Pressure Cooker Macaroni in a Lemon Cream Sauce
A quick, easy pressure cooker macaroni recipe – a creamy, delicious lemon macaroni and cheese recipe that is sophisticated enough for adults, but my mac and cheese loving kids loved it too.
One of my favorite pasta recipes on Barbara Bakes is Linguine in Lemon Cream Sauce. I was thinking about making it again last week, but decided it would be fun to turn it in to an easy pressure cooker recipe instead. I decided to combine it with the ATK Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese and the result was fantastic.
Making Macaroni in a Lemon Cream Sauce in an Instant Pot
I stirred in a cup of frozen peas, and sprinkled the top with a little Parmesan cheese. This dinner is ready in less than 15 minutes, including the time it takes to pressure up. It’s quick and easy, but the sauce is rich, creamy and satisfying.
Macaroni in a Lemon Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 package (16 ounces) macaroni
- 4 cups water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
Mix macaroni, water, and salt together in pressure cooker pot. Lock lid in place, select High Pressure, 4 minutes cook time and press start. When timer beeps, use a natural pressure release for 1 minutes, then do a quick pressure release to release the remaining pressure. When valve drops carefully remove lid. (If foams start to come out the valve close it an wait one minute more.)
Stir cream cheese in to hot pasta until melted. Stir in evaporated milk. Select saute and simmer until sauce is smooth and pasta is tender, 1 to 3 minutes. Add additional milk if necessary for a smooth and creamy sauce.
Turn off pressure cooker, stir in lemon juice, lemon zest and parsley. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Hi, could I cut this recipe in half for 4 servings? Will it come out the same?
Hi Erin – yes, you could be able to cut this recipe in half with no problems.
Thank you so much for the recipe! It’s a great base for so many things you can do with macaroni and cheese. I was thinking of all kinds of flavors I could add to change it up next time,like adding a can of tomatoes and ricotta to make it a lasagna-type mac and cheese or making it fancy with lobster for a special occasion. I’ve got it pinned now for reference. 🙂
Sounds like great ideas – thanks for sharing!
It is is so delicious! I add in a bit of dill when I make the cream sauce, and stir in some tuna at the end with the peas. It makes a great tuna casserole-type dish!
Great idea – thanks for sharing Susan!
This recipe rocks! I’ll admit I bought my pressure cooker because I love soups and stews. Since I bought it, I’ve been trying to find recipes to justify the concept of pressure cooking, since my wife always looks sideways at my “gadget” purchases. Between pulled pork, bbq chicken and a host of soups, I think I’m winning her over. But, pasta???
This recipe got 10 thumbs up…. from my wife, 3 kids, and myself. I substituted farfelle for macaroni but otherwise followed the directions. I agree with Razzy 7’s comment below, I thought it was too much liquid when I put in the condensed milk, but just as Razzy pointed out, the pasta drank it up. Amazing that you can get al dente pasta in 4 minutes.
Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know how much you enjoyed the recipe. Have fun with your new pressure cooker!
This sadly did not work for me. My pasta burnt at the bottom and some of the pasta at the top was still hard.
Hi Sisi – sounds like you didn’t have enough liquid at the end. Did your pressure cooker have a hard time reaching pressure? What type of pressure cooker did you use? Did you make any changes to the recipe, or use a different pasta?
Tried this macaroni in a lemon cream sauce last night. We loved it. As did Barbara, I added a cup or so of frozen peas at the end. I also added mushrooms. I didn’t have fresh mushrooms, so began the recipe by first sautéing a can of mushrooms in a little butter. Once they were sautéed I removed them from the Instant Pot and added them back with the cream cheese.
One hint – when you first add the evaporated milk you may think that it’s way too much liquid as the mixture is quite “soupy.” Not to worry. In very short order, the pasta will absorb the liquid. In fact before I put the leftovers in my Lock and Lock containers, I stirred in some milk to make the dish the proper consistency again.
While I didn’t try it, it occurred to me that instead of using plain cream cheese, one could use Philadelphia Cream Cheese in some of the flavors – chive & onion, garden vegetable, salmon, olive and bacon (I’ve never even seen these last two in the market)
Thanks so much Razzy!! Great suggestions.
Definitely going to try this. Adding red/green pepper dice and then letting it cool overnight
and have as a cold salad for the next day. Might add some mayo or sour cream before serving.
Looks yummy!
That’s a good looking recipe!! But, I have to grin at your instructions… “select High Pressure, 4 minutes cook time and press start. When timer beeps…” I use a classic Presto model #50 from about 1948. It’s kind of an, “on or off,” type of settings! 🙂
Thanks Tomm – I’m assuming it’s a stove top model then? Just bring it to pressure the way you normally would, then start the 4 minute cook time when it’s at pressure. Enjoy!
It was delicious!!!
Made this tonight and it was wonderful! I had no lemon, so I left it out, but it was delicious – everyone loved it. I think it was the quickest meal I ever made. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Thanks Karen! I’m so glad everyone loved it.
