Instant Pot Bagels Lox and Cream Cheese Pasta [Recipe + Video] (2024)

Instant Pot Bagels Lox and Cream Cheese Pasta is perfect for Sunday brunch. ‘Bagels, Lox and Cream Cheese’ reimagined into a wagon wheel pasta meal, in about 20 minutes!

One of the best meals in the world are bagels, lox and cream cheese.

Don’t forget to add thinly sliced onion on top of the cream cheese, then the nova (or lox) and finish it up with a thick slice of beefsteak tomato with a sprinkling of Kosher Salt.

It is what Jews grow up on, but bagels, lox and cream cheese is loved by so many.

Sushi bars make a roll called Philadelphia roll, which uses rice instead of a bagel and raw salmon instead of lox or nova. It’s one of my favorite sushi rolls.

My Instant Pot Pasta Lox and Cream Cheese is just as fantastic as a Philly roll!

Ingredients for Instant Pot Bagels Lox and Cream Cheese Pasta

• Shallots or Onions
• Butter
• Cream and Water
• Nova Scotia Lox
• White Pepper and Salt

Garnishes of dill weed and capers are nice and add yummy flavor.

I love Jewish recipes, clearly because I am Jewish, but also because they are so delicious.

My Instant Pot Noodle Kugel is so delicious. If you love egg noodles, sweet cheese (like you find inside a cheese danish and raisins, my kugel is for you.

My oven method for my Grandma Rose’s Noodle Kugel is also wonderful.

It is always important to heat up the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker before adding a fat.

This will help the stainless steel cooking pot become non stick.

What is Lox?

• Lox is a fillet of salmon that has been brined in course salt, which preserves and seasons the salmon.
• It is actually quite salty and is one of the types of salmon served on a bagel with cream cheese.
• The word lox comes from the Yiddish word for salmon.
• A less salty version is called Nova or Nova Scotia.

In Scandinavian countries, lox is known as gravlax.

This di Oro silicone spatulaa holds up well in high heat and the tips will never burn or melt. I adore that it never gunks up since it is just one solid piece of spatula.

What is Nova Lox?

• Nova or Nova Scotia is cold cured with a milder brine and is less salty than lox.
• Much of the salmon in New York came from Nova Scotia.
• The name Nova now just refers to the less salty version of lox, as salmon comes from all over and is also farm raised.

My Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage + Video! recipe also has some roots in Nova Scotia in regards to the corned beef. I bet if you love that recipe, you will love Instant Pot pasta Lox and Cream Cheese just as well.

Whenever you are cooking pasta, you want to make sure to salt the pasta water really well.

This way, the seasonings get into each piece of pasta.

What Kind of Pasta To Use?

Any type of pasta that you want to use is fine. The cook time will depend on the type of pasta and the pasta cooking directions.

I love the wagon wheels pasta because for this recipe, it is like a bagel.

The sauce clings to wagon wheels really well, because of the grooves. This ensures full flavor in every bite. But truthfully, I chose them because they are like little bagels.

I like white pepper in this recipe, but black pepper works well too.

I use white pepper in a lot of Asian recipes like my Instant Pot Chinese Hot and Sour Soup. It adds a special flavor. I suppose I should joke about the connection with Jews and Chinese restaurants, but….I think most of you will get it.

You can see that nothing is sticking to the pot. It is because we first heated up the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker first before adding the butter.

When cooking with wine, it is never, ever, ever, ever recommended to use a bottle labeled “cooking wine.” Please if you ever see a recipe calling for cooking wine, run in the opposite direction.

Use any type of good dry white wine that you would enjoy drinking. If you are not a wine drinker, you can ask a friend or at the wine shop.

Is Instant Pot Pasta Lox and Cream Cheese Dairy?

Yes, since butter and cream cheese are dairy and the lox is paerve, Instant Pot Pasta Lox and Cream Cheese conforms to kashrut specifications and would be considered a dairy meal.

Comparing to bagel, lox and cream cheese, which is dairy and Kosher (assuming the milk comes from Kosher cows), the pasta is replaced for the bagel and cream is added.

Isn’t is great to be able to cook the pasta in the same pot as the other ingredients at the same time?

So, if you close your eyes, you will see little bagel halves.

