They who say “hay is for horses” are severely misinformed.
I’ll start by saying this is one of my favorite pasta dishes ever.
I used to always order it at The Cheesecake Factory but they 86’d it from the menu ages ago. Ever since, I’ve been on a mission to make one equally as good or better. I’m happy to report that I just did.
They call it Straw & Hay because of its playful look of combining egg fettuccine (yellow, the color of straw) and spinach fettuccine (green, the color of hay) and then coated in a creamy, rich, garlic cheese sauce (look for my secret ingredient) and tossed with loads of peas and diced prosciutto (which is the best form of bacon ever – leave it out if you’re a vegetarian).SO yeah…it’s basically the finest comfort pasta of all time. And not only are the flavors abundant, it’s so beautiful and fun to look and COULDN’T BE EASIER to make in your Instant Pot!
Here’s How I Made It!:
First off, take a package of frozen peas out of your freezer so they thaw out a bit.
Then take some pretty shallots…
…and dice ’em up!
Now go to the Instant Pot and add in some butter, give it some heat…
…and once it melts and bubbles…
…add in some diced prosciutto! This stuff is like the best kind of bacon ever once cooked. (You can also use a very thick cut bacon cut up or diced pancetta but, while awesome, it’s not as bacon-like.)
Coat it in the butter cook for a few in the pot until it’s browned a bit.
Then, take slotted spoon and transfer the prosciutto to a bowl lined with a paper towel and set aside for later (we aren’t going to pressure cook the prosciutto because it will come out overdone).
Now add some olive oil to the pot…
…and once it’s heated, add in the shallots.
Deglaze (scrape) the bottom of the pot to remove any prosciutto grease that may have stuck on. The moisture released from the shallots will help this.
After a few moments, the shallots will begin to brown.
That’s our cue to add in some sliced garlic…
…and cook it until it’s browned and the shallots are very browned and maybe even a little crispy – just like this photo above!
Add some garlic (or chicken) broth and add it to the pot and then deglaze the bottom once more.
And now it’s time to see where this pasta got its name and add in our straw & hay! We will take both egg fettuccine (yellow, the color of straw) and spinach fettuccine (green, the color of hay)…
…break it in half…
…and add it to the pot!
Make sure the fettuccine is submerged under all the broth but DO NOT STIR. Secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
When done, give the pasta a stir and you’ll see it will have cooked perfectly. And don’t worry about all that broth left – it’s soon going to become a thick, creamy, luscious sauce.
Okay. And now for my secret ingredient: BOURSIN! Yes! That very same cream cheese-like spread everyone goes nuts for at parties.
Break it up into little pieces…
…and then add it to the pot.
Stir it up until it fully melds in with the sauce.
The we’ll add in our peas (which should be mostly thawed by now and it’s perfectly fine if they aren’t fully thawed yet as these get heated very quickly once stirred with hot items)…
…and our prosciutto.
Stir them together with everything in the pot.
And finally, add in some heavy cream…
…and grated parmesan.
Give it all a final stir so everything is combined and let set for a moment before serving…
…into a beautiful bowl.
Who says hay is for horses? Now feel praised and loved by everyone you make this for!
Enjoy!
Instant Pot Straw & Hay Pasta
I simply love this pasta. It's so beautiful (not to mention delicious) to see the egg fettuccine (straw) and spinach fettuccine (hay) tangle themselves together tossed in a bacon-y, Parmesan sauce.
Ingredients
- 10 oz box of frozen peas, thawed (they don’t need to be fully thawed, but take them out of the freezer first thing before you begin cooking)
- 2 tbsp of salted butter
- 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large shallots, diced
- 8 oz of diced prosciutto (or diced pancetta)
- 2 tbsp of sliced garlic
- 4 cups of garlic broth (I used 4 tsp of Garlic Better Than Bouillon + 4 cups of water but you can also use chicken broth instead)
- 8 oz (half a 16 oz box) of egg (regular) fettuccine
- 8 oz (half a 16 oz box) of spinach fettuccine
- 5.2 oz package of Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs Cheese (or Boursin Shallot & Chive Cheese), cut into small crumbles (SECRET INGREDIENT! This is usually always found in the deli/cheese/cured meat section of any market and Costco sells it in packs of 3. If you cannot find it, 5 oz from a brick of cream cheese will do)
- 1/4 cup of heavy cream
- 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping if desired
Instructions
- Take the peas out of the freezer to thaw
- Place the butter and olive oil in the Instant Pot. Hit “Sauté” and “Adjust” so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting and wait until the butter has melted and the oil sizzles
- Add the prosciutto and cook for 3 minutes, until slightly browned in color. When done, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl lined with a paper towel (we don’t want to pressure cook this because it will become too well done)
- Now, add in the shallots and cook for 3 minutes until they’ve softened and browned. As you cook the shallots, deglaze (scrape) the bottom of the pot to get up any prosciutto grease so it mixes with the oil
- Toss in the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes more until lightly browned (the shallots will get nice and browned and even a little crispy by this point)
- Pour in the garlic broth and deglaze the bottom of the pot while doing so
- Break the fettuccine in half and place it in the pot, pushing it all down under the liquid but NOT stirring
- Secure the lid and hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 7 minutes. Quick release when done and give it all a good stir
- Stir in the Boursin cheese and stir until fully melded and combined
- Add the prosciutto back in as well as the peas (it’s okay if they’re still a little frozen) and stir well for about a minute
- Finish by adding in the heavy cream and Parmesan. Let sit for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally and it will thicken up into an incredible sauce, coating all the pasta perfectly
- Transfer to a serving bowl, plate it up and top it off with a little extra Parmesan if you wish
- Enjoy!
Jeffrey's Tips
Make it vegetarian by omitting the prosciutto and subbing in another veggie – like mushrooms! Just sauté them in the butter like you would the prosciutto with the shallots, but no need to remove with a slotted spoon.
Hate peas? No worries! Leave them out or sub for whatever other veggie you like! Mushrooms would go great if you want to add 8-16 oz of sliced Baby Bellas and sauté with the shallots and add another 2 tbsp of butter!
Alvin
OMG this looks incredible! Gonna make it tonight!
Denise Gallagher
I wasn’t expecting this to turn out as good as it did. It was VERY good! I subbed 12 0z cut-up bacon in place of the prosciutto. Certainly a do-over!