Instant Pot Italian Wedding Casserole–bowtie pasta with meatballs, spinach and parmesan topped with a buttery breadcrumb topping.
Instant Pot Italian Wedding Casserole
This recipe is an Instant Pot take on a pioneer woman recipe. It’s bowtie pasta with meatballs and a crispy breadcrumb parmesan topping. If you have an air fryer lid* it comes in handy to crisp up the topping. If not, you can finish the dish off in the oven. Both ways work great!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Butter–or oil
- Onion–fresh or frozen
- Celery
- Garlic cloves–fresh or jarred
- Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
- Farfalle pasta–or another type of pasta like penne
- Italian seasoning
- Frozen Italian-style meatballs
- Salt and pepper
- Spinach–fresh or frozen
- Parmesan cheese–shredded
- Breadcrumbs or panko
- Dried parsley
- Dried oregano
Steps
- Saute onion and celery: Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the butter and let it melt. Add in the onion and celery. Saute for 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Turn off saute setting.
- Deglaze: Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking.
- Add in the pasta, Italian seasoning and meatballs.
- Pressure cook: Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir in a pinch of salt and pepper, spinach and parmesan cheese.
- In a bowl make the topping. Stir together the melted butter, breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley and oregano.
- If using an air fryer lid: Sprinkle the topping over the top of the pasta. Place air fryer lid on top of Instant Pot and bake at 375 for 5 minutes, or until topping is browned. If using the oven: Scrape the mixture into a 9×9 inch pan. Sprinkle the topping over the the pasta. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, or until topping is browned.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with a green salad and olive garden salad dressing.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- Want more veg? Try adding in 2 diced carrots with the celery.
- Try using kale in the place of spinach.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with breadcrumbs are Instant Pot 3-Cheese Macaroni And Cheese and Instant Pot Amish Yumasetti.
More Instant Pot Bowtie Pasta Recipes to Love…
Instant Pot Rita’s Casserole
A delicious way to eat spinach! Ground beef, pasta, marinara sauce, spinach and mozzarella cheese are combined to make a quick and easy dinner.
Instant Pot Regis Philbin’s Pasta
An Instant Pot version of Regis Philbin’s favorite pasta dish. It has bowtie pasta, broccoli, chicken, tomatoes, parmesan cheese and garlic. A simple but delicious dish that is easy to make in your Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Italian Sausage and Spinach Soup
Creamy broth, chunks of Italian sausage, spinach, carrots and pasta combine to make a hearty soup perfect for a cold winter night.
Instant Pot Italian Chicken Casserole
Whip up this dump-and-go creamy chicken casserole using your trusty pressure cooker! The Instant Pot serves up tender chicken and pasta in only a 5 minute pressure cooking time.
Instant Pot Cheesecake Factory Louisiana Chicken
A healthier at-home version of cajun chicken bowtie pasta with a creamy sauce.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Instant Pot Italian Wedding Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Bowtie pasta with meatballs, spinach and parmesan topped with a buttery breadcrumb topping.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup sliced celery
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 8 ounces farfalle pasta
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 13 ounces of frozen Italian meatballs
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Topping
- 1 Tbsp melted butter
- 6 Tbsp breadcrumbs or panko
- 1 Tbsp shredded parmesan
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the butter and let it melt. Add in the onion and celery. Saute for 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Turn off saute setting.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking.
- Add in the pasta, Italian seasoning and meatballs.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir in a pinch of salt and pepper, spinach and parmesan cheese.
- In a bowl make the topping. Stir together the melted butter, breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley and oregano.
- If using an air fryer lid: Sprinkle the topping over the top of the pasta. Place air fryer lid on top of Instant Pot and bake at 375 for 5 minutes, or until topping is browned. If using the oven: Scrape the mixture into a 9×9 inch pan. Sprinkle the topping over the the pasta. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, or until topping is browned.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Instant Pot
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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Karen I am in an RV no oven, can I make this without the breadcrumbs (last step) or will it not come out, be dry? Thanks!!!
Yes you totally can do that! Should be fine without the bread topping!
Love your recipes. Could you please add a comment on how to used “whole wheat pasta” in place of the regular pastas? I am diabetic & I use only the whole wheat pastas & brown rice as it is better for me & uses more “energy” to digest than the regular pastas or white rice. That would really be helpful in your recipes. Thanks
Good idea! you can just add 1 minute to any recipe in which you use whole wheat instead of white pasta. The brown rice takes 22 minutes to cook with a 10 minute natural pressure release.
Can I substitute my own meatballs in lieu of frozen store bought?
★★★★
I can’t imagine you couldn’t
Yes that would be great!
must i freeze the meatballs firstthen follow recipe? thank you
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No need to freeze them first. But I would have them cooked.