This tasty Instant Pot Italian Sausage Pasta recipe is a quick and easy recipe perfect for an easy weeknight dinner. The best part about this recipe is that the pasta and sauce are cooked together, from scratch. So there’s no need for jar pasta sauce. [Stovetop instructions also provided.]
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Can you cook pasta in an Instant Pot? The answer is a resounding YES! This penne with sausage in tomato cream sauce is a recipe I’ve been making for many years, but I’d never tried it in the Instant Pot before.
Instant Pot pasta can be touch-and-go if you’re adapting your own recipe for the first time. The hardest thing to figure out is how long to cook pasta in an Instant Pot.
I combined my homemade pasta sauce recipe with my Penne with Sausage recipe (which I’ve not posted on the blog, and I was so pleased with the result!
I think that any substantial pasta, such as penne, farfalle, or ziti, works best for this recipe. I like to make this recipe with penne pasta, and the timing works perfectly for it.
Gluten-free or thin pastas will not work with these timings; you’ll have to experiment with the timings.
I keep reading about how we Instant Pot users have become sort of cult-like, enthusiastically promoting the Instant Pot to anyone who’ll listen. Well, this recipe is an example of why we evangelize!
On a really busy day, I was able to create from scratch (umm, except for the pasta – I did not make the pasta!) a home-made Instant Pot sausage and pasta dish within 30 minutes, that fed my entire family.
And the hands-on time was less than 10 minutes. And I didn’t need to watch the dish. I just left it and went about my business; I came back when the timer went off. A salad and some fresh bread, and voila – a meal that everyone loved!
Ingredients and Tips
🧂 Ingredients You’ll Need For Sausage Pasta Instant Pot Recipe
💡 Recipe and Ingredient Tips
🌶️ Spice: If you love spicy foods, add more crushed red pepper or use a spicy sausage. I do both to increase the flavor in this pasta dish.
🌿 Seasonings: Swap dried basil and oregano with dried Italian seasoning for convenience and more complex flavor.
🍲 Broth: The recipe allows for using broth or water, but broth adds more depth. The penne absorbs the broth, making the dish more flavorful.
🥛 Cream: For a healthier twist, replace heavy cream with half-and-half. For a creamier, slightly tart flavor, try substituting with cream cheese or mascarpone cheese.
🍯 Sugar: A little sugar balances the acidity of the tomatoes. You can substitute it with grated carrots for a natural sweetness.
🧀 Cheese: Freshly grated Parmesan cheese adds maximum flavor!
🍖 Sausage: Use either mild or hot Italian sausage depending on your preference. I usually buy Italian sausage links and remove the casing for easier cooking. For a meatier dish, add an extra ¼ lb of sausage.
- If you want to switch things up, substitute ground Italian sausage, ground beef, boneless skinless chicken (cubed), turkey sausage, or chicken sausage.
- Add extra Italian seasoning and fennel seeds for that Italian sausage flavor if using plain ground meat. Smoked sausage also works well.
🍅 Tomatoes: The recipe uses a large can of crushed tomatoes for a rich, tomato-forward flavor. The cream helps balance this out. If you’d prefer less tomato flavor, use ½ to ¾ of the can.
- You can also swap crushed tomatoes for a jar of marinara or spaghetti sauce. Just adjust the spices and salt accordingly.
- To avoid the Instant Pot’s burn notice, add the tomatoes at the end without stirring.
- If you want to stretch the meal or reduce the tomato intensity, add an extra 4 ounces of pasta—no other changes are needed.
❓FAQS
If you find the pasta to be too saucy, add in some extra cooked pasta this time. Next time you make it, add an extra 2 to 4 ounces of pasta, with no other changes required to the recipe. If the liquid doesn’t cover the pasta, add a tablespoon or two of broth on top of the pasta.
To make it healthier, cook the meat and drain the fat completely, use chicken sausage or omit the meat entirely and add more vegetables, or use half and half instead of cream.
Make sure that you deglaze and scrape the bottom of the pot really well before pressure cooking. Also, don’t stir the pasta. Just add them on top and gently press down to make sure the pasta is submerged. If you’re still having issues, increase the liquid by ¼ cup. Find out how to avoid the food burn Instant Pot message.
Yes, you can double the recipe with no changes to cook time. Make sure the food doesn’t go over the ½ full mark.
Yes, you can use mushrooms, peas, or any other vegetable. Spinach can be stirred in at the end after the cooking is complete.
If you find that the pasta is overcooking and you prefer it more al dente, reduce the cooking time by 1 minute.
