Name: Spaghetti with Homemade Pesto Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Ingredients: 500 gms Whole Wheat Spaghetti ((1 pound approx.)); as required Water ((quantity mentioned in the process steps)); ¾ cup Pesto sauce ((homemade / store bought)); 2 teaspoons Salt ((or as per taste)); 1 cup Sweet Corn ((frozen / fresh)); 3 count Crushed Garlic pods / Garlic Powder ((1 teaspoon powder) (optional)); 1 tablespoon Crushed Black Pepper; 4 tablespoons Olive oil; 3 cups Cheese ((as per taste)); 2½ cups Milk; 1 tablespoon Dry Red Chilli flakes ((or as per taste))

Recipe Cooked, Photographed and Written by Praveena

PrepTime:10 mins CookTime:Given Below Cuisine:Italian

Recipe Card ⇓ Shop ⇓

I hope many of you might have tried my One-pot rice recipes in Instant Pot / Stove Top. If not please do try! I always felt, using Instant Pot Electric pressure cooker made my life, so easy, while making rice recipes.

But now, after preparing this, Spaghetti with homemade pesto sauce recipe in Instant Pot, I defy the above opinion to this new statement, Instant Pot is a boon not only to rice recipes but also in preparing such prolonged recipes, within 10 mins, even without using many utensils, when compared to Stove Top method.

Spaghetti (with any base sauce) is the easiest one-pot, filling meal that can be made in an Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker. It hardly takes 10 mins from start to finish. It comes under Quick Family Dinners for Weekdays.

This recipe is suitable for Vegetarian, Vegan, Plant Based diets but is not suitable for Nut free & Gluten free diets.

Family friendly, One pot, Quick dinner recipe using freshly homemade pesto sauce. Below are step wise pics & tips for both Stove top & Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Methods.

What is Spaghetti:

Spaghetti is a long, thin, string styled pasta which is the staple food of Italy. It is made either with whole wheat or from durum wheat semolina. Let me tell you that, it is pre-boiled in hot water, before being packed.

How to serve Spaghetti:

Spaghetti can be served as a main dish or even as a side dish. As you see in the below pic, I have served this Spaghetti in Pesto sauce as a main dish with Potato Fries. That made a completely filling meal.

Few other side dishes from my blog, suitable with this, Spaghetti with Pesto sauce:

Possible alterations for ‘Spaghetti with Homemade Pesto Sauce’:

Sweet corn can be replaced with Frozen Green Peas, Canned / Boiled Chickpeas, Beans.

While I have used, Kale & Walnut Pesto Sauce (Dairy Free), you might use any other Pesto Sauce too. Even store bought Pesto sauce works well.

I have tried the same recipe with my homemade Kale Pesto Sauce and Basil Pesto sauce. The output was tasty both ways.

If you prefer more cheesy, feel free to add more as per your taste.

But if the quanity of the pesto sauce seems less, just remember that it might give bitter taste if too much is added.

Try to replace half the quantity of milk with cream, to get that thick & more creamy texture.

Vegan Options: Plant Based Vegan cheese, Mozerella cheese & Cheddar Cheese are the 3 varieties that I tried in 3 different instances for the same recipe. Tasted absolutely great with either of them.

This recipe is also tried by me with Coconut Milk, it was absolutely flawless.

Before starting to cook, don’t forget to see the Tips mentioned at the end.

My Main Course Collection⇒ Main Course

Starter / Appetiser recipes collection here⇒ Starters / Snacks

Collection of Recipes using ‘Leafy Greens’⇒ Recipes with GREENS

Follow me on⇒ Facebook / Pinterest / YouTube / Instagram

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Spaghetti – 500 gms / 1 pound approx.
Kale Pesto sauce – ¾ cup
Salt – 2 teaspoon / as per taste
Sweet Corn – 1 cup
Chopped Garlic pods (or garlic powder) – 3 pods (1 teaspoon) (optional)
Crushed Black Pepper – 1 tablespoon
Olive oil – 4 tablespoons
Cheese – 3 cups or as per taste
Milk – 2½ cups
Water – as required for boiling Spaghetti (3 cups)
Red Chilli flakes – 1 tablespoon

Special Ingredients:

Olive oil
Sweet corn

Step wise pics Procedure for ‘Spaghetti with Homemade Pesto Sauce’:

PREP WORK:

The only prep work needed for this recipe, is to get the pesto sauce ready well before you start to make the spaghetti.

Kale Pesto Sauce recipe link⇒ Kale & Walnut Pesto Sauce (Dairy Free)

Basil Pesto Sauce recipe link⇒ Basil Pesto Peas Spaghetti

***Homemade Kale Pesto Sauce (Dairy free)***

STOVE TOP METHOD (15 to 20 mins):

*In a wide bottomed pan, pour 6 cups of water (to boil the spaghetti) , put it on stove top under high flame.* *Once the water starts bubbling add a teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of oil.* *Put the* *spaghetti* *into the pan (no lid). Might take 8-10 mins. Later, switch off, transfer the whole pan’s content into a colander. But save the water.*

**Return the pan back to the stove. Add the milk, cheese, sweet corn, While the cheese melts and the pesto. Give everything a quick mix and leave it for 2-3 mins.**

**Now, add all these>>> salt, **remaining 2 tablespoons of oil**, crushed black pepper, dry red chilli flakes, all of the spaghetti using the tongs into the pan**. **Gently turn and roll the spaghetti with the creamy mixture such that every single string has caught up the creamy texture.**

INSTANT POT METHOD (8 to 10 mins):

Into the IP vessel, add 1 tablespoon of oil, spread it throughout the bottom. Now, gently place the spaghetti (each stick halved or quartered). Pour water (3 cups) . Close the lid, close the valve, set the mode to PRESSURE COOK, pressure level to high pressure, for 4 mins. When the time reaches 0, releade the pressure manually by opening the valve.

***Open the IP lid, fluff up the cooked spaghetti using tongs. Add all these to the vessel>>>> milk, cheese, pesto sauce, dry red chilli flakes, salt, crushed black pepper, remaining oil, sweet corn.***

Tips:

The prepration time given above is related to preparing the fresh pesto sauce. If you are using store bought sauce, that prepration time doesn’t add up.
You can even use any variety of Spaghetti for the same recipe.
Any cheese of your choice is suitable here.
Be very careful while boiling the spaghetti in water, so that it mustn’t turn sticky which spoils the entire texture of the dish.
Don’t throw the water you get after draining the boiled spaghetti. You might use it for making the roti, paratha dough. I use it that way.
You might even use the above boiled water, to loosen the spaghetti but at the same time can reduce the quanity of milk.
To check for the spaghetti is cooked or not, just take a piece of it and press it in between your finger tips.
For the stove top method: After boiling the spaghetti try to use as soon as possible, if not they might stick to each other.
In case you do not have tongs, you can use two wooden ladles, one in each hand.
If you have left overs eat at room temperature, but try not to reheat. Because the spaghetti becomes hard.
Stove Top Pressure Cooker Method: Follow the same steps as of Instant Pot Method. But let it whistle only once. Remove the lid after the pressure is released.

Result:

Spaghetti with Homemade Pesto Sauce, turned out very inviting to look at and was totally flavoursome bursting with the aroma from the freshly made Pesto.
The cheese, milk made the entire dish creamy. Anyhow the perfectly cooked spaghetti is soft in texture.
My kids had an extra serving of cheese on top of the spaghetti just after serving. They absolutely relished it!

Ingredients on ‘AMAZON’ to ‘SHOP’:

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.