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Instant Pot Italian Sausage Pasta loaded with ground Italian sausage, spinach, & fantastic seasonings makes a hearty dinner with so much flavor. This Instant Pot creamy sausage pasta also get's done under 30 mins, it is so easy to make and freezes well too.

Check out our huge collection of easy instant pot recipes.

instant pot italian sausage pasta in a light blue bowl with a fork — Instant Pot Italian Sausage Pasta

Instant Pot Creamy Sausage Pasta

We love this Instant Pot Penne pasta and sausage recipe so much because it's totally beginner friendly, picky eaters approved, get's done in a jiffy and tastes out of the world good. The creamy tomato and parmesan cheese based pasta sauce is to die for! You can even make it super cheesy, it's totally upto you 🙂

No more mushy, fall apart pasta that tastes meh & bland, today's Instant Pot penne pasta and sausage recipe will reward you with al dente pasta coated in a delicious creamy sauce just like this Instant Pot Salmon Pasta.

best creamy sausage pasta in instant pot with a steel ladle — Best Creamy Sausage Pasta

Tips & Tricks

Perfect al dente pasta: Cook for 4 mins on high pressure and than perform a quick pressure release.
Softer Pasta: For softer pasta cook on high pressure for 6 mins followed by quick pressure release. You'll have soft pasta without a bite but not mushy.
Prevent dairy curdling: Add the dairy (cream, milk & parm) only after the pressure cooking cycle is over. This will prevent the dairy from separating and turning grainy.
For best flavor: Brown the sausage nicely and saute it along with the seasonings for a couple of mins. The seasonings when sautéed with the sausage release a whole lot of amazing flavor. Don't miss this trick.
Spicy Sausage Pasta: Add 1 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 tsp red pepper flakes (extra) along with all the other seasonings.
Ingredient subs: If you do not have tomato passata (it's tomato puree) add same quantity tomato sauce. If you do not prefer alcohol in recipes than replace the white wine two tablespoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar in the recipe. The white wine adds a crisp flavor to this instant pot creamy sausage pasta recipe that tastes so good!

easy instant pot sausage pasta in instant pot — Easy Instant Pot Sausage Pasta

Instant Pot Italian Sausage Pasta - Ingredients

Find the Ingredients with actual measurements at the bottom of the post. The list below is just a reference.

recipe ingredients on a black surface — Ingredients

Italian Sausage: We used mild ground Italian Sausage. You can use the spicy or sweet version as well.
Pasta: We used penne pasta. However, you can use any pasta shape except macaroni or ditalini. The cook time would remain the same. This recipe is not tested using gluten free pasta.
Aromatics: Yellow onion & garlic. Use yellow onion for best flavor, do not use red onion. It'll make the dish overwhelming.
Veggies: Red bell pepper & spinach. DO NOT skip the red bell pepper and do not sub it with green pepper. It provides a subtle sweetness to the sausage and pasta dish and blends very good with the other flavor profile. We used baby spinach. If you choose to use regular spinach than do chop them roughly and than add it in the recipe.
White wine: Use it if you can and use the white wine that you would prefer drinking. DO NOT use cooking wine. The white wine adds a crisp flavor to the dish and helps bring out other flavors as well. We love using it. Sub mentioned above in the "Tips & Tricks" section.
Tomato Passata: It's basically tomato puree and you will get it in a long transparent glass jar. If you do not have it handy use tomato sauce instead (same amount).
Seasonings: Paprika, Oregano, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, ground black pepper and salt to taste.
Dairy: Whole milk, heavy whipping cream & parmesan cheese. You can use the pre shredded cheese or grate from a block, both works good in this recipe!
Better than Bouillon: We used the chicken base for best flavor. Stir this in the water and use it as chicken stock. You won't go back to the store bought stock ever!
Liquid: Water. Better than Bouillon chicken base is stirred in the water to make a quick chicken stock with big flavor.

How to make Instant Pot Sausage Pasta?

Find the detailed step by step recipe along with measurements + Video at the bottom of the post.

