Of all of the Instant Pot pasta recipes, this Instant Pot sausage pasta is one of our all-time favorites. One pot pasta recipes are great, and they are made even easier using an Instant Pot.
This Instant Pot pasta recipe is more than just adding any old pasta in the pot with water and turning it on. This sausage pasta recipe pulls it all together with seasoning, sauce, and sausage – without the need to cook the pasta beforehand. This saves you time and it’s super flavorful. We really love serving this with our favorite no knead bread and a kale salad to round out the meal. Add a martini maybe?
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We usually use macaroni because that’s what we often have on hand to create this Instant Pot pasta and sauce dish. We do love baked pasta too, like Ham And Pea Pasta Bake of course, but cooking pasta in the Instant Pot is really easy and you can have this dinner made for your family in no time!
How to Cook Pasta in the Instant Pot
People always ask: Can you cook pasta in an Instant Pot? How long do you cook pasta in an Instant Pot? Can you cook dry pasta in Instant Pot? Let me tell you, cooking pasta in the Instant Pot is effortless. I learned how to cook pasta in the Instant Pot when I first made Instant Pot Mac and Cheese. The basics are:
- Add liquids to the Instant Pot
- Add pasta to the Instant Pot, making sure it is covered by the liquids
- Add other ingredients on top of the pasta
- Set it*, forget it, natural release, and then quick release to serve
*typically pasta will take half of the listed cook time, or 1-2 minutes less.
The key is to add all the wet ingredients with the pasta and the other ingredients (like the sausage) on the top. The starch from the pasta helps to emulsify and thicken the sauce creating an amazing texture and taste. Some pasta recipes ask you to save some of the water that is used to cook the noodles so that you can add it to the sauce. With the Instant Pot, you don’t have to worry about this step and you get the same delicious results.
The real question is not how to cook pasta in the Instant Pot, but what Instant Pot pasta dishes should I make and what kinds of proteins should I use? Instant Pot pasta and sauce (a dish loved by every kid I know!) is very easy and versatile.
We also love Instant Pot pesto chicken pasta, Instant Pot Italian Chicken and Noodles, and Instant Pot Italian sausage pasta. Try Instant Pot Cajun pasta or Instant Pot Italian pasta for something zesty! One of our favorite, which is as easy as this dish, is the Instant Pot Spaghetti Bolognese. Variety is the spice of life so try them all!
How Does the Instant Pot Cook so Quickly?
The Instant Pot is a multi-cooker: a pressure cooker; steamer; rice cooker; Crock Pot (slow cooker), and other functions all in one, invented in 2008 by 3 Canadians. What allows this dish to cook in less than 10 minutes is the pressure cooker function of the Instant Pot. If you don’t have one already, you can check out Instant Pots here on Amazon!
The pressure cooker has been around for over 400 years and uses steam in an airtight container to increase the water temperature higher than the boiling point, so food cooks faster and locks in all the vitamins and nutrients in the dish. This results in a healthy and tasty Instant Pot pasta dish – no matter what you variety you of pasta dish you decide to make.
Enjoy this Instant Pot pasta recipe. When we first made this, our two year old boy ate three servings, so we know it’s a winner!
Instant Pot Pasta With Sausage
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ pound sausage smokies, sliced (I used 3)
- 1 ½ cup beef broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 8 ounces dry macaroni pasta
- 1 cup tomato pasta sauce
- 1 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- parsley optional, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to sautee and add sausages. Cook until browned and remove from Instant Pot.
- Put broth, cream, garlic powder, pepper and macaroni pasta in Instant Pot, making sure macaroni is covered by liquid (no need to stir). Add sausage on top of noodles.
- Using Manual setting, set for 3 minutes. Once complete, natural release for 3 minutes, then quick release.
- Stir well. Add sauce to macaroni and sausage and stir.
- Add about ¼ of the cheese and stir until combined. Repeat until all cheese is incorporated. Allow to rest for 3 minutes to thicken then serve! Add parsley garnish if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients or garnish and is an estimate. It may change based on actual ingredients and cooking methods used.
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Inspired by Cooking with Karli
I made it a little different (took the sausage out of the skin), added in some reduced wine and left out the mozzarella… was amazing! Also cooked on the stove as I don’t have a pressure cooker.
So glad you loved it Jess! Happy to know you cooked it on the stove with great success!
Like!!
Seems like a dish my kids will love and super easy too. Making this soon!
It’s easy and definitely kid approved! Enjoy!
I can’t wait to make this, I have been looking for more Instant Pot recipes since I got mine for Christmas! Thank you so much!
You’re so welcome! You’ll be so glad you did Bailey!