Shrimp fra Diavolo over Penne is a popular pasta dish everyone loves. But when it’s made with frozen shrimp with penne in the Instant Pot®, the rich flavors get infused even better. Furthermore, there are less pots and pans to wash than making it on the stove top. I call that "Win Win!"
I tend to sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes on everything and anything, like pizza, salads, soups and even pasta. Hence, spicy and rich Shrimp fra Diavolo is one of my favorite Italian dishes and that's why I included it in my latest cookbook, No Thaw Paleo Cooking in your Instant Pot.
Intro
I know you might think it's easy to make pasta on the stove top so why bother cooking in the Instant Pot? I mean, you can't cook everything in the Instant Pot, right?
I'm glad you asked.
The beauty of making any pasta with the sauce in the Instant Pot is that the sauce flavors get infused into the pasta so much richer than using the stove top.
Also, cooking pasta in the Instant Pot with sauce is very convenient since you don't have to cook the pasta in a separate pot and drain in a strainer.
That's three things you have to wash! Less pots to wash is a game changer for me.
And for this version of Shrimp fra Diavolo, you don't even have to defrost the shrimp! No messy stovetop and fewer pots and pans to wash afterward. Who wouldn't like that kind of cooking? Right?
This recipe is truly a "dump and cook" recipe straight out of No Thaw Paleo Cooking in your Instant Pot cookbook.
The Cookbook
When I was working, there were many rushed mornings when I would forget to take the meat out of the freezer before running out the door. And sadly, dinner time came and we'd order out for pizza or Chinese takeouts. I know you know what I'm talking about.
So to help busy moms like you, I published a cookbook filled with 75 Paleo recipes that you can cook without defrosting the meat to make on "one of those" weeknights.
Check out the recipes from the cookbook!
Pro Tips
- This recipe is on the "saucy" side and uses only 1 cup of penne since the main focus is the shrimp and not the pasta. But if you want to use more pasta, make sure to add same ratio of water. In other words, if you want to use 2 cups of pasta, add 2 cups of water. Keep in mind, you'll have to add more ingredients for extra sauce too.
- If you follow this instructions, you should NOT get the dreadful "Burn" message. But if you do get the message, turn off the Instant Pot. Manually depressurize the pot. Take the lid off, and stir and deglaze the bottom of the pot with a spatula until there is no food stuck to the bottom of the inner pot. If food is still stuck to the bottom, take out the content, and wash the pot well until there is no food left. Add the content back to the inner pot, add more sauce or water and continue to cook the pasta.
Substitutions
- If you are on the paleo diet, you can use any of your favorite grain-free pasta, like quinoa or chickpea pasta. If you need gluten-free pasta, like my family is, you can use brown rice or rice pasta, as per this recipe. Cook time might be different so read the cooking instructions for the past carefully. The rule of thumb for cooking pasta in the Instant Pot is usually ½ time indicated on the box. I usually cook one minute less than what the box indicates.
- If you want to use vegetables, like zoodles or spaghetti squash, be aware that they will create more liquid.
- If you want to use spaghetti pasta, you can cook the spaghetti pasta separately as it takes longer to cook than the shrimp.
- If you want to use zoodles, add them to the shrimp after the pot depressurizes, stir and close the lid for a few minutes. Serve immediately when zoodles are a little soft.
- You can tolerate cheese, grate pecorino Romano cheese on top before serving.
FAQ
I tried many different settings before finding the best setting for shrimp. But realize that the size of the shrimp matter greatly. So make sure you use Large shrimp for this recipe. Also, follow the directions precisely with sautéing and depressurizing. Otherwise, shrimp will be overcooked.
Glad you asked. Even though it takes very little time to cook shrimp on the stovetop, you still have to defrost the shrimp. Besides, in my opinion, cooking frozen shrimp in the Instant Pot under pressure keeps the flavors infused so much deeper.
Yes!! After many rounds of recipe testing, I discovered how easy it is to cook frozen meats without sacrificing flavor and texture. If you follow the tips and methods in this book, your family won't even know you used frozen meat!
Fresh shrimp takes only a couple of minutes to cook so sauté shrimp for for about a minute and set the time on the pressure cooker for 3 minutes. If shrimp size is smaller than Large, use less time.
Yes and no. When I tried using less liquid, the pasta didn't get cooked all the way since not all the pasta got immersed in the sauce. I rather use more liquid and cook the pasta completely than take a chance of having uncooked pasta. If you have more liquid/sauce at the end, save it for later and add cooked pasta.
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Recipe
Shrimp fra Diavolo over Penne
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb. frozen peeled and deveined large shrimp
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 3 cloves garlic pressed for finely minced
- 2 cups diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup white chardonnay or pinot grigio
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon or more red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup brown rice penne or you can use any of your favorite gluten-free pasta.
Instructions
- Rinse the frozen shrimp under the running cold water to rid of any debris. Set aside.
- Turn on the Instant Pot by pressing “SAUTÉ” and set to “MORE.” Insert the inner pot and wait until the panel says “HOT.”
- Add 1 tablespoon of EVOO to the inner pot. When the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic and sauté for one minute or until onion is soft. Add the shrimp and sauté for one minute. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, Italian seasoning, salt, red pepper flakes, bails, parsley and stir. Add the water and place the ziti on top but no mix. Make sure the pasta is submerged in liquid.
- Press “CANCEL.” Close the lid tightly and move the steam release handle to “SEALING.”
- Press “PRESSURE COOKER/MANUAL” button and set the timer for 5 minutes on LOW pressure.
- When the timer ends and the Instant Pot beeps, carefully turn the steam release handle to “VENTING,” press “CANCEL”, and allow the Instant Pot to depressurize quickly until the float valve drops down. Open the lid carefully. Mix the pasta and shrimp. If the pasta is cooked, ladle the pasta and shrimp into 4 bowls, garnish with remaining parsley and serve immediately. If the pasta is undercooked, leave the lid open and press “SAUTÉ” and simmer. Stir occasionally until it’s cooked al dente. Garnish with remaining parsley and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- You can use any of your favorite gluten-free pasta. If you're using vegetables, be aware that they will produce a lot more liquid so adjust the amount accordingly.
- This dish is on the saucy side. You can use more than 1 cup of penne if you'd like or save the sauce for leftover makeover later.
- If you want to use spaghetti squash as pasta, you can cook the spaghetti pasta separately as it takes longer to cook than shrimp.
- If you want to use spiralized zoodles, add them to the shrimp after the pot depressurizes, stir and close the lid for a few minutes. Serve immediately when zoodles are a little soft.
- You can tolerate cheese, grate pecorino romano cheese on top before serving.
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Sue says
It was delicious and made in a about 20. min. I put less of the hot pepper flakes
and was glad I did. I used pesto instead of Basil and that worked well I will make
this recipe again. I used frozen tomatoes from my garden and just cooked it a bit
longer.
Dr. Karen Lee says
Awwww...glad to hear you like the recipe! Pesto definitely works for this recipe!