This tasty Instant Pot Penne 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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This delicious Instant Pot pasta recipe is one of my go-to recipes because it is so easy. On a busy weeknight, you can make a creamy tomato sausage pasta within 30 minutes from scratch, and the hands-on time is less than ten minutes!
Making pasta in the Instant Pot electric pressure cooker is convenient because everything gets done in one pot. You don’t drain the starchy pasta water. Instead, the cooking liquid gets absorbed into the dish, making it thick and creamy.
I combined two stovetop recipes to make this Instant Pot sausage pasta: my original homemade pasta sauce recipe and my Italian pasta with sausage recipe. I think your family will love this pasta recipe as much as we do!
Ingredients and Tips
🧂 Ingredients You’ll Need For Instant Pot Penne Pasta
💡 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 Penne Pasta with Italian Sausage
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 oil to inner pot of Instant Pot.
- Add 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 onions and garlic. Stir until onion is translucent.
- Deglaze pot with white wine, stirring until liquid has nearly evaporated.
- Turn off Instant Pot.
- Stir in bell peppers, sugar, dried basil, oregano, salt, black pepper, and broth or water.
- Add in the tomatoes and 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 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 and parsley, and 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
Nick says
Maybe a pound and a half of meat, but very good dish
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Great to hear, Nick, and thank you for commenting and rating the recipe!
Cate says
I made some changes to double the recipe and it came out amazing!! I’ll post the changes in case anyone is looking to double it. I used 2 lbs of sausage, one hot one sweet and 1 lb of pasta. I doubled all the spices, kept the tomato amount the same, and just added an extra cup of water before starting the pressure cook. I cooked for 6 min but I think 5 would’ve been fine! When it was done I only put a dash of cream in, some extra asiago and Romano along with the parm and stirred in a whole bag of spinach to let it wilt. So so awesome, will definitely be making again!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Cate, thanks so much for your comment – so glad that you liked the recipe! And thanks also for giving details on how you doubled the recipe. I’m sure others will find the info helpful. Spinach sounds like a healthy addition.
Tara says
How big are the servings (½ cup, ¾ cup…)?
What size Instant Pot did you use?
Thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Tara, your second question is easy – 6 quart. Your first question is harder, because it’s the whole quantity divided into 6 equal servings – I would guess it’s about 1 cup.
Theresa says
I’ve made this dish four times now. One time I substituted the heavy cream for something lighter and it didn’t taste the same. I made this for my mother when she came over once and she said it was the best Italian dish she’s ever had. It’s definitely a favorite in our house!! I’ve shared this recipe with so many people who own instapots.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Theresa, thanks for the feedback; that’s so great to hear! I’m glad you enjoyed the pasta recipe and thank you for spreading the word – that means so much to me!
Laurie Donahoo says
Wow! Just made this today and it was super easy and amazingly delicious! I made it in the 8 qt and kept waiting for the burn notice…it never came. I used the half n half instead of heavy cream. Great recipe! Family approved.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Laurie, I’m happy to hear your family liked the recipe and glad you escaped a burn error! I use half and half sometimes too 🙂
Laura says
I made this tonight. Very easy to put together. I used a heartier Italian pasta I picked up from HomeGoods ( ‘e Fidanzati Capresi ). I’ve used this pasta before and it took a very long time to boil so I added 5 minutes to the cook time (just in case)………. The extra 5 minutes worked! Pasta was Aldente, heavy cream at the end made it smooth and lushous. It’s a beautiful dish and it came out perfectly. The taste, OMG AMAZING ! I will be doing this again!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Awesome, Laura! Thanks for the info, it might be useful to other readers who use the same type of pasta. The rule of thumb is divide the stovetop cook time by 2 and add one minute.
Brittany says
I made my own version of this recipe tonight. I didn’t use a pepper, used 4 oz cream cheese and 2 cups heavy cream. I also addrd a can of petite diced tomatoes. The sauce was SO delicious but I was disappointed with how soggy the pasta turned out. I used cavatappi so maybe I shouldn’t have cooked it as long. It still was totally delicious and my boyfriend LOVED it (I’m just really picky about how my pasta is cooked :))
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Brittany, it could be that your Instant Pot runs hotter than mine, the type of pasta you used needed to be cooked less or it could be that you just like your paste more al dente. I think next time, you could easily reduce the pressure cooking time by 1 minute. The general rule of pressure cooking pasta is to take the cooking time on the box, divide by 2, and add a minute. If you end up with a fraction, round down. Hope you’ll give it another shot. Thanks for your feedback.
