Easy Instant Pot Cheezy Pepperoni Pizza Pasta

Ready in 20 Minutes with Bold Pizza Flavors. Keto, Paleo and Vegan Substitutions Included

Right after my divorce, I was working long hours and really struggling in the kitchen.

Honesty, I couldn't boil water then. I hate to use that phrase “couldn't boil water” because it's cliche and corny. But I'm using it because it's true.

I could not boil water. Sad.

Yes, I grew up helping my mom in the kitchen, but not a lot of her cooking skills rubbed off on me.

After months of eating terrible frozen TV dinners (yuk), I finally figured out that I could throw a raw steak in a hot skillet with some mushrooms and onions and eat like a king.

After that revelation, I said goodbye forever to those terrible frozen TV dinners.

Wow! What an upgrade.

I found myself in a steep learning curve back then where I was teaching myself how to make good food as quickly and as conveniently as possible.

I didn't fully understand at the time what I was doing. I thought I was just trying to educate myself on how to cook.

But what I was really doing was teaching myself cooking shortcuts in the kitchen. I needed that then because of the long hours at work (12 to 14 hour days). Yikes!

Frankly, I was doing it for my own survival.

But, thankfully, all of that finally changed for the better. Over the years, though, I kept adding more and more shortcut ideas to my SuperFast cooking menu.

And today, it has evolved into my Meals-n-Minutes SuperFast Meal Mastery course that you're reading right now.

I realized that I could help others who needed a time break in the kitchen.

I guess you could say my Meals-n-Minutes SuperFast Meal Mastery course came about to help busy people spend more time doing what they want to do and less time cooking and cleaning up dirty dishes.

Does that make sense?

It's become my whole mission here on Substack to bring you every cooking shortcut I know.

There are 3 menu plans in this course:

1. The Microwave Plan

2. The Stovetop Skillet Plan

3. The Instant Pot Plan

Each of these plans are fast, delivering a complete and delicious meal in one dish in about 20 minutes.

But each has its own unique advantages and flavor profiles.

1. The Microwave Plan is the most convenient, easiest plan of the three. With this plan you have very little food prep. This is my goto choice when I'm traveling and only have a microwave in the hotel room. It's also the best choice when you are in a time pinch, need a break, or just don't feel like cooking or cleaning up a big mess.

2. The Stovetop Skillet Plan delivers the most flavor due to being able to caramelize vegetables and proteins in the skillet. Top chefs always tout caramelization as a flavor builder in their recipes. But it’s still very fast and convenient.

3. The Instant Pot Plan also delivers huge flavor and fast cooking times. Pressure cookers are innately flavor builders and are used by top chefs in leading restaurants just for that purpose.

You can read full details on these meal plans below:

---

---

Okay, let's get on with today's recipe.

Did you know that you can fully cook pasta in the Instant Pot in just 5 minutes?

Unbelievable?

Am I right?

That's what makes today's Instant Pot dish so quick and easy.

A dear friend of ours gave us an Instant Pot two years ago for Christmas. From the very first time I used it, I knew it was a game-changer for making fast and convenient meals.

And I knew I had to include recipes like this one in my Meals-n-Minutes SuperFast Meal Mastery course. And that’s how the Instant Pot plan came to be.

Now, don't get me wrong.

Pressure cookers were not a new thing to me. I had extensive experience with them and had owned a manual pressure cooker for years.

What sold me on the Instant Pot were all the preset features and functions. It's as easy to use as a microwave, but gives you 10 times the depth of flavor.

I have to admit, I was completely blown away how easy it was to use

This Instant Pot dish is delicious and easy to make.

And it's fast.

From start to finish it only takes 20 minutes until you are digging in. And that includes the prep time.

It's perfect for hectic days. Let's dive in, shall we?

---

Instant Pot Cheezy Pepperoni Pizza Pasta

Serves 6-8

Ingredients: