Garlic Cheese Corn Pasta
Garlic cheese corn pasta is everything a weeknight dinner should be. It is creamy, cheesy, garlicky, and ready in under 20 minutes. One pot. Minimal effort. Maximum flavour.
Equipment
- 1 instant Pot 6 quart or larger
- 1 Spatula For stirring
Ingredients
- 2 cups Dry penne pasta
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 5-6 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- 1 cup Sweet corn fresh, frozen, or canned — all work
- 1 tsp Red chilli flakes or to taste
- 1½ cups Water
- ¾ cup Milk
- 1 tsp Salt or to taste
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1½ cups Bocconcini cheese halved or torn into small pieces
Instructions
Saute the Garlic
- Turn the Instant Pot to Saute mode and add the oil. Let it heat for 30 seconds. Then, add the chopped garlic and saute for 30–60 seconds, stirring continuously. The garlic should smell fragrant but not brown, as browning makes it bitter. Watch the garlic closely because it burns fast in the Instant Pot. Keep stirring and move to the next step as soon as it smells fragrant.
Add the Corn and Spices
- Add the sweet corn and saute for 1 minute, stirring it through the garlic and oil. Then, add the red chilli flakes and mix everything together.
Add Pasta and Liquid
- Add the dry penne pasta directly into the pot. Then, pour in the water and milk and add the salt. Next, give everything a gentle stir, making sure the pasta is mostly covered by the liquid. However, do not stir too vigorously after adding the pasta, as this can cause the Instant Pot to give a Burn notice. A gentle mix is enough.
Pressure Cook
- Close the Instant Pot lid. Set the valve to Sealing.Press Pressure Cook (or Manual) and set to High Pressure for 4 minutes.The pot will take about 5–7 minutes to build pressure. Then it will cook for 4 minutes.
Natural Pressure Release
- When cooking finishes, do not open the valve immediately.Allow 5 minutes of Natural Pressure Release (NPR). Leave the pot untouched for 5 minutes.After 5 minutes, carefully turn the valve to Venting to release the remaining pressure. Use a towel or oven mitt — steam is hot.
Add the Cheese and Serve
- Open the lid carefully. Gently stir the pasta.Add all the bocconcini cheese. Mix it through the pasta.Let it sit for 1–2 minutes without stirring. The cheese will soften and melt into creamy pockets throughout the pasta.Serve hot immediately. Garnish with extra chilli flakes or fresh basil if you like
Notes
To make this lighter, use low fat milk, reduce the cheese and add extra vegetables.