirby1kat rates it 5 stars: "Flavors meld together like they've been simmering all day in a fraction of the time. A couple of small changes: I season the chicken prior to sauteeing."

Instant Pot® Tomato and Beef Sauce

No need to simmer your meat sauce for hours on end when you have an Instant Pot! "Tomato and ground beef sauce with a hint of wine for your pasta," says Bren. "I've made this fairly basic but feel free to adjust the seasoning to your tastes."

Risotto con Zafferano e Pancetta in Pentola a Pressione (Saffron and Pancetta Risotto)

Fragrant saffron plays a starring role in this simple, yet tasty risotto finished with pancetta, Parmesan cheese, and butter. "I ve always been skeptical of cooking risotto in a pressure cooker," says Buckwheat Queen, who rated the recipe 5 stars. "We make risotto--the traditional way--at least three times a week. After seeing this in the Jan 2018 magazine I decided to give it a try. It really works."

Instant Pot® Polenta

Polenta in the Instant Pot? Believe it! "Polenta, a staple of Northern Italian cuisine, is traditionally made by adding cornmeal to boiling salted water and stirring with a wooden spoon until your biceps ache! You can achieve the same results by letting your Instant Pot do all of the work for you!" says Kim's Cooking Now. "We like to serve this topped with browned Italian sausage and pork ribs that have simmered in a sauce made with onions, garlic, basil and tomato sauce until the ribs are falling-off-the-bone tender! Serve with additional cheese, if desired. Delizioso!"

Instant Pot® Chicken Marsala

This chicken Marsala recipe uses the Instant Pot's saute function to create moist chicken breasts in a rich Marsala wine and mushroom sauce. "It was quick easy and quite tasty," says Gonzo. "This will be made many times in the future!"

Hearty Minestrone Soup (Instant Pot®)

This quick, hearty minestrone features beef stew meat, tons of veggies, and pasta. "Amazing soup!" raves lutzflcat. "I was able to substitute frozen soup veggies with no problems. This will be a family favorite!"

Instant Pot® Pasta Bolognese

Traditional Bolognese meat sauce is simmered long and slow for several hours. The Instant Pot cuts the cooking time down to 50 minutes. It's "pasta Bolognese that's easy to make and feeds a family," says Eric Gross.

Instant Pot® Pasta with Italian Sausage

Another super-simple pasta and sauce recipes! Here, Italian-style chicken sausage, bell peppers, tomato sauce, and penne pasta combine in the Instant Pot. "Easy to throw it all together and let it cook," says Tammy Doerr.

More Recipes & Inspiration:

• Great Comfort Food Dinners From Your Instant Pot
• Quick and Easy Italian Dinners Ready in 45 Minutes
• Top Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
• Takeout Favorites You Can Make in Your Instant Pot
• More Italian Recipes