Kathy says
Very good. I’ve made a few IP pasta recipes with mixed results, but this one was great. Added a few spoonfuls of tomato paste to make a richer sauce, but great recipe!!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks, Kathy! Yes, I can see how tomato paste would make it bolder. Glad you liked the recipe.
Jon Bassinger-Flores says
Made this tonight and it’s delicious! I halved the salt and used mild sausage. The sauce is plentiful…maybe I’ll reduce the water to one cup next time. Any thoughts about doing that?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Jon, the main concern is that you need enough water or broth to cook the pasta and have it be covered AND for the food to not stick to the bottom (so you prevent sealing issues). I would experiment: try 1 1/4 cup next time and see how it goes for you. I find that letting the pasta rest for some time usually thickens it up. Thanks for your comment.
Meaghan Knowles says
I loved loved the flavours in this dish! I got the Instant Pot Max for Christmas and tried this recipe with that. Although I adored the flavours my pasta was really mushy as were the peppers. I wonder if 5 min on pressure cook in the IP Max was too much? Going to try to reduce the time next time!
Thank you – flavours were great!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks, Meaghan, for taking the time to comment. I think your instinct is correct. I believe that the Max reaches a slightly higher PSI for high pressure. I would experiment with a basic recipe and then you can adjust by a certain percentage for all recipes (if that makes sense?)
Brittany says
I totally agree- 5 minutes was way too long when I made this…pasta was so mushy but flavor was delicious. I am using the instant pot nova plus.
JIM BASTING says
Fantastic Made it for many guests and have given the recipe to many.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Jim, thank you so much for spreading the word! And thanks for commenting.
Elise says
Made the pasta with Italian sausage, peppers and penne. I already had roasted and peeled peppers and used mini penne so cooked for 4 minutes. It came out perfectly.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Elise, thanks for your comment and review and for sharing your modifications!
John says
I made your red beans and rice recipe last Sunday, and tried this one today. Both were so good! I’m so glad I found your site! Clearly, “Paint the Kitchen Red Sunday” is going to have to be a tradition in my house so I can try all of your recipes. Thanks!
Christine Winters says
I made this for dinner tonight. I didn’t have the sausage so used ground beef and followed the recipe exactly as printed. I couldn’t believe how easy it was and it turned out great. This recipe is a keeper. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you, Christine. I’m glad you found me and I hope you like my other recipes!
linda mcintosh says
how do you cook this on the stove if you don’t have a instant pot …thanks
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Linda – this is an adaptation of a stove top recipe. I use this sauce.
– Cook 1/2 lb pasta separately
– Saute sausage and veggies
– Add herbs and spices (optional since sauce has all these spices and herbs)
– In a separate saucepan, heat 1.5 cups of sauce and .5 cup cream
– Add sauce and cooked pasta to sausage mixture
– Garnish
Enjoy!
linda mcintosh says
so good and thank you so much
Paint the Kitchen Red says
You’re welcome, Linda!
Theresa Spreiter says
Hi sorry if this has been asked already but there were a lot of comments. Do you put the uncooked pasta in after the first pressure cook and then pressure cook again? Or put cooked pasta in and let it boil a bit? Or put uncooked pasta in and boil?
To me it sounds like the third option from your directions but I feel like that wouldn’t cook the pasta.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Theresa, your guess was right. You put in uncooked pasta, and it will pressure cook for 5 minutes. And yes, it will cook 🙂 Good luck!
J says
Very easy and tasty recipe! Makes plenty and even enough for leftovers!😋
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Cierra says
Delicious! I mixed in some chopped spinach and mozzarella cheese at the end. My 2 year old twins couldn’t shovel it into their mouths fast enough!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Cierra – thanks for taking the time to comment. It’s always a good day when I hear that kids love my recipes because I know (from experience) how picky they can be at times 🙂
Karen Smidt says
This was easy to make. Tastes great! I added 1/2 c of water when I added pasta. This recipe was great because I’m diabetic and many are too high in carbs, fat, and calories. It fit into my meal plan ?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks, Karen, for your comment – I’m so glad you liked it.
Donna says
You might want to check the pictures on your pins. Several have the coq au von picture, including this pin.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you Donna – that’s so kind of you to take the time to let me know! Pinterest can be buggy sometimes, or I’ve made a mistake – I’ll take a look.
John says
Wow! This was a big hit with everyone in our family. Even our picky 10 year old. One thing – is there a typo in the recipe? It says “1 tbsp” of garlic, but the picture looks more like 1 teaspoon and you usually follow the convention of capitalizing the ‘T’ for tablespoons (i.e. Tbsp).
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hey John, good catch! It is tablespoon, I’ll capitalize the T. For my tastes, 1 tsp of garlic does nothing especially in the pressure cooker 🙂 I’m glad you liked the recipe.