Bright and fresh tomatoes, chewy and tender mozzarella cheese, and freshly torn basil make this easy Instant Pot Margherita Pasta one of the simplest, just most delicious summer meals!

a bowl of margherita pasta on a red napkin

What is Margherita?

No, we’re not talking about the drink—that’s margarita without the h!

Margherita refers to the fresh, luxurious combination of tomato, mozzarella, and basil. Most commonly found on pizza, this classic combo was born in Naples, Italy over 150 years ago, where it was a favorite of farmers and nobles alike.

While no one knows its exact date of origin, the pizza rose to fame in 1889 when Chef Raffaele Esposito of Pizzeria Brandi served the pizza to Queen Margherita of Savoy.

In the wake of Italy’s reunification, Chef Esposito presented the pizza as a celebratory tribute to the colors of the Italian flag and named it after the Queen herself.

Thus, the Pizza Margherita was born.

a bowl of angel hair pasta with basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella

Easy Margherita pasta recipe

A traditional Margherita pizza requires hours of work and dedicated study to accomplish technical perfection. Most of us don’t have that kind of time, so I wanted to take those flavors and make them accessible in—wait for it—10 minutes.

I swapped pizza dough for pasta, added some white wine for richness, and here we are!

This Instant Pot Margherita pasta is stunningly simple, and it’s a great way to use up some extra angel hair or spaghetti you might have lying around.

To make it more of a vegetable pasta, feel free to add some spinach or roasted red peppers to your Instant Pot at the end!

I like to use marinated mozzarella balls (I find them in the fresh cheese aisle at Costco, Trader Joes, or really any grocery store), which add so much delicious and easy flavor!

How to make Instant Pot Margherita pasta recipe

Want an easy one pot meal? This is it.

When I say simple, I mean that this is probably the easiest Instant Pot pasta recipe out there. There are four steps:

Add liquids to Instant Pot.
Submerge pasta in liquids (alternate how you drop them so that they don’t clump as much).
Drop tomatoes on top of pasta.
Cook for TWO MINUTES and serve immediately with fresh mozzarella and basil.

This is one of those recipes that I want everyone to know about because it is so easy! Everyone needs a recipe like this: you’re exhausted, hungry, but don’t want to eat scrambled eggs.

This is done in about the same amount of time, and it’s 100x more satisfying.

Chicken Margherita pasta

To add some protein, add chicken tenderloins to the pasta while it is cooking. Alternatively, add shredded rotisserie chicken or grilled chicken to the dish as you plate.

margherita pasta with tomatoes, cheese, and pepper grinder in the background

Margherita pasta salad

Feeling summery? Just cool things down to take this margarita pasta from warm and savory to light and summery.

Sub the angel hair noodles for bowtie and let them cool before adding the mozzarella balls. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss with a little extra olive oil or pesto.

Try experimenting with fresh spinach, roasted red peppers, lemon juice, or roasted summer squash.

Sometimes I even like to mix in some spaghetti squash! It’s a great way to trick the fam into eating some extra veggies, and it’s super easy to make!

Check out my spaghetti squash recipe and FAQ here.

i love my Instant Pot cooking for one cookbook — A version of this recipe is in my new cookbook!

What size Instant Pot for Margherita Pasta?

I’ve found that my 6 quart Instant Pot fits a perfect amount for my family! If you’re only cooking for one or two, feel free to split the recipe in half and make it in the 3 quart Instant Pot.

You can also find a variation of this recipe for one in my new cookbook.

More Instant Pot pasta recipes