• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Tasty Travelers™
  • Ninja Foodi Cookbooks
  • Ninja Creami Cookbooks
  • Recipes
  • Submit Your Recipe
  • Shop
  • About Us
  • Subscribe!
  • Giveaways
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Ninja Foodi Cookbooks
  • Ninja Creami Cookbooks
  • Recipes
  • Submit Your Recipe
  • Giveaways
  • Shop
  • Subscribe!
  • About Us
  • Social

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Instant Pot Recipes

    Instant Pot Pasta Salad

    Published: Jun 8, 2019 · Modified: Jan 24, 2021 by Lauren Cardona This post may contain affiliate links. Using links to these sites means I may earn a percentage of the purchase at no cost to you. As an Amazon affiliate, I may receive a percentage of qualifying purchases. For more details, please read the full disclaimer.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    As the weather is getting nicer (finally!) I find myself wanting something a little lighter to eat and pasta salad is a perfect choice!!  It's cold, refreshing, and filled with fresh vegetables!  When I cook Instant Pot Ribs or steaks on the grill, I crave pasta and potato salad for my side dishes!!

    Why cook pasta salad in the Instant Pot you ask?  Well, if you've ever made pasta in the Instant Pot you know why!  OMG, it's so fast!  And the best part is that you no longer have to stand in the kitchen watching the water boil and asking yourself if the pasta is done cooking yet.  The Instant Pot literally dos all of the work for you!

    In a matter of just a couple of minutes, your pasta will be cooked perfectly and instead of watching water boil, you can prepare all of your vegetables while the pasta is cooking!  Talk about a time saver!  I will never boil pasta on the stove again!  Game changer!  🙂

    pasta salad

    Oh- and if you aren't making your potato salad in the Instant Pot....you MUST try it.  Did I mention that you can cook your eggs and potatoes together in the pot...at the same time....in 4 minutes??!!! 4 MINUTES!!!!

    pasta salad

    Tips for making Instant Pot Pasta Salad:

    1.As a rule of thumb, you should cook the pasta based on this calculation.  Look at the box, take the recommended time and cut it in half and then subtract 2.  For example, if the suggested cook time is 10 minutes, cut that in half to 5 and then subtract 2.  This will leave you with 3.  Cook for 3 minutes.

    2.Add in whatever vegetables are on sale or that you absolutely love.  You can really get creative and add in whatever you would like.

    3.A few additional ingredients that you may like- mini pepperonis, cheese cubes, and my favorite- artificial crab meat.

    4.Be sure to let your pasta cool before adding the mayonnaise.  If you don't the mayonnaise will "melt" in the pasta salad and it will not be as creamy as it should be.

    pasta salad

    Looking for more recipes?  Check out some of our favorites!

    • Instant Pot Potato Salad in 4 Minutes
    • Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
    • Instant Pot Carrot Cake Cheesecake
    • Instant Pot Deviled Eggs
    • Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
    pasta salad

    Ingredients for making Instant Pot Pasta Salad:

    • 16 ounces of your favorite dried pasta- I used rotini for this recipe but any short pasta will do!
    • 1 cup of mayonnaise
    • ½ cup of your favorite Italian dressing.  I prefer to use Kraft Zesty Italian but you can use whatever you have on hand
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • 1 cup cauliflower- cut into bite-sized pieces
    • 1 cup broccoli- cut into bite-sized pieces
    • ½ cup red pepper- cut into bite-sized pieces
    • ½ cup yellow pepper- cut into bite-sized pieces
    • ½ cup sliced black olives-
    • ½ cup cherry tomatoes- sliced in half
    pasta salad

    Instructions for making Instant Pot Pasta Salad:

    Cook the pasta:

    1.Pour 4 cups of water into the Instant Pot.[one_third_last][one_third_last]

    2.Pour in 1 pound of dried pasta- do not stir.  Instead, "push" the pasta down so that it is covered with the water as much as possible.

    3.Close the lid and move the valve to "seal" position.

    4.Pressure cook on high for 3 minutes.  As a rule of thumb, you should cook the pasta based on this calculation:  Look at the box, take the recommended time and cut it in half and then subtract 2.  For example, if the suggested cook time is 10 minutes, cut that in half to 5 and then subtract 2.  This will leave you with 3.  Cook for 3 minutes.

    5.Once timer beeps, quick-release pressure and remove the lid.

    6.Rinse pasta and let cool.

    Prepare the pasta salad:

    1.Cut vegetables into bite-sized pieces.

    2.Once the pasta has cooled, sprinkle salt and pepper into pasta.

    3.Combine all ingredients- pasta, vegetables, mayonnaise, and Italian dressing- stir well.

