Instant Pot Greek Lemon Butter Fettuccine Pasta with a simple, fresh creamy lemon yogurt sauce; a Mediterranean dish easily made in your pressure cooker.
Select Sauté or Browning on Instant Pot and allow pot to fully heat.
Add oil, 2 ounces of butter and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
Add freshly squeeze lemon juice or the True Lemon mixed with 3/4 cup water into cooking pot.
Add salt, pepper, water and fettuccine to cooking pot. Hit cancel.
Lock on lid and close pressure valve. Cook at high pressure for 3 minutes. When beep sounds, wait 5 minutes and then slowly release the rest of the pressure.
Remove lid and add the rest of the butter (2 ounces butter), Greek yogurt and stir to make the creamy sauce. Fettuccine will continue to absorb the liquid and a creamy sauce will form.
Slowly stir in shredded Parmesan cheese and when combined, mix in chopped parsley.
Serve with a squeeze of lemon over top.
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Notes
Two teaspoons of Chicken Base can be added to the water for a chicken flavor. This will increase the richness of the dish.It is important to add salt to the pasta with the water before cooking, as this is the time when pasta can be seasoned.Breaking the linguine in half allows the linguine to be submerged under the water. This will help in even cooking.In my opinion, De Cecco Brand Pasta holds up so much better than other brands of pasta when pressure cooking.Eureka lemons are the best to use in this recipe, as they yield a lot of juice and the taste is nice and tart.Greek yogurt can be low fat or whole milk/full fat.You may need to use more yogurt or less, if that is your preference. Some people like a thicker pasta and others prefer a thinner sauce, so do as you please.Breaking up spaghetti will ensure that the spaghetti is submerged in the liquid and will cook evenly.If there is any sticking of the fettuccine noodles, simply use a fork or spaghetti server and break up the clumps. Push the noodles into the liquid. My short cook time allows for extra mixing of the noodles, as the fettuccine will continue to absorb the water and the fettuccine will be perfectly al dente.Any type of pasta or semolina noodle is fine to use in this recipe. If using a different shape of pasta or noodle, your cook time may be different.
This Old Gal's Pasta Rule of Thumb
Look at package of pasta and find the variable cook time. Choose the lesser time given and then subtract 2 minutes. For example, if your package of pasta says "cook for 8 - 11 minutes," take that 8 minute number and cut it in half, which is 4. Then subtract 2 minutes from the 4 minutes and you will end up with the proper cook time. In this case the cook time will be 2 minutes.
After the 2 minute pressure cook time is up, wait 5 minutes and then release the rest of the pressure.
If the variable cook time on your package of pasta is 11 - 16 minutes, err on the lesser side. In this instance, the cook time would be 3 minutes. It is better to end up with overly firm pasta rather than mushy because you can continue to cook the pasta, but if it is mushy, there is nothing you can do to correct.
If the pasta is too firm or al dente for your taste, simply put the lid back on the pot and let the pasta sit in the hot pot. The residual heat will continue to cook the pasta. Check after a few minutes to see if the pasta has reached the perfect firmness for your liking. If not give it a stir and let sit some more.
This recipe uses a bit of a natural release and the total time is figured into that, so only the cook time needs to be adjusted. This allows for a little natural pressure release time, so that the starchy water can settle and not spit out through the pressure valve when the pressure is released.
How to Add Chicken to Instant Pot Lemon Butter Fettuccine
For dark meat - add strips or chunks of chicken into the pot right after adding in the garlic and follow the same instructions.
For white meat - add chicken into pot after pot has been deglazed.
Reduce water (or chicken broth) by 1/2 cup (assuming you are using at least one pound of chicken).
What to Serve with Instant Pot Greek Lemon Butter Fettuccine.