The wagon wheels pasta really makes Instant Pot Pasta Lox and Cream Cheese so much fun to eat.

There will be a little liquid left in the pot. This is the start of our sauce.

How Long to Cook Instant Pot Pasta Lox and Cream Cheese

This depends on the pasta you have chosen to use.

Please refer to the package directions and use my rule of thumb (found below) for cooking pasta.

When cooking pasta in an Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker, it is very important to use a very short cook time, so that the pasta is still very firm and not completely cooked.

Cream cheese will melt nicely into the pasta. If there are chucks, don’t worry about it. Makes it all the better.

Why is Pasta Not Cooked Completely When Using Instant Pot?

• It is intentional.
• The pasta will continue to absorb the liquid after pressure is released.
• If you add ingredients like cream cheese, cheese, tomatoes, butter, etc., into the hot pot to melt, remember, the pasta will continue cooking.

So, make sure to always under cook the pasta and give yourself time to mix in the rest of the ingredients. This will ensure that your pasta is perfectly al dente after pressure release.

Cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes stand up nicely in Instant Pot Bagels Lox and Cream Cheese Pasta.

They won’t turn to mush and fall a part while they are being mixed through with the pasta.

To keep the nice color of the Nova Scotia Lox, wait to add it to the pot until you are ready to serve.

You can also lay it right over the wagon wheel pasta in individual bowls and then serve.

This will keep the lox or nova from cooking and turning an orange color.

I added it in too early, as you will see in the video and the heat cooked the nova. While it was still delicious, my opinion is that it is even better added at the last minute.

A perfect miniature Bagel, Lox and Cream Cheese in pasta form.

Ed is watching closely or maybe he wants that bite I just pulled from the bowl.

As I am tasting this, I am thinking that this recipe would be so good cold.

Can Instant Pot Pasta Lox and Cream Cheese be Eaten Cold?

• Oh my gosh, yes, yes, yes.
• In fact, Instant Pot Cream Cheese Lox & Pasta is awesome as a cold pasta salad.
• Let the pasta cool before adding in the tomatoes and the nova or lox.
• It is perfect to bring to picnics, parties and after funerals.

Jews “sit shiva” after a funeral. During this week long time of sitting shiva, we bring tons of food to the home of the person who just buried their family member or close friend.

In fact, we bring enough food to last at least a week, in order to give the person time to go through the stages of losing a loved one; grieving and reflecting without having to cook and worry about food.

A “wake” can take place before or after a funeral. Food is also brought by mourners.

If you prefer the tomatoes to be cooked, allow them to sit in the cooking pot for a few minutes before serving, so they can wilt a bit.

Watch the video below as I walk you through every step and detail of this recipe. I’ve given you a ton of information above, but sometimes a visual of the process helps so you can follow along. I have my own cooking show on my YouTube Channel, so be sure to check it out and subscribe!

Watch my video and then scroll to the bottom for the printable recipe card.

We are kinda silly, huh?

Tips and Tricks for Instant Pot Bagels Lox and Cream Cheese Pasta

1. Use a pasta like wagon wheels, which helps the sauce to cling to the pasta.
2. Remove cream cheese from refrigerator, so that when it is time to be added, it is not raging cold. This will help the cream cheese to melt faster.
3. Add the nova or lox right before serving. If you mix it in while the pot is screaming hot, the lox will cook and change color.

You sure do not have to be Jewish to enjoy Instant Pot Pasta Lox and Cream Cheese.

In fact, even if you do not enjoy lox or Nova, but love salmon, make this recipe.

Add the salmon in with the tomatoes and it will cook and taste similar to smoked salmon.

More Instant Pot Crossover to Pasta Recipes to Make:

• Instant Pot Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
• Pressure Cooker Bruschetta Chicken with Zoodles [Low Carb]
• Pressure Cooker Steak Fajitas Pasta
• Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken [Pasta Option]

I wish you all l’chaim!

Kitchen Equipment and Essentials

• Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker
• J.A. Henckels Classic 7-inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife
• J.A. Henckels Classic 8 inch Chef’s Knife
• Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
• Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
• Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
• di Oro Living Silicone Spatulas Set
• Porcelain & Bamboo Salt Box with Spoon
• My FANTASTIC Teak Cutting & Charcuterie Board & Compartments
• Wagon Wheels Pasta

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