Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Sun-dried tomatoes bring little tangy bites to this creamy chicken pasta, and fresh basil makes it particularly inviting. Spinach winds through the noodles beneath the Parmesan sauce. If your idea of dinner is a generous bowl of pasta with something savory in every forkful, pull up a chair.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Original yield
- Serves 6
- Ingredients
- 12 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- Italian · American
- Cooking method
- Pressure cooker
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
- Dish type
- Pasta
A few quick notes
1. Submerge the pasta as best you can
After the chicken and pasta go in, nudge the noodles down into the broth. They don't need to be perfectly buried, but more contact with the liquid helps them cook evenly under pressure.
2. Separate the noodles right away
Once the lid comes off, stir the pasta immediately. Campanelle can catch on itself after pressure cooking, and a quick stir before adding the dairy helps loosen everything up.
3. It will look soupy at first
Don't panic when the sauce seems thin after you stir in the spinach and cheeses. The pasta needs that short rest to absorb some liquid and let the sauce thicken.
Get to know the ingredients
Sun dried tomatoes
Use oil packed sun dried tomatoes with herbs, then drain them and dab off the extra oil before chopping. That keeps the tomato flavor without making the finished pasta feel greasy.
Chicken pieces
Cut the boneless skinless chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes before they go in. Smaller pieces cook through quickly in the same short pressure time as the pasta.
Cream cheese and parmesan
The cream cheese should be softened and cubed so it melts into the hot pasta more easily. For the parmesan, use fresh finely shredded cheese so it folds into the sauce smoothly.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 6. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 8 steps completeMake room for Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Add the basil at the end
Stir in the chopped fresh basil just before serving, after the pasta has thickened. It keeps the basil tasting bright instead of letting it wilt into the sauce too early.
A little more help as you go
Season lightly at the start
The broth mixture starts with measured salt and pepper, then you can adjust at the end if it needs more. That makes sense here because parmesan and sun dried tomatoes both bring seasoning with them.
Use quick release carefully
When the cook time is up, cancel the setting and turn the valve to venting for a quick release. Step back as the steam releases, then wait until it stops sputtering before opening the lid.
A few questions you might have
Do I cook the pasta before adding it?
No. The campanelle goes in uncooked with the chicken and broth, then cooks under pressure. Try to push it down into the liquid before sealing the lid.
Why do the spinach and cheeses go in after pressure cooking?
They only need the heat from the cooked pasta. Stirring them in after the lid comes off keeps the spinach from overcooking and lets the cream cheese and parmesan make the sauce creamy.
Can I open the pot as soon as the timer finishes?
Use the quick release first. After canceling the cook setting, carefully turn the valve to venting and step back. Open the lid only once the sputtering has stopped.
Why does the sauce need to rest before serving?
Right after mixing, it can look like soup. Letting it sit for about 5 - 10 minutes gives it time to cool slightly and thicken around the pasta.
When should I add extra sun dried tomatoes on top?
If you want the optional garnish, add a few diced sun dried tomatoes right at the end when you serve. The main sun dried tomatoes are already cooked in with the broth.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: cookingclassy.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