✏️ Important Tips for Making Pasta in the Instant Pot
- To avoid the Instant Pot food burn message, add the dry pasta at the end right before pressure cooking, and don’t stir it. Just push down on it with a spatula until the pasta is submerged in the liquid.
- Any type of pasta shape (shells, spiral, penne, farfalle, ziti, rigatoni) will work for this recipe, but you may need to change the cooking time. I use the Barilla brand of pasta.
- The general rule of thumb for cooking pasta in the Instant Pot is to take the time that the pasta box says, divide by 2 and add 1. e.g. if the stovetop cooking time on the pasta box is listed as 8 minutes, you would pressure cook for 5 minutes (8 divided by 2 = 4; 4 + 1 = 5).
- For al dente pasta, pressure cook for half the time recommended on the box.
- The longer the pasta sits in the Instant Pot, the more it cooks. So, it’s important to release pressure as soon as cooking is complete. To avoid a mess, release the pressure in bursts, as detailed in how to natural release Instant Pot.
How to make Italian Sausage Pasta
⏲️ Instant Pot Method
- Saute meat and onions.
- Add seasoning and pasta.
- Pressure cook pasta.
- Stir in cream and garnish with parsley and parmesan.
- Once the inner pot has preheated, add oil to the inner pot and let it heat up.
- Add meat and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. If the meat browns too quickly, press Cancel until the the pot cools down a bit and select Saute again. Deglaze as needed with a tablespoon of broth.
- Add onions and garlic.
- Stir the onions and garlic and cook on Sauté mode until translucent. Deglaze the bottom of the Instant Pot with white wine, stirring until the liquid has nearly evaporated. Once the sausage and onion mixture has cooked, press Cancel to turn Instant Pot off.
- Add bell pepper, sugar, basil, oregano, salt, black pepper.
- Add broth or water. Stir to combine.
- Add pasta to the pot, but don’t stir in. Gently push down with a spatula so the pasta is submerged.
- Add the tomato sauce to cover the pasta, but don’t stir. Layering ingredients this way helps avoid the Burn message.
- Close the Instant Pot lid.
- Program the Instant Pot to Manual or Pressure Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
- The display will go from On to 5:00. The float valve will go up after a few minutes. The display will count down to 00:00.
- Do a quick release of pressure. Once the float valve goes down, the lid can be opened.
✏️ Pro Tip for Releasing Pressure in Small Bursts
- For some foods such as noodles, I find it helpful to release the steam in small bursts: less than 1-second intervals. Once the steam coming out is less forceful, release the remaining pressure in a steady stream. Read more about the different pressure release methods.
- Once you open the lid, there might seem to be more liquid than you’d like, but don’t worry, the liquid will get absorbed by the pasta as it rests.
- Stir in cream.
- Stir in parsley.
- Select Saute function and simmer the pasta and sausage for a couple of minutes until heated through. Let the penne rest for a few minutes and it will thicken up. Sprinkle each serving of the creamy sausage pasta with grated parmesan, parsley, and red pepper flakes (if using).
♨️ Stovetop Method
- Make the Marinara Sauce
– Saute onions and garlic.
– Stir in tomatoes and simmer.Stir in seasonings and simmer. - Cook pasta according to box directions, drain, and set aside.
- Brown the sausage in oil.
- Add bell pepper and sauté until crisp-tender.
- Deglaze with white wine.
- Stir in cooked plain pasta, tomato sauce, and cream.
- Simmer until heated through.
- Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan and parsley, and crushed red pepper, if using.
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Try Another Instant Pot Recipe
- Cajun Chicken Pasta is a spicy pasta dish with chicken, sausage, peppers, and Cajun spices that’s sure to please.
- Vegetarian Rigatoni is a vegetarian adaptation of rigatoni bolognese that’s an easy one-pot meal.
- Another Cajun favorite recipe is Instant Pot red beans and rice. This is one of the most comforting meals you will try!
- Chicken Tikka Masala Pasta is a one-pot curry chicken pasta dish with Indian spices that can be made on the stovetop or Instant Pot.
- For a kid-friendly pasta favorite that’s an easy one-pot recipe try Instant Pot mac and cheese !
Instant Pot Sausage Pasta in a Tomato Cream Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil (Use 2 tablespoon for stovetop version)
- 1 lb Italian sausage (500 grams) casing removed, cut into ½ inch chunks
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup bell peppers 1 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar [See Note 1]
- 1 ½ tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper powder
- 1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth or water (No broth needed for stovetop version)
- 28 oz. crushed tomatoes (794 grams) [See Note 2]
- 8 oz dry penne pasta (226 grams) [See Note 3]
- ½ cup heavy cream
- parmesan cheese shredded
- parsley chopped, to garnish
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper or to taste, optional
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Select Saute mode and add 1 Tbsp vegetable oil to inner pot of Instant Pot.
