I think Zucchini is my very favorite Summer vegetable. So why not throw it into this amazing Parmesan Zucchini pasta side dish. It’s a light cream sauce with fresh cherry tomatoes, zucchini and a little bacon. Who does’t love Bacon? It’s fresh and delicious!
The sauce is a light and creamy sauce that compliments the zucchini and tomatoes beautifully.
I love making this late in the summer with fresh zucchini from the garden and perfectly picked cherry tomatoes. What could be better!
Where did this Pasta with Zucchini and Cheery Tomatoes recipe come from? For me, I have a semi love for carbs, I mean what girl doesn’t? But I also needed it to be a little lighter than other dishes and cut some fat.So this light sauce really does the trick for me and the bacon.. oh YUM it’s the right touch.
6 Servings | Ready in 20 minutes | Good for Dinner | 6qt Instant Pot
I made this as a side dish or a light dinner meal recipe too. Packed full of vegetables, it’s delicious.
I like to wash and prep my veggies for this recipe. It comes together so quickly but taking a few minutes to get prepped makes this pasta recipe even easier.
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and set aside and slice the zucchini thinly too.
Bacon Crumbles are perfect with this recipe. Pre-cooked Bacon are also ideal. I will bake my Bacon in the Oven.
Which ever way you choose, the recipe will be delicious. In this recipe I saute’ up the vegetables and then pull them out and set aside while the pasta cooks. These are more delicate veggies and over cooking can really ruin them quickly!
Add your broth to the Pressure Cooker and deglaze the bottom of the pot as needed.
What is Deglazing?
Deglazing the Instant Pot means to lift up anything that is stuck on the bottom from when you Saute’.
You don’t want anything stuck. The broth or water on the hot pot will easily lift whatever might be stuck. This is especially important so you do not get the Burn notice when cooking the pasta
Once the noodles are cooked and you’ve added your cheese, gently toss in your veggies and give a quick stir. Doesn’t this Pasta dish look amazing?
Is this a side dish or a meal? You can decide, I love the fresh vegetables of this recipe and you can add other veggies too! Trust me… It’s wonderful.
Can I add other Veggies to this dish?
Of course you can! As with any veggie it’s important to saute with the other veggies. Then pull out of the Instant Pot so they don’t overcook while the pasta cooks.
Can I add Chicken to this Recipe?
Of course you can add Chicken to this recipe and it would be amazing! Cut up chicken breasts or tenders into bite size pieces and throw them in.
They will cook up just fine, but don’t forget to salt and pepper your meat.
Want to Save this Recipe for Later? PIN IT NOW!
Quit Tip
Add other Veggies to this dish, it’s delicious. Bell Peppers and Mushrooms are also wonderful to try. And don’t forget Summer Squash too!
Pasta with Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes a perfect Side Dish Recipe
Looking for more GREAT Recipes?
- Alfredo Sauce
- Marinara Sauce
- How to make French Bread
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash
- Bruschetta Chicken
- Taco Alfredo Sauce
- Chicken Carbonara
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup
- Fiesta Chicken Casserole
- Honey Mustard Chicken and Rice
- BBQ Chicken Tostada
Pasta with Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 Zucchini Slice
- 1/2 Cup Diced Onion
- 8 oz Container Cherry Tomatoes Sliced
- 6 Strips Bacon
- 1/2 Cup Romano Cheese Grated
- 1 Tbs Fresh Thyme
- 3 Tb Butter
- 8 oz Spaghetti Pasta
- 3 Cup Broth or Water
- 1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk
Instructions
- Heat Instant Pot on satue’ and wait until it reads “HOT”
- Wash and slice or dice Zucchini, Tomatoes and Onion
- Add butter to Instant Pot and allow to melt
- Add Onions and allow to saute’ for 3 minutes
- Add Zucchini to onions and allow to cook for 2 minutes more
- Add chopped bacon and fresh Thyme to Onions and Zucchini and allow to cook for 1 minute
- Add sliced Cherry Tomatoes and allow to cook for 1 minute.
- Remove vegetable mixture from Instant Pot and set aside
- Add Broth or Water and Deglaze the bottom of the pot if needed
- Add Pasta
- Close lid and cook on Manual High Pressure for 4 minutes with a 4 minute Natural Release
- Open lid and stir. Add evaporated milk and grated cheese and stir
- Toss in Sautéed vegetables and give a light stir. Close lid of Instant Pot for 2 minutes to allow veggies to warm back up.
- Serve as a side dish or a main course
Can you half recipe. ? Only 2 of us. Half box of pasta. Same cooking tome ?
Hi Suzan, you can half the recipe, the cook time would stay the same. The recipe does reheat pretty well too.
Hi Rebecca. I followed the recipe but when I put pasta in, I got a burn notice. I deglazed the pot, put in 3 cups of vegetable broth and added pasta. It never came to pressure. When I opened the lid, all of the liquid was gone and pasta was burned to bottom.
Any ideas?
Hi Sandie! I’m sorry to hear you had trouble. It sounds like the sealing ring wasn’t properly placed or was missing. Where it didn’t come to pressure and all the liquid was gone it sounds like it came to a simmer but the steam leaked out of your pressure cooker which is a problem with the sealing ring. It can be as simple as removing the ring, washing it and replacing the ring. Hope this helps!
Could I use half and half instead of the evaporated milk? Thanks!
Hi Kerry, yes you can use half and half instead of evaporated milk. It will be delicious!
I made this for dinner tonight, my daughter and her little ones came for dinner. Let me tell you, it was delicious! We both had big plates full. My grandkids are kinda picky, but they loved the noodles! Both ate alot! So easy and will definitely make again!
That’s what I LOVE hearing! I love how the noodles get flavored in this recipe too. So fun for the grandkids to enjoy!
This was amazing! I have a huge crop of zucchini this year, and I am struggling with different ways to fix it. This main dish was a big hit with my husband, who’s not really a fan of zucchini! The zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and thyme were all home grown in our garden. 😊 Thank you!
Hi Marsha! I’m so happy to hear your raving review. We love Zucchini and it’s so fun to season it up and cook. So happy you can use other garden veggies to enjoy too.
was going to try this tonite as I have everything but fresh or dried thyme – any suggested substitute until I can get back out there to stock back up – THANK YOU! – love your stuff and watch your videos
You can of course used dried thyme, other wise try a little oregano. If all else fails you can just leave it out!
Thank You! didn’t have either so used Italian seasoning as it had both and may just do that next time and there will be a next time – excellent and very light as you said – we had it for the main dish
Hi Georgia!
So glad you loved this Pasta dish. It’s really good and I love to make it all summer long with fresh garden veggies. YUM!
Looks great! At what point would I throw in the chicken???
I love making pasta in my Insta Pot. This would is a must try.
I love that this uses the Instant Pot, and I love the combination of those veggies. Looks great!
Oooooh and with that chicken, you could also add some really good sausage too! Yum yum.
Yes, there are many add in you could add to spice it up!
This recipe is basically all of my favourite ingredients in one delicious bowl 🙂 Can’t wait to enjoy soon!
I agree! I love lighter meals packed full of great flavors
I have been looking for more Instapot recipes! I can’t wait to try!!!!
Make sure to check out all of my Instant Pot Recipes… Family Friendly and many kid approved too!
We like to make fresh pasta, add the fresh vegetables steamed and throw in some great grated cheese.
It’s a simple recipe for sure, but so delicious. I love the fresh veggies!
This looks delicious. My husband is Italian and I think he would appreciate this meal. The pictures made my mouth water. It looks so amazing.
Oh thank you Judy! It’s a great light meal for sure!