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    Home » Recipes » Instant Pot

    Instant Pot Pasta with Tomato Cream sauce

    Published: May 28, 2025 by Maria Doss · This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

    pinterest image.

    This Instant Pot Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce is without the guilt! I swap heavy cream for coconut milk to create a rich, luxurious pink sauce that’s totally indulgent—but secretly lighter. It’s so delicious, you’d never guess it’s a healthier twist!

    Jump to Recipe

    Looking for more easy instant pot pasta dishes? Try my instant pot spaghetti aglio e olio or the instant pot alfredo pasta recipe.

    pink sauce pasta in a white bowl.

    👉 This instant pot pasta with tomato cream sauce recipe has been a family favorite since I first shared the recipe in 2018. It was updated with new photos and a short video in May 2025.

    Creamy, orangish, velvety, luxurious tomato cream sauce. But, without any cream! One of the best creamy pasta recipes!

    Jump to:
    • 👩‍🍳 Why our recipe?
    • Featured comments
    • Short Video
    • Variations
    • More instant pot pasta recipes
    • Instant Pot Pasta with Tomato Cream sauce

    👩‍🍳 Why our recipe?

    • Ready in 30 minutes – perfect for busy weeknights!
    • Uses jarred tomato sauce for ultimate convenience, but the flavor says restaurant-quality.
    • The creamy pink sauce is silky, rich, and totally luxurious—without the heaviness.
    • Made with coconut milk instead of heavy cream, it’s a lighter twist on a classic that doesn’t skimp on taste.

    Featured comments

    From Jennifer Beglin: "Made this tonight and it was a huge hit! My husband told me to add it to weekly rotation and he couldn’t believe it had coconut milk in it- you definitely can’t tell!" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    Short Video

    Variations

    Want to add protein? Just toss in raw shrimp (like in my instant pot shrimp pasta) or cubed chicken at the same time you add the tomato sauce and coconut milk—they’ll cook perfectly right in the pot!

    Prefer heavy cream? Swap the 1 cup of coconut milk for ½ cup of heavy cream, and add an extra ½ cup of water to balance the sauce.

    Use half-and-half instead of coconut milk.

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    Enter your email below, and we’ll send the link straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get more creative recipe ideas every Sunday!

    pink sauce pasta in an instant pot.
    pink sauce pasta in a white bowl.

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    Instant Pot Pasta with Tomato Cream sauce

    This Instant Pot Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce is without the guilt! I swap heavy cream for coconut milk to create a rich, luxurious pink sauce that’s totally indulgent—but secretly lighter. It’s so delicious, you’d never guess it’s a healthier twist!
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 6 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 18 minutes minutes
    Servings: 3 Servings
    Calories: 469kcal
    Author: Maria Doss

    Equipment

    • instant pot

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • ½ cup chopped onion
    • 2 cloves garlic chopped
    • 1 and ¼ cup marinara sauce I used Prego, tomato basil & garlic
    • 1 cup coconut milk I used Choakoh coconut milk
    • ¾ cup water
    • ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 8 ounces penne pasta
    • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
    • chopped fresh basil, to finish
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Set Instant pot to saute setting. When hot, add butter and then chopped onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes, until translucent. 
      chopped onion cooking in an instant pot.
    • Press cancel and then stir in the marinara sauce, coconut milk, water, salt and pepper.
      pink sauce in an instant pot.
    • Place the pasta on top and gently press it into the sauce, making sure that they are mostly immersed into the sauce. Don't stir the pasta!
      a hand pressing pasta into an instant pot.
    • Close and lock the lid, making sure the valve is in the sealed position. Cook on manual for 5 minutes. When cooking time is done, let it be in warm mode for 5 to 6 minutes.
      one closed instant pot.
    • Release the pressure and carefully open the lid. Stir in the Parmesan and fresh basil.
      Don’t worry if the sauce looks a bit thin at first—it will naturally thicken after a couple of minutes as it rests.
      one ladle full of cooked pasta.

    Notes

    1. Salt will depend on your taste level and the type of marinara sauce used. I used Prego, tomato basil garlic and used ¾ teaspoon salt.
    2. Please use only canned coconut milk and not coconut milk beverage. I used Chaokoh canned coconut milk <--- shake can well before opening.
    3. I used 3-quart size Instant pot.
    4. If you want pasta to be al dente, then cook for 6 minutes and then 10 mins of warm instead.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 Serving | Calories: 469kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 1131mg | Potassium: 704mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 749IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 5mg

    Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.

    Did you make this recipe?Mention @KitchenAtHoskins or tag #kitchenathoskins!

    Recipe loosely adapted from Pioneer Woman's recipe

    Some of the links above are affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting kitchenathoskins.com

    All contents and images are my original work, unless and otherwise mentioned. Please do not use my recipes or images without linking back to www.kitchenathoskins.com. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite in your own words and don’t forget to include a link back to the original recipe.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lewis Johnson

      January 15, 2019 at 5:25 pm

      I love creamy pasta.

      Reply
      • Maria Doss

        January 15, 2019 at 7:23 pm

        Me too:)

        Reply
    2. Jayceebee

      April 02, 2020 at 1:42 pm

      5 stars
      This was so easy and a huge hit in my family. Instead of coconut milk, I used 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup water, in addition to the water listed. Not so healthy but so good. I also skipped the entire first step and went to the pasta. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Maria Doss

        April 02, 2020 at 3:07 pm

        That sounds great, glad you liked it:)

        Reply
    3. Rudy

      January 02, 2022 at 2:49 pm

      I’d like to double this recipe for the family. Can I simple double it or should I make some changes to the quantities?
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Maria Doss

        January 04, 2022 at 3:38 pm

        Hi Rudy, I would recommend doubling if you are using a large Instant pot (preferably a 8 quart). Else, we would recommend cooking in two batches. Wishing you a wonderful holidays and new year - Maria

        Reply
    4. Jennifer Beglin

      January 11, 2022 at 5:29 am

      5 stars
      Made this tonight and it was a huge hit! My husband told me to add it to weekly rotation and he couldn’t believe it had coconut milk in it- you definitely can’t tell!

      Reply
      • Maria Doss

        January 12, 2022 at 2:02 am

        Hi Jennifer, that sounds wonderful! Wishing your family a very new year, Maria

        Reply
    5 from 8 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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