    4.Refrigerate until you are ready to eat!

    Pin recipe for later!

    pasta salad
    pasta salad

    Instant Pot Pasta Salad

    5 from 1 vote
    Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save to Slickstream Favorites Saved!
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 3 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 8 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8 Cups
    Calories: 463kcal
    Join our Facebook GroupCheck out The Ninja Foodi Community!
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot

    Ingredients

    • 16 ounces Dried pasta (I used rotini for this recipe but any short pasta will do!)
    • 1 cup Mayonnaise
    • ½ cup Italian Dressing (I prefer to use Kraft Zesty Italian but you can use whatever you have on hand.)
    • ½ teaspoon Salt
    • ½ teaspoon Pepper
    • 1 cup Cauliflower (cut into bite sized pieces)
    • 1 cup Broccoli (cut into bite sized pieces)
    • ½ cup Red pepper (cut into bite sized pieces)
    • ½ cup Yellow pepper (cut into bite sized pieces)
    • ½ cup Black olives (sliced)
    • ½ cup cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)

    Instructions

    Cook the pasta:

    • Pour 4 cups of water into the Instant Pot
    • Pour in 1 pound of dried pasta- do not stir.  Instead, "push" the pasta down so that it is covered with the water as much as possible
    • Close the lid and move valve to "seal" position
    • Pressure cook on high for 3 minutes.  As a rule of thumb, you should cook the pasta based on this calculation:  Look at the box, take the recommended time and cut it half and then subtract 2.  For example, if the suggested cook time is 10 minutes, cut that in half to 5 and then subtract 2.  This will leave you with 3.  Cook for 3 minutes.  
    • Once timer beeps, quick release pressure and remove lid
    • Rinse pasta and let cool

    Prepare the pasta salad:

    • Cut vegetables into bite sized pieces
    • Once the pasta has cooled, sprinkle salt and pepper into pasta
    • Combine all ingredients- pasta, vegetables, mayonnaise and Italian dressing- stir well
    • Refrigerate until you are ready to eat!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 463kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 613mg | Potassium: 277mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 478IU | Vitamin C: 47mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only.

    Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it turned out in a comment below!

    More Instant Pot Recipes

    • Instant Pot French Onion Soup Featured Image
      Instant Pot French Onion Soup
    • 50 Best Apple Recipes
      50+Best Apple Recipes
    • Velveeta
      Instant Pot Velveeta Chicken and Broccoli Mac and Cheese
    • Baked Potato
      Instant Pot Baked Potatoes

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Lauren

    Lauren Cardona

    Tasty Traveler #1

    Hi I’m Lauren but you can call me Tasty Traveler #1!  I have always had a passion for food, cocktails, and travel. It has become more pronounced over the last several years since I have had the opportunity to do so many of the things that I lo...
    Read More

    Ninja Creami ECookbook

    Frozen Treat Ebook Facebook Size

    FULL COLOR!!!

    Downloadable Ebook

    Printable Ebook


    • Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Ice Cream featured image
      Ninja Creami Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Ice Cream
    • Strawberry Cheesecake Cottage Cheese Protein Ice Cream featured image
      Ninja Creami Strawberry Cheesecake Cottage Cheese Protein Ice Cream
    • Chocolate Protein Ice Cream Featured Image
      Ninja Creami Chocolate Protein Ice Cream
    • Caramel White Chocolate Mocha Protein Ice Cream featured image
      Ninja Creami Caramel White Chocolate Mocha Protein Ice Cream
    • Baked Potato
      Ninja Foodi Baked Potatoes
    • pork tenderloin, pork, ninja foodi pork, instant pot pork, carrots, potatoes
      Ninja Foodi Sweet and Savory Pork Tenderloin
    • Hard boiled eggs
      Hard Boiled Eggs- Ninja Foodi Recipe
    • Brussels Sprouts, crispy brussels sprouts, brussel sprout, brussels sprout, brussle sprout, Ninja Foodi brussels sprouts, Ninja Foodi brussel sprout, Ninja Foodi vegetable, Ninja Foodi bacon, vegetable
      Ninja Foodi Brussels Sprouts

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Copyright Notice
    • Recipe Submission Terms
    • Recipe Submission Form

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Submit your recipe!

    Content

    • Ninja Foodi Recipes
    • Ninja Creami Recipes
    • Ninja Foodi Grill Recipes
    • Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Recipes
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Stovetop Recipes
    • Blackstone Griddle
    • Cocktail Recipes
    • Web Stories
    • Giveaways

    The Tasty Travelers are 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. Some links may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these.

    Copyright © 2022 The Tasty Travelers™

    556 shares