I wanted to like this, I even got some chicken to add to it, but at the last minute I changed plans. So glad I didn’t add the chicken because the entire pot was a waste, no flavor whatsoever! It was not a problem with the IP, it was the recipe itself, simply terrible, don’t waste time or ingredients. It all went in the garbage.
Hi Shelly – sorry you didn’t like it. My family and others have commented how much they liked it. There’s no need to throw it away though. If it wasn’t as flavorful as you like, just add some spices to suit your taste.
“Simply terrible.” Really? Wouldn’t it be more courteous to say, “I didn’t care for this,” or “My family didn’t care for this.” “It all went in the garbage?” There are certainly recipes I’ve made that I haven’t particularly cared for or wouldn’t choose to make again, but unless something burned or failed in some other critical way, I can’t imagine dumping it all in the trash.
Your review would also have been more helpful if you could have been more specific about what you saw as a problem with the recipe. “Simply terrible” isn’t very descriptive or helpful for those considering making this dish. I’m wondering if you didn’t use enough lemon or omitted some ingredient. Chicken would have been a nice addition or as Barbara suggested, the addition of some spices to suit your taste.
So sorry if this is a stupid question. Do you drain the four cups of water from the macaroni. Or do you just add the other ingredients to the cooked macaroni and water in the pot.
I made your Mongolian Beef today. Wow, thanks so much for the wonderful recipe! I am a newbie to pressure cooking. Received a Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker for my birthday . Love your site. Thanks again for all your hard work.
Thanks Belinda – so nice to hear you’re enjoying my recipes. The macaroni will absorb most of the water as it cooks and the rest is incorporated in to the sauce. No need to drain it. Enjoy!
You made me do it! This one looked easy for my first run and it was cool enough today that I didn’t mind doing something inside. I didn’t change a thing although I just ate a small portion for a late lunch; tonight I think I’ll add the peas and Parm when I serve it for dinner, refreshed with just a bit of milk. It was perfect. I’m now convinced. 🙂
I had a moment when I first heard the sounds; hand went up to cover my face. But I am alive…and I love my new pressure cooker. Now on to the real deal; something like short ribs…that’s what I really bought it for!
Hi Barbara,
I made this tonight but used the little trumpet pasta, and I cooked it on low pressure for half the amount of time that the box called for. Box said 10, I cooked 5 minutes with quick release. I have found for my liking, the pasta turns out perfectly when finished by this formula that Laura from Hip Pressure has provided, so I followed that for cooking of the pasta. I ended up adding more water than recipe to barely cover. Pasta was cooked perfectly and not overly done. I drained the pasta, melted cheese (Greek yogurt cream cheese) in hot pasta, and then added enough evaporated milk to loosen it up, but only about 1/3 can was required plus the lemon juice. I then added some caramelized diced red onions I prepared earlier, along with some diced Roma tomatoes from our garden. Had no peas. I was thinking cooked bacon at the end would send it over the top! Next time…
It was superb! This is a perfect “base” recipe for those who are creative: Capers, sun-dried tomatoes, shrimp, scallops, bacon, olives, salami, …whatever one likes! The lemon juice was key. So Good! I served it with stuffed peppers from the garden.
For me, it would have been too runny with all of the milk, but it was perfect with 1/3 or so of the can.
No one at our table could stop eating this dish!
Thanks for sharing! I love your site!
Sounds like delicious additons. Thanks for taking the time to share. So glad you loved the recipe and my site.
Hello Barbara, First of all…Love your site! Secondly, I have a question. I thought that when you cook pasta in the pressure cooker that you cook it on Low (8psi?). Is this true? Is it better results? Have you ever tried? I have an 8qt. Fagor and a 4qt. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Tks in advance!
Thanks! So glad you’re enjoying my site. America’s Test Kitchen cooked the pasta on high pressure and I haven’t had any problem cooking it at high pressure. If it was a tender pasta you might be better off using low pressure but the macaroni holds up well cooked at high pressure.
Is an Instant Pot the same as an electric pressure cooker? I’m new to pressure cooking and I love it! But I’m not familiar with all of the terminology. Love this recipe though. Hubster and I are going to make this at our daughters house when we visit to see our new grandson. Love your recipes which help me make her life so much easier!!!!
Thanks Mary! Yes the Instant Pot is a an electric pressure cooker brand. That’s so nice that you’re making dinners for your daughter. Congratulations on the new grandson. How fun. I’m sure you’ll all enjoy the dinner.
That looks delicious Barbara. I’d love the addition of peas……….Bob would pitch a fit. I’ll stir them into mine…he doesn’t know what he’s missing. 😉
Can’t wait to give this one a try…..
Peas are so sweet, I can’t imagine not liking them. I hope you enjoy it!
Can I make this in my Instant Pot using the programmed buttons?
Hi Corinne – I made it in my Instant Pot. Just press manual and the minus button until it says 5 minutes and wait for it to start. Almost as easy as the programmed buttons.
Thank you Barbara. I will definitely try this….Sounds delicious.