One of my “Air Fryer Recipes for Beginners” Facebook page followers recently asked for my help with one of her desired air fryer pasta meals. She was wondering if Knorr’s Sidekicks could be made in the air fryer. Cliff Notes: They can.
After checking the Knorr website, I noted that it would take some trial and error since they didn’t include air fryer instructions on their website. I like to test out new things so I agreed to figure out the air fryer pasta recipe for the White Cheddar & Broccoli dish. (That’s the one that she will be cooking the most since it’s her family’s favorite.)
I was so confused when I couldn’t find the Sidekicks at local stores or on Amazon Fresh. Silly me. I sometimes forget that readers are spread across the world. The mom who made the request is from Nova Scotia (Canada) so I was able to order it from Amazon.
How To Make Knorr White Cheddar & Broccoli Sidekick In An Air Fryer
Preheat the air fryer to 390°F for 3-5 minutes.
In a medium air-fryer-safe dish (that has been sprayed or brushed with oil), combine the water, milk, and butter.
Stir in the contents of the Knorr Sidekick package.
Place the uncovered dish in the air fryer basket and let the pasta cook for 18-20 minutes at 390°F. (Open the basket and stir the pasta mix at the 10-minute mark before closing it and continuing to cook the dish.) You can start to check at the 18 minutes mark to see if the pasta is tender.
Take the dish out of the air fryer and let it stand for 3-5 minutes to thicken before stirring and serving.
My family really enjoyed the resulting flavorful, cheesy dish. I hope that your family enjoys this recipe too – especially if you live in Canada!
Air Fryer Pasta Recipe
Easy Air Fryer Pasta
How to make Knorr White Cheddar & Broccoli Sidekick in an air fryer.
Ingredients
- 1 package Knorr White Cheddar & Broccoli Sidekick
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 390°F for 3-5 minutes.
- In a medium air-fryer-safe dish, combine the water, milk, and butter.
- Stir in the contents of the Knorr Sidekick package.
- Place the uncovered dish in the air fryer basket and let the pasta cook for 18-20 minutes at 390°F. (Open the basket and stir the pasta mix at the 10-minute mark before closing it and continuing to cook the dish.) You can start to check at the 18 minutes mark to see if the pasta is tender.
- Take the dish out of the air fryer and let it stand for 3-5 minutes before stirring and serving.
Additional Tips
- I basically used the recipe ingredients on the back of the package. I just substituted whole milk for 1% milk and butter for margarine.
- For the dish to cook the pasta in, I used the cake barrel pan from an Air Fryers Accessories set that I bought on Amazon.
FAQs
- Can pasta be cooked in the air fryer? Yes!
- How long should you cook pasta in the air fryer? It depends on the pasta dish. This one took 18-20 minutes.
- Can you boil in an air fryer? No. (You don’t need to boil the pasta to make it tender though. No boil air fryer pasta is just as delicious.)
My family really enjoyed the resulting flavorful, cheesy dish. I hope that your family enjoys this recipe too – especially if you live in Canada!
P.S. I have 20+ air fryer recipes from my “Air Fryer Recipes for Beginners” Facebook page that I will be moving over to the blog this month – including an air fryer mac and cheese one.
In my opinion, it’s easier to search for recipes on websites/blogs than on social media. I don’t keep a lot of information in my brain so I actually look at my own recipes when I want to remake most dishes!