- Add 1 lb Italian sausage, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Break up the sausage if the pieces are too large. (If the sausage browns too quickly, press Cancel until the Instant Pot cools down a bit and select Saute again.)
- Add ½ cup onion and 1 tablespoon garlic. Stir until onion is translucent.
- Deglaze pot with ½ cup dry white wine, stirring until liquid has nearly evaporated.
- Turn off Instant Pot.
- Stir in 1 cup bell peppers , 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 ½ tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper powder, and 1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth or water.
- Add in the 28 oz. crushed tomatoes and 8 oz dry penne pasta. Don't stir but just gently push down to submerge in the liquid.
- Close the lid and pressure cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes.
- Do a Quick Release of steam, and open the Instant Pot. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Select Saute mode.
- Stir in ½ cup heavy cream and simmer the pasta for a couple of minutes until heated through.
- Turn off Instant Pot and if desired, let the pasta rest for a few minutes to absorb any remaining liquid. Remove the inner pot from the base to keep the pasta from cooking further.
- Sprinkle each serving with parmesan cheese and parsley, and ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, if using.
Stovetop Instructions
- Make the marinara sauce: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté briefly. Stir in crushed tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in sugar, dried basil, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Simmer for another 15 minutes. [See Note 1]
- Cook pasta according to box directions. Drain and set aside.
- Brown sausage in 1 tablespoon oil in a large saute pan, over medium-high heat, for about 5 minutes. Deglaze as needed.
- Add bell pepper and sauté until crisp-tender.
- Deglaze with white wine, simmering until the liquid is nearly evaporated, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in pasta, 2 cups marinara sauce, and cream. Simmer until heated through. Add more sauce to taste.
- Sprinkle each serving with parmesan and parsley, and crushed red pepper, if using.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. chopped onions, minced garlic, diced chicken, etc.
- Note 1:The sugar adds a nice balance to the flavor of the tomatoes, but feel free to leave it out or add some grated carrots.
- Note 2: Substitute a jar of marinara sauce for the crushed tomatoes, if you wish. Adjust the salt accordingly.
- Note 3: Add 12 ounces of pasta for a thicker dish and less sauce.
- To lighten the dish, you could substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream.
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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✅ Why Trust Neena at Paint the Kitchen Red?
I’m Neena, and I have a lifetime of experience working with pressure cookers. I know how to maximize the potential of a pressure cooker to consistently produce delicious and easy meals. With my Instant Pot expertise, I can provide valuable insights, troubleshooting advice, and innovative recipe ideas so you can trust me on all things Instant Pot!
➡ New to the Instant Pot? Get my Instant Pot instructions for beginners.
More Instant Pot Pasta Recipes
Ellen says
I love this recipe and I am officially an instant pot believer! I do think I could have cooked my pasta for an even shorter time, it came out well done, so I’ll keep that in mind for next time. A meal that cooks in 3-4 minutes is amazing!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Ellen – I’m glad you’ve become a convert 🙂 You’ll probably have your own take on most recipes. Glad it worked for you, and thanks so much for commenting!
deb says
What would you suggest if we are lactose intolerant in place of the heavy cream? I noticed one person used coconut milk but think that would change the flavour. Thanks so much! Looks awesome
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Deb, I love the flavor of coconut milk but I agree that it would probably really change the flavor of this dish. How about a lactose free half and half? Keep my posted on what you end up using and how it went!
Rebecca says
Have you ever made it with smoked sausage, like Eckerd’s, would you change anything in substituting that meat? I’m a newbie and just got my IP for Christmas. 🙂
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hey Rebecca, thanks for checking in. I haven’t used smoked sausage for this particular recipe, but you should be fine substituting without making any other changes. Just make sure you deglaze the pot well before adding the liquid and pasta. Enjoy your new IP!
Danielle Rea says
Can you substitute whole where penne? Would it change anything?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Danielle, I haven’t made this dish with whole wheat pasta but I would add a minute to the cooking time.
Kerri Halfant says
My first attempt in the Instant Pot and it’s wonderful! Your step by step instructions were so helpful! Delicious!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
You’re welcome, Kerri – glad you had a successful first attempt; hopefully the first of many 🙂
Gayleen says
This was absolutely delicious! I used coconut milk (from a can) rather than the heavy cream because we are a dairy free household! Still delicious! I also didn’t have white wine, and wasn’t sure what deglazing meant, so I just added some vegetable broth ??♀️ This was my first ever instant pot meal and I’m officially hooked!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Gayleen – I’ve never tried coconut milk with pasta, sounds intriguing – I”m glad you had a success with your first Instant Pot meal – thanks for taking the time to comment!
