Instant Pot Sausage Pasta Recipe

4.84 from 6 votes

Instant Pot Sausage Pasta Recipe

Instant Pot Italian Sausage Pasta is a one pot, creamy pasta dish that comes together in under 30 minutes. Best of all, this is a no-drain pasta recipe that creates a rich, creamy sauce right in the pressure cooker.

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: easy pasta dinner, instant pot, one pot meal, one-pan pasta

Servings:

Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef

Cost: $10.00

Equipment

Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 pound Ground Italian Sausage
6 cups Chicken Broth (I use regular, not low-sodium broth)
1 pound Dry Orecchiette Pasta (see note)
2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped or grated
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
4 cups chopped Curly Leaf Kale (discard stems; see note)
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
Grated parmesan cheese, for serving
Black pepper or red pepper flakes, for serving

Instructions

Turn on the Instant Pot’s saute function to Normal / Medium.
Add olive oil and when it begins to shimmer, add the Italian sausage. Cook the sausage, breaking it apart, until cooked through and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
Turn off the saute function and slowly pour in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
Add the pasta, garlic, and salt. Gently stir the pasta and the sausage together, making sure that all of the pasta is submerged in liquid. Add some additional stock or water, if needed, so that all of the pasta is covered.
Add the kale leaves on top, but do not stir them in.
Close and lock the lid.
Set the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on manual / high pressure for 2 minutes. (Note: The Instant Pot may take up to 20 minutes to come to full pressure and start counting down.)
Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then quick release any remaining pressure. (Be careful as the liquids may splatter. Cover the pressure valve with a dishtowel to help contain the spray.)
Add the heavy cream to the pasta and stir well. (Note: The sauce will continue to thicken the longer it sits, so even if it seems soupy as you add the heavy cream, it will continue to thicken into a rich, creamy sauce over the next few minutes. You can leave the lid on and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving if you’d like it to thicken.)
Serve in bowls with spoons to scoop up the flavorful sauce. Top with parmesan cheese. You can add some black pepper and / or red pepper flakes on top.

Notes

Pasta - Other small pasta shapes like macaroni or medium shells should work as a substitute for the orecchiette pasta. Look for something with a recommended cook time of 9 to 10 minutes for the best results. In testing, larger pasta shapes like penne and farfalle did not work as well.

Kale - 4 cups of chopped curly leaf kale is about one bunch or 6 large leaves. To save time, look for pre-shredded, pre-washed kale sold in the produce section at many grocery stores. Toss out any large pieces of stems that you see in the bag, but small pieces of stems will get tender as they cook. You can substitute baby spinach, but don’t stir it into the pasta until after the pasta is done cooking. It will wilt right into the hot pasta.

Nutrition