Instant Pot Sausage Pasta

Quick and easy instant pot sausage pasta that makes a simple 30 minute weeknight meal. It’s packed with tomato sauce, Italian flavors and sausages.

This delicious pasta is going to be a hit with your family! With the popularity of Instant Pot, I feel like everyone is looking for easy weeknight dinners now that come together quickly in less than 30 minutes. Some of my favorites are instant pot sausage recipes like my family’s smoked sausage recipe, pasta sauce, Instant Pot Sausage and Peppers or even this Instant Pot Sausage and Potatoes.

Key ingredients

• Oil– Adds flavor and moisture.
• Sausage– Use the links, cut into slices.
• Pasta sauce- Use 2 jars for saucier recipe.
• Water– Or you can use a low sodium vegetable broth.
• Italian seasoning- Brings in the classic Italian flavors.
• Red chili flakes- Adds a bit of a kick
• Pasta– Use penne for best results.
• Green peppers- Optional for instant pot sausage pepper pasta.

Variations for sausage penne pasta

• Pasta bake– Add this cooked pasta in an oven-safe dish and top it off with shredded cheese and bake for a few minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
• Add spinach- Put in 1 cup chopped fresh spinach near the end.
• Use broccoli- Add 1 cup roughly chopped broccoli near the end.
• Healthy version- Instead of regular sausage, use turkey sausages links.
• Creamy version- Add 1/2 cup cream cheese for a creamier sauce.
• Kielbasa pasta- Simply add in some kielbasa sausage to change things up a bit.
• Cajun pasta- Add in some cajun spice to take it up a notch.
• Substitute sausage- For a different meat like chicken, shrimp, or beef.

How to make sausage pasta in Instant pot or pressure cooker?

1. Cook the sausage– In the Instant Pot on the Sauté setting.
2. Add in- Pasta sauce, water, pasta, herbs, and spices.
3. Lock and seal lid– Then cook on Manual mode.
4. Set up venting- And release the pressure pressure.
5. Add green peppers– And place on Simmer mode for a few minutes until pasta is fully cooked.

What to serve with pasta

• Bread– Try breadsticks, dinner rolls, cheesy bread, garlic bread, or homemade biscuits.
• Vegetables– Such as Oven Roasted Vegetables (One Pan), fresh cut veggies with a side ranch, or even steamed vegetables will create a wonderful balanced meal.
• Salads- Like this Easy Green Salad (One Bowl), Easy Kale Salad (One Bowl), or this Best Summer Salad (One Bowl).

Tips and techniques

• Be sure to use sausage links- And not ground sausage in this recipe.
• Adjust the amount of red chili flakes– Based on your personal preference.
• Don’t add the green peppers in the beginning– Because then they will become very soft.
• Don’t cook the pasta for too long– Because the pasta will become a disgusting, over-cooked mess.
• Either water or broth can be used– Obviously, broth adds a little more flavor but make sure it’s low sodium.
• Use the full 2 jars of pasta- If you want this recipe to be very saucy. I personally used just one jar for a less saucy version.

Recipe FAQs

Storage

• Make ahead- This can be made earlier, if needed. Just let cool and place in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw and reheat to serve.
• Refrigerate– Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat before serving.
• Freeze– Store leftovers in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat before serving.
• Reheat– Place in a microwave safe container and place in the microwave to reheat to desired temperature. You can also reheat in a pan on the stovetop.

More Easy Sausage Recipes

• Instant Pot Jambalaya (Chicken, Sausage, Shrimp)
• Sausage and Rice (One Pot)
• Sausage Stuffing (One Pot)
• Fried Sausage and Cabbage (One Pot)
• Oven Roasted Sausage and Vegetables (One Pan)
• One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta

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Instant Pot Sausage Pasta

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Quick and easy instant pot sausage pasta that makes a simple 30 minute weeknight meal. It’s packed with tomato sauce, Italian flavors and sausages.  

Yield: 4 People

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Oil
• 4-5 Italian sausage links, Slices
• 2 jars Pasta sauce, 24 oz bottles
• 3 cups Water, Or vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp Red chili flakes
• 17 oz Penne pasta
• 1/2 cup Green peppers, Finely chopped, Optional

Instructions 

• Add oil in an Instant Pot and set it on the Sauté mode.
  
• Sauté sausage until half cooked. 
• Add pasta sauce, water, Italian seasoning, red chili flakes, penne pasta.
• Mix. Lock the lid with the sealed setting. 
• Set Manual mode and set it to 7 minutes or until al dente. 
• Then, set the knob to Venting to manually release the pressure. 
• Remove the lid and add green peppers. Mix. 
• If the pasta is not fully cooked, set the Instant Pot to Simmer and cook it for a few more minutes until pasta is tender to your liking. Enjoy!

Notes

• Read all my tips above.
• If you like your pasta with a lot of sauce, use both the jars of pasta sauce or else, just use 1 jar of sauce.
• Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheated in the microwave. 

Nutrition

Calories: 903kcal, Carbohydrates: 92g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 44g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 85mg, Sodium: 840mg, Potassium: 600mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 125IU, Vitamin C: 17.2mg, Calcium: 71mg, Iron: 3.4mg

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Calories: 903

Author: Abeer