Step #1 Brown sausage & saute aromatics

browning sausage and sauteing aromatics in instant pot — Brown sausage

Brown Sausage: Set instant pot on SAUTE function & set it on high heat. Add oil and brown the ground Italian sausage very well. This will almost instantly elevate the flavor. Don't skip this step.
Saute aromatics: Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper and saute for a couple minutes.

Step #2 Deglaze with wine & saute seasonings

adding white wine and sauteing seasonings in instant pot — Add wine, saute seasonings

Add wine: Add the white wine, stir to mix well and allow the wine to evaporate a bit. The white wine will add lots of crisp fresh flavor and also help open the other flavors of the dish. Find subs above in the Ingredients section.
Saute with seasonings: Add all the seasonings and saute along with the sausage for a couple minutes. This step will help release amazing flavor from the seasonings and make the instant pot creamy sausage pasta outright delicious. Sautéing helps release the essential oils from the seasonings, do not skip this step.

Step #3 Deglaze pot & layer pasta

deglazing pot & layering pasta and tomatoes in instant pot — Deglaze pot, Layer ingredients

Deglaze pot: Pour the chicken stock (water + better than bouillon chicken base) and de-glaze the pot very well scraping the sides and the bottom of the pot with the help of spatula. This will help loosen any stuck food particles and help prevent the burn error! CANCEL the SAUTE function.
Layer pasta: Now add the pasta in a single layer and do not stir or mix. Just spread the pasta with the help of your spatula in an even layer on top of the sausage and liquid.

Step #4 Pressure cook

pressure cooking in instant pot — Pressure cook

Layer ingredients: Pour the tomato passata all over the pasta. DO NOT stir or mix. Gently push down the pasta with the help of your spatula so that the pasta gets a nice coat with the liquid. DO NOT mix or stir.
Pressure cook: Secure the lid and PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for just 4 mins followed by quick pressure release.

Step #5 Add dairy, spinach & serve

adding dairy, spinach in instant pot to make creamy italian sausage pasta — Add dairy & serve

Add dairy: Stir everything in the pot to mix the cooked ingredients well. Than add the milk and heavy whipping cream. Stir well to mix well. Add the parmesan cheese and mix well until the cheese melts. You will have a wonderful creamy sauce.
Serve: Add the spinach and stir well to mix everything in the pot. The residual heat will help wilt the spinach leaves. Serve the instant pot Italian sausage pasta hot and enjoy!

best instant pot creamy sausage pasta recipe in a blue bowl — Best Instant pot Creamy sausage pasta

Storing Tips

Fridge: This creamy sausage Pasta will last in the fridge for upto 3 days in air tight containers. Follow the reheating directions shared below.

Freezer: The instant pot Italian sausage pasta is freezer friendly and you can freeze it upto 2 months in freezer safe containers or heavy duty portion control freezer safe bags. For best results follow the reheating directions shared below.

How to reheat creamy sausage penne pasta?

Freeze: Pasta absorbs sauce pretty fast and when it's fridge cold the sauce almost would complete vanish. Here's what you can do - sprinkle few drops water over the pasta and heat it the microwave oven until hot or warm. If you prefer more sauce you may stir in some warm milk or heavy whipping cream and warm it up.

Frozen: Thaw the frozen sausage pasta over night in the fridge and follow the reheating directions above.

Note: Reheating the fridge cold or frozen pasta will cook down the pasta and the spinach a bit more. The pasta will turn soft and the spinach will become more tender. You might not have al dente pasta or just slightly wilted spinach!

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Comments

Lorin says

December 27, 2021 at 2:27 am

This is the very first recipe that I made in my instapot. I do have a question. Once you add the noodles, do you switch it to the pasta setting?

- Foodies Terminal says
  
  December 27, 2021 at 5:22 pm
  
  Hey Lorin you just need to pressure cook on high pressure. Please find the detailed instructions in the blog post. Let me know if you have any other questions regarding the recipe. There's a "Jump to Recipe" button right at the top of the blog post, clicking that will help you land directly on the detailed steps of the recipe. Hope you enjoy making this 🙂 - Meghna XOXO

Instant Pot Italian Sausage Pasta

Instant Pot Creamy Sausage Pasta

Tips & Tricks

Instant Pot Italian Sausage Pasta - Ingredients