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Instant Pot Cacio e Pepe Tortellini

by Kristen

This Instant Pot Cacio e pepe tortellini uses just a few simple ingredients and cooks in only two minutes! It might be the easiest weeknight meal ever!

This classic pasta recipe is perfect for your Instant Pot!  Traditionally, the sauce for cacio e pepe is made using pasta water you reserved from cooking the pasta, so you can add the parmesan cheese to this dish when it’s done cooking to make the sauce.  As it cooks, the starch released from the tortellini helps create a creamy, cohesive sauce perfect for cacio e pepe.

What is Cacio e Pepe?

Cacio e pepper is a classic Italian pasta dish from Rome, known for its simplicity and rich, peppery flavor. “cacio e pepe” literally translates to “cheese and pepper” in Italian. This recipe is usually made on the stove in a saucepan, but I will show you how to make this delightfully easy dinner in your Instant Pot using tortellini instead of noodles.

Ingredients Needed

1 lb  or (16 oz) cheese tortellini – both fresh and dried tortellini will work for this recipe

2 cups water

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt to taste

Optional: Extra grated cheese, olive oil, and more pepper for garnish.  You can also use pecorino romano cheese for this recipe.  You can also sprinkle lemon zest or garlic for extra flavor. This pasta dish is delicious with veggies!  This meal makes spinach, green beans, peas,  cauliflower, and broccoli taste delicious! You can add a protein to this meal as well.

* Recipe Note—This recipe can also make cacio e pepe ravioli. Just substitute the tortellini with cheese ravioli.

Instructions

1. Set the Instant Pot to “Sauté” mode. Add the butter to the bottom of the pan and let it melt.

2. Add the freshly ground black pepper and sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant.

3. Add the tortellini to the pot, stirring to coat it with the butter and pepper mixture.

4. Pour in the chicken broth or water. Ensure the tortellini is mostly submerged in the liquid.

5. Cancel the sauté mode. Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to sealing.

6. Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes.

7. Once the cooking time is up, perform a quick release by carefully turning the valve to venting.

8. After the pressure has been released, open the lid.

9. Stir in the grated Pecorino Romano cheese. The residual heat will melt the cheese, creating a creamy sauce that coats the tortellini.

10. Serve immediately, garnished with additional grated cheese and a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.

You will love the texture of this tortellini, which has an almost cream-like sauce made with parmesan cheese and pasta water. You will also love the flavor of the pepper!

If you like this recipe, you should also try

Instant Pot Tortellini with Ham and Peas 

Instant Pot Pasta e Fagioli Soup 

Instant Pot Pasta Puttanesca 

Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.

Did you make this easy Cacio e pepper tortellini? I would love to hear how it turned out for you!  Please comment below this blog post or tag me on social media and let me know how it worked out for you!  You can find me on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

 

 

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