Amy says
We made this recipe with a vegetarian ‘Italian sausage’ and it turned out great!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Excellent! That’s great to know – thanks for sharing.
Bill says
First dish with the instapot and it was unbelievable. I couldn’t stop eating, or marveling at the one-pot dish.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hey Bill – thanks for commenting and I’m so glad you liked the recipe. I just had this the other day!
Amanda says
Made this tonight as my second official instant pit meal and it was absolutely delicious! The saucers flavor was amazing! Next time I want to try it with hot sausage! I didn’t have any heavy cream so just subbed while milk and melted butter. Can’t wait to see what other recipes you have ?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Amanda! That’s great – you’re going to love the Instant Pot, I can tell. If you like Cajun/spicy food, try the Jambalaya. It’s very good and quite popular. Also Shrimp and Grits. And thank you so much for taking the time to comment. Comments are the highest payment I can get, and keep me going!
Tricia Morris says
Heavens, this is a keeper! Thank you for the great recipe. Made some subs, but was perfect!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Tricia – I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for your comment.
Melissa says
I am brand new to the instant pot world, but purchased the mini (3 quart) size. I’m guessing I would cut this in half? Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Melissa, thanks for your question. So, there are a couple of considerations for adjusting quantities: only fill pot to halfway mark for pasta, rice, beans, anything that can expand – for safety reasons. Also, make sure you have enough liquid to reach pressure. Normally when you’re reducing the recipe, cook time doesn’t change. However, because the mini is smaller and different wattage, I’m not sure if you’ll need to adjust the cooking time. I would try it with the stated recipe cook time and then you’ll know what you need to do for next time. Let me know how it goes!
Hayley says
Sorry really new at this. Does the uncooked pasta not get added in step 6? I would have thought it needed more cooking than just a quick simmer at the end? Please help I already started cooking! Thanks ?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Yes Hayley, your instinct is right; it does get added in step 6. It cooks under pressure with the tomatoes and other ingredients. It’s listed at the end of the ingredients list. Enjoy!
Tom says
My favorite IP dish so far!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks Tom! It’s so nice to get comments like your’s – they are why I love working on this blog and creating recipes!
Kim says
This worked awesome with 12oz. Gluten free pasta for 4 minutes as well as adding a 1/2 cup of water.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks for sharing that, Kim. That’s really helpful for others who might want to use gluten free pasta.
Delinda says
Thank you Kim. I am gluten free and really appreciate when others share how they adapt recipes to gluten free.
Stacia R says
I want to make this with leftovers – do you think I could double it? And then would I need to adjust cooking time since the pot would be full?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
You can increase the recipe, but I’m not sure you can double it. You shouldn’t go past the half fill mark to leave room for expansion. You increase the quantity of liquid by the same ratio as the pasta. So if you’re doubling the pasta, double the quantity of liquid. Cooking time stays the same. Hope that helps, feel free to contact me if you have further questions.
Tammy Rolison says
I’m so happy I found this recipe. Thank you! It was absolutely the bomb! First time cooking pasta in my new IP!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Tammy – thank you so much for taking the time to comment. Hopefully it will be the first of many successes!
romain | glebekitchen says
I still don’t have an instant pot but thanks to you it’s looking more and more like I’m going to have to get one. I imagine the manual mode cooking part drives some of the aromatic flavour into the pasta but I think this recipe would work nicely adapting it to “old fashioned” cooking techniques. I’m going to try it anyway.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
This recipe combines the pasta sauce and dish into one recipe. To do it the regular way, you can make your favorite pasta sauce (or use my recipe on this site) and cook the pasta separately before putting it all together.
Laurie says
This recipe is fantastic! This was the first time using my Instant Pot and I am hooked!! Can’t wait for more of your posts 🙂
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Laurie, comments like your’s make my day! Thank you for the feedback. Do sign up for my newsletter (at top of page) if you’d like to be notified of new recipes. And let me know any requests. Enjoy your new Instapot!
Michelle says
Thank you for sharing Neena!!! I just got my IP yesterday and this is the first recipe I tried. I had to make a few substitutions bc I didn’t have some ingredients (I used linguini and red wine) but it worked out great and it’s delicious! I set the timer to 3 minutes for linguini and it was perfect.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Michelle, I get paid in comments so your comment was like gold! I am really glad it worked out for you. And thanks for mentioning your timings for linguine – that’s going to help someone else. I think you’re going to love your new Instapot as much as I love mine!
Lindsay says
I am all about delicious, fast, and easy. Thanks for this awesome family-friendly recipe.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
I hope you get to try it!