Pressure Cooker Butternut Squash Pasta with Spinach and Bacon is savory, but slightly sweet with complex levels of flavor sure to please.
Pressure Cooker Butternut Squash Pasta
Jessica, from the Instant Pot Facebook group, created this recipe for the Pressure Cooker and since I love butternut squash, I just had to try it for myself. Jessica said that is was so “soooooooooo good” and she was right.
I made a couple of tiny tweaks and I hope you will enjoy this pasta dish. It really is sooooooo good; I was floored. It was way better than I had even imagined! Quality of ingredients matters much of the time, but not always. For pasta, I only use DeCecco Brand. Not only is the taste great, but it holds up much better in a Pressure Cooker . For this recipe I used DeCecco Penne.
If you don’t have any left over bacon, use the Sauté or Browning button on your Pressure Cooker and allow to heat.
Pressure Cooker Butternut Squash Pasta
Add bacon to the Pressure Cooker cooking pot and sauté until bacon is crisp. Remove and drain bacon from cooking pot and reserve grease.
Add some olive oil and onions and sauté until onions are translucent. Then add garlic and sauté.
Add squash, bacon, bacon grease, DeCecco Penne, Pressure Cooker Homemade Chicken Broth, butter, salt and pepper and you are ready to cook!
Pressure Cooker Butternut Squash Pasta
Mix in the fresh spinach to the cooking pot. Don’t forget to grate some fresh Parmesan or Asiago cheese on top!
For another delicious pasta meal, try my Pressure Cooker Beef and Macaroni. For another butternut squash dish, check out my Pressure Cooker Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Gremolata.
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Instant Pot Smart DUO60
- J.A. Henckels Classic 7-inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- Culina Stackable (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
- Cilio Olivewood Spatula
- Rachael Ray Stoneware EVOO Oil Dispensing Bottle
- Alpha Armour Salt Box with Spoon
- John Boos Maple Cutting Board with Groove
- Microplane Artisan Ribbon Grater
- DeCecco Penne
- Pressure Cooker Homemade Chicken Broth
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Here is the handy printable recipe:
- 6 slices Bacon, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 small Onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of Garlic, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Butter (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon Bacon grease (optional)
- ½ Medium Butternut Squash, chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1 pound Penne Pasta
- 3.5 cups Homemade Bone Broth (or 3.5 cups of water with 1 Tablespoon Better Than Bouillon, Chicken)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 cups Fresh Spinach, rough chopped
- Parmesan or Asiago cheese, freshly grated
- Use the Sauté or Browning button on your Pressure Cooker and allow to heat.
- Add bacon to the cooking pot and sauté until bacon is crisp. Remove and drain bacon from cooking pot and reserve grease.
- Add olive oil and onions to cooking pot and sauté until onions are are translucent.
- Add garlic and sauté one more minute.
- Add squash, bacon, bacon grease, pasta, broth, butter, salt and pepper.
- Lock lid and close Pressure Value.
- Cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes.
- When Beep sounds, do a quick release and wait for the pressure to release.
- Mix in the fresh spinach to the cooking pot.
- Serve and garnish with Parmesan or Asiago cheese.
Butter and bacon grease are optional, but taste wonderful in this dish.
Pressure Cooker Butternut Squash Pasta
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Wondering what size of box of Penne pasta to use with the Butternut Squash Pasta. Thanks
Hi Linda~
I use a one pound box of pasta. Thanks for your question and let me know how you like the results.
Jill
How does this freeze. It looks delicious,
Hi Suzanne~
This is one of my favorite recipes. It is surprisingly really delicious. I don’t know how it would freeze, as I have not tried to freeze this particular recipe.
Jill
I really thought I would like this, but I found the bacon to be too odd with the pasta and squash. The pasta and squash were perfectly cooked though! Thanks for the recipes though- I am trying out my new pressure cooker and am always amazed at how fast it cooks!
Hey Amy~
Sorry you did not like this dish. I love all those flavors combined.
Jill
Would you email me the butternut squash pasta recipe? When I hit the print button, it just comes up blank. I would appreciate it so much.
Thanks
Terry
Hi Terry~
The print button is working.
Jill
Mine is coming out blank from my phone. I think it’s an incompatibility with my printer app. I just had the same problem with a different web site this morning. That one worked fine when I printed from my oven so I bet this one will too.
Is the butternut squash cooked first in the Instant pot? The recipe does not mention cooked or raw.
Kim, raw.
Jill
I have some extra cooked squash. Will that still work?
Hi Jill~
The squash won’t stay in tact, but would still be good. Jill
just made this! amazing! it looked so good in picture but i was worried about pasta. I made it with aldi’s quinoa and rice penne. and it is so good. not too done even though it looked like it might be.
thanks for sharing.
I need to use gluten free pasta so I was thinking about cooking the pasta separately and adding it at the end. Should I use less broth? Thanks!
Taryn, just cook for less time with the other pasta.
Jill