After visiting the absolutely breathtaking countries of Italy and Greece (seriously, these places are amongst the finest on earth), I had to come up with a dish that paid sublime homage to these lands.
And that means Italian food combined with Greek. A pasta infused by the Greek Gods. How about Fettuccine + Feta? WAIT A SECOND – I’M ONTO SOMETHING HERE. FETA-CCINE!
That’s right! I’ve created one of the best, most unique and easiest pastas – Greek FETAccine (Fettuccine)! I do love puns.
One bite of this rich feta-infused red sauce and it’ll transport anyone’s palate right to the Mediterranean. And your Instant Pot is going to be what helps make this happen!
Here’s How I Made It!:
Begin with a red onion…
…and dice it up.
Then take a green bell pepper…
…and do the same.
Now, take some butter and add it to your heated Instant Pot.
Once it melts and bubbles…
…add in the peppers and onions…
…and stir then up so they’re coated with the butter.
Allow it to cook for about 3-5 minutes until they soften a bit.
Now add in a little garlic and stir/cook for another minute.
Now it’s time to add in some marinara sauce. (Use a good one – one that nonna would approve of!)
And then add in some Garlic Better Than Bouillon mixed with some water to form a garlic broth (you can use Chicken Better Than Bouillon too!)
Now let’s season it up by adding in some dried basil…
…and Cavender’s Greek Seasoning (which is optional, but Greek seasoning in a Greek pasta? Yes please).
Stir everything together well.
Now take a box of fettuccine pasta and, in batches, break it in half…
…so it looks like this when done. DO NOT STIR it with the sauce. Just let it rest so it looks like this.
Top it off with some baby spinach (it’s okay if it comes to the brim), secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
When the lid comes off, it’ll look like this.
So give everything a toss so the spinach mixes in with the fettuccine and sauce.
Now you’re gonna want to add in some fabulous tzatziki (or Greek yogurt)…
…and stir that in until melded with the sauce.
Time to add some raw, thawed shrimp (peeled, tail-off and deveined is best)!
And stir them into the pasta.
The heat of the pot’s contents will quickly cook the shrimp and after stirring for about 2 minutes, the shrimp will curl and become white with a touch of pink in color. That’s how you know it’ll be done (of course, you can always cut on open too to check).
Now it’s time to turn this fettuccine into FETA-ccine! Add in some of that wonderful, crumbled Greek feta cheese.
…as well as some Kalamata olives (whole or sliced, just make sure they’re pitted).
Stir both into the sauce (the feta won’t really meld due to its nature which is perfect for texture) and there you have it! Greek FETAccine pasta!
Put some in some bowls…
…making sure we have plenty of shrimp with each serving…
…top with some more feta just for the heck of it…
…stick a fork in it…
…feed a loved one (or many loved ones) and OPA! They’ll love you even more!
Enjoy!
Instant Pot Greek FETAccine (Fettuccine)
When you add the best flavors of Greece such as kalamata olives and feta cheese into a pasta, you get nothing other than the amazing Greek FETAccine!
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) of salted butter
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 tbsp of sliced, crushed or minced garlic
- 2 cups of garlic broth (I used 2 tsp of Garlic Better Than Bouillon + 2 cups of water but you can also use Chicken Better Than Bouillon/chicken broth instead and it will still be great)
- 3 cups of marinara sauce (use a good one like Victoria or Rao’s)
- 2 tsp of dried sweet basil
- 1 tsp of Cavendar’s Greek Seasoning (optional)
- 1 lb (1 box) of Fettuccine
- 5-8 oz of baby spinach
- 1 lb of raw shrimp, peeled & deveined
- A heaping 1/4 cup of Tzatziki (or Greek yogurt)
- 1-2 cups of Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced (or unsliced is fine too)
- 1-2 cups of crumbled Feta cheese, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Add the butter to the Instant Pot (I used a 6qt), hit “Sauté” and adjust so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting. Once the butter’s melted and sizzling, add in the onions and peppers and cook for 3-5 minutes until a bit softened. Then, add the garlic and stir for another 1-2 minutes more
- Next, add in the marinara sauce, the broth, dried basil and Greek seasoning (if using). Stir everything together well
- Then, break the pasta in half and add it to the pot BUT DO NOT STIR. Just allow it to be as submerged under the liquid as possible by gently smoothing out with a mixing spoon (it is okay if some of the pasta is sticking out above the liquid). Top off with the spinach and, again, DO NOT STIR. (Note: It’s going to feel like there’s a LOT of spinach in there and it will come up to the brim of the pot, but don’t worry – it cooks down into nothing!)
- Secure the lid and hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 8 minutes (9 for softer noodles). Quick release when done and stir everything up so the spinach gets mixed up with the fettuccine (Note: If the pasta seems a little firm/al dente at this point, don’t worry. It will soften with the heat of the pot as we aren’t quite done yet)
- Add in the Tzatziki (or Greek yogurt). Stir until well combined and the sauce will begin to slightly thicken
- Next, stir in the shrimp for about 2 minutes. The heat from the sauce will cook them perfectly and it will be done once they’ve curled and are white with just a slight touch of pink in color
- Lastly, add in the feta and olives and stir in well (the feta won’t meld much into the sauce but this is perfect for the texture we want)
- Transfer to a serving dish, top each portion with a little more crumbled feta (if desired) and Opa!
Jeffrey's Tips
If you want chicken instead of shrimp or in addition to the shrimp, add in 1lb of a breast or thigh cut into cubes while adding the garlic (end of Step 1) and lightly sear until it turns white on the edges and then continue with the recipe.
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