Instant Pot Tortellini Carbonara
Sometimes, you just need a big bowl of carb-y, creamy, cheese filled pasta. Tortellini tossed with bacon, bacon grease, and whisked into an indulgently, creamy egg and parmesan sauce, this Instant Pot Tortellini Carbonara is sure to hit the spot.
Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Tortellini Carbonara Recipe
- Creamy and Comforting: The carbonara sauce gives a rich, indulgent touch to the tortellini.
- Effortless Cooking: The Instant Pot does most of the work, making it easy.
- Restaurant-Quality at Home: Enjoy a gourmet Italian dish without leaving your kitchen.
Tortellini Carbonara Ingredients
Although you won’t need a lot of ingredients for this recipe, the end result is perfection! Get out your shopping list and jot these ingredients down:
- Tortellini: Filled pasta that adds a hearty, satisfying bite and absorbs the flavors of the carbonara sauce beautifully.
- Bacon: Provides a savory, smoky crunch that contrasts with the creamy sauce and soft tortellini.
- Eggs: Create the traditional carbonara sauce when mixed with the Parmesan, providing a rich, silky texture.
- Parmesan Cheese: Adds a salty, nutty flavor that elevates the sauce and complements the other ingredients.
- Minced Garlic: Infuses the dish with a robust, aromatic flavor that balances the richness of the other components.
- Salt and Pepper: Simple seasonings that enhance the natural flavors of the dish and provide a touch of heat.
- Garnishes: Add color, texture, and an extra layer of flavor, making the dish visually appealing and even tastier.
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of exact ingredients!
How to Make Instant Pot Tortellini Carbonara?
This Instant Pot tortellini carbonara is one of the easiest meals you can make in your Instant Pot. It’s creamy, flavorful and satisfying. Follow the steps below!
Step 1: Cook the Tortellini
Add your tortellini to the Instant Pot with enough water to cover the pasta. Put the lid on the Instant Pot, put the pressure valve into the sealing position, push manual or pressure cook, and set the time for 5-minutes.
Step 2: Quick Release
Once your Instant Pot beeps, you want to release the pressure quickly. To do this, push the pressure valve to the venting position to release the steam. Remove the tortellini from the pot and set it to the side. Then, remove 1 cup of water and put it in a separate bowl.
Step 3: Cook the Bacon and Garlic
Next, push your sauté or sear button on your Instant Pot. Once it is hot, add the bacon and cook until crispy. Then, add the garlic and cook for 1-minute.
Step 4: Turn off the Instant Pot
Hit cancel to turn off the Instant Pot. Then, remove the bacon and garlic from the inner pot, leaving the bacon grease. Set the bacon and garlic to the side.
Step 5: Add Pasta to Grease
Add the pasta back to the Instant Pot, and stir to mix it with the bacon grease. Then, mix in the bacon and garlic.
Step 6: Make the Sauce
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until you see soft peaks. Then, whisk in the parmesan, and a splash of the pasta water to thin the sauce.
Step 7: Add the Sauce
Once your sauce is done, slowly pour it into the pasta. Stir gently to keep the egg mixture intact.
Step 8: Garnish and Enjoy
Top the tortellini carbonara with fresh parsley or basil. Serve and Enjoy!
Tortellini Carbonara Side Dish Recommendations
Instant Pot tortellini carbonara is a classic Italian dish that is perfect all on it’s own. You can beef it up with some frozen peas to add in your veggies, or you can serve it with a side of salad or Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread, or some shrimp.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Tortellini Carbonara?
Carbonara is an Italian pasta dish that comes from Rome. Typically, it is made with pasta, eggs, hard cheese, cured pork, and black pepper. Instead of using traditional pasta like spaghetti noodles, fettuccine, rigatoni, linguine, or bucatini, we used tortellini.
Tortellini is a stuffed pasta. Traditionally, they are stuffed with ricotta cheese, but there’s a variety of tortellini that go well beyond just cheese. Some have cheese and various meats like prosciutto, mortadella, and pork loin. Others have 3-cheeses.
The combination of tortellini, bacon, and carbonara sauce creates a delicious Italian dish called tortellini carbonara.
My Sauce Is Too Thick. How Do I Thin It?
If after you’ve whisked your eggs, parmesan, and a splash of water, you feel the sauce is still too thick, you can easily thin it. Just continue adding more pasta water until it reaches your desired consistency.
Can I Use Cream for the Sauce Instead of Water?
No! When I first made this recipe, I wondered the same thing. I would think cream would make the sauce even creamier and more delicious. In fact, many recipes do use cream. However, Italian cuisine cooks have said this is the biggest no-no. The creaminess comes from the raw eggs with the addition of reserved cooking water and hard cheese.
Is It Safe to Consume Raw Eggs From the Sauce?
Since the water from the tortellini is hot and you are mixing the sauce with hot pasta, the eggs should be cooked by the time you eat your tortellini carbonara. To ensure the eggs are not raw, you can heat re-boil the water in the microwave.
Instant Pot Tortellini Carbonara
Delicious and easy to cook instant pot tortellini cabornara
Ingredients
- 16 oz bag of dried pesto tortellini or fresh if preferred.
- 8 slices bacon, diced
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped optional garnish
- 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped optional garnish
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add your tortellini to the Instant Pot with enough water to cover the pasta. Put the lid on the Instant Pot, put the pressure valve into the sealing position, push manual or pressure cook, and set the time for 5-minutes.
- Once your Instant Pot beeps, you want to release the pressure quickly. To do this, push the pressure valve to the venting position to release the steam. Remove the tortellini from the pot and set it to the side. Then, remove 1 cup of water and put it in a separate bowl.
- Next, push your sauté or sear button on your Instant Pot. Once it is hot, add the bacon and cook until crispy. Then, add the garlic and cook for 1-minute.
- Hit cancel to turn off the Instant Pot. Then, remove the bacon and garlic from the inner pot, leaving the bacon grease. Set the bacon and garlic to the side.
- Add the pasta back to the Instant Pot, and stir to mix it with the bacon grease. Then, mix in the bacon and garlic.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until you see soft peaks. Then, whisk in the parmesan, and a splash of the pasta water to thin the sauce.
- Once your sauce is done, slowly pour it into the pasta. Stir gently to keep the egg mixture intact.
- Top the tortellini carbonara with fresh parsley or basil.
- Serve and Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 806Total Fat: 68gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 46gCholesterol: 215mgSodium: 1417mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 31g
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