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This Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Penne is my gluten free and dairy free version of Noodle & Company’s Penne Rosa! Al Dente penne, mushrooms, and spinach are cooked in a slightly spicy, creamy tomato sauce. This recipe is quick and easy – ready in just 20 minutes! Gluten free, dairy free, soy free.
A good pasta dish is totally my love language. I used to work at Noodles & Company in college, and it’s probably the place I miss eating at the most, honestly! This Creamy Tomato Penne with Mushrooms & Spinach is pretty darn close to the original Penne Rosa with a healthier spin. This also couldn’t be easier to make. Even if you are new to the Instant Pot, I promise you can make this!
There are a few different options that you can use for making this creamy! I used Kite Hill Almond Milk Cream Cheese which is sold in most grocery stores. You can also use Original flavor Nut Pods, cashew cream, coconut cream (or milk), OR regular heavy cream if you tolerate dairy.
What Ingredients You Need to Make This Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Penne:
- Jovial Foods Gluten Free Penne – It’s sold in a lot of stores! You can also get this on Thrive Market. Using this link will get you 25% off your first order plus a free gift!
- Olive oil
- Canned diced tomatoes with juices
- Tomato Paste
- Spinach
- Mushrooms
- Chicken or veggie broth
- Italian Seasoning
- Onion Powder
- Crushed red pepper (omit for less heat)
- Kite Hill cream cheese, Original flavor nut pods, full-fat coconut milk, or regular heavy cream if you tolerate dairy
How To Make This Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Penne:
First, turn the Instant Pot to “sauté” mode and add the olive oil. Add in the mushrooms and garlic, and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
Add in the diced tomatoes with juices, tomato paste, penne pasta, chicken or veggie broth, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, and crushed red pepper. Give everything a good stir.
Lock the lid, turn the vent to “sealing”, and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. This will yield al dente pasta. For softer pasta, cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
Manually release the steam, then turn the pot to sauté mode again. Add in the spinach and cream cheese and stir until wilted and melted. Serve topped with fresh parsley, if desired. Enjoy!
Can I Make This Creamy Tomato Penne on the Stove Top?
You sure can! Here’s how:
Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add in the mushrooms and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, seasonings, and 1 cup of chicken or veggie broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer on low until the pasta is done.
Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Add in the spinach and stir for a few minutes until it’s wilted. Stir in the cream cheese. Serve and enjoy!
If you try this, be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations!
Looking for another tasty Instant Pot pasta recipe? Check out my Dairy Free Instant Pot Cajun Pasta!
*This post contains affiliate links. This means if you use one of my links, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Mary’s Whole Life!
Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Penne (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- 14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 12 oz Jovial Foods Gluten Free Penne Pasta
- 2 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper, less for less heat!
- 2 cups raw spinach
- 4 oz Kite Hill Almond Milk Cream Cheese, or ½ cup Original NutPods, ½ cup cashew cream, or ½ cup heavy cream if you tolerate dairy!
Instructions
Instant Pot
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute mode and add the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the diced tomatoes with juices, tomato paste, penne pasta, chicken or veggie broth, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, and crushed red pepper. Give everything a good stir.
- Lock the lid, turn the vent to "sealing", and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. This will yield al dente pasta. For softer pasta, cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.*
- Manually release the steam, then turn the pot to saute mode again. Add in the spinach and cream cheese and stir until wilted and melted. Serve and top with fresh parsley, if desired! Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition facts are an estimate and automatically calculated. While I fact check them using My Fitness Pal, please note that they may not always be 100% accurate and depend on ingredients used. Weigh your total and divide by the number of servings for the most accurate grams per serving size.
This was a great vegetarian meal, especially if you use chickpea noodles to add protein. Either way, delicious! Id add a 1/2 cup more broth next time but otherwise it was perfect.
This was a great healthier comfort meal! It was flavorful and creamy. Very easy to make too.
Made this tonight. Served with grilled shrimp. So delicious!! I mean really delicious!! Could not be any easier. We dont eat alot of pasta but this is for sure a keeper! Thanks Mary!
Made this tonight for dinner. So nice to have something quick to throw together on a night I’m solo parenting. Used Rizopia shell pasta (brown rice) and violife brand cream cheese alternative as well as frozen spinach because those were what I had on hand or could find at the grocery store and it still turned out beautifully. So lovely to be able to enjoy a creamy dish again. My kids have sensitive bellies and I have missed cheese in our dinners but only make one meal for all of us. Thanks so much! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
This was delicious! Super easy to make and so tasty!!
Thanks Jessica!
Yum! Our family loved this. So simple in the instantpot!
So so good! Added chicken sausage and onion to sub for the mushrooms and it worked out perfectly!
This dish is so flavorful and super quick and easy to make. This will become a staple for dinner around here. My kids are LOVING it!!
Added some Italian sausage and pancetta to this and it was delicious. So easy to make too! Thanks for another amazing recipe.
This was such a simple recipe loaded with flavor! We made it with Kite cream cheese and Jovial noodles. We will probably add chicken or shrimp next time but is delicious without!