Learn how to make a creamy cheesy penne pasta and sausage from scratch in an instant pot or electric pressure cooker. This Instant Pot Penne Pasta is perfectly cooked in a creamy tomato sauce. It's loaded with savory sausage. It’s the perfect one-pot meal for any weeknight!
A Quick Instant Pot Penne Pasta Recipe:
This Instant Pot Penne Pasta with meat sauce is one of my favorite Italian pasta dishes. It's so comforting and satisfying. All of the ingredients are cooked in one pot. Best of all, it only takes 4 minutes of cooking time at high pressure.
Instant Pot Penne Pasta Ingredients:
To make this simple penne pasta recipe, you will need dried penne pasta, Sweet Italian sausage, onion, garlic, diced tomatoes, dried basil, Italian seasoning, chicken broth, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. These are staples ingredients that many people can easily find in their pantry.
Penne Pasta:
Penne is an Italian pasta in the form of short wide tubes. It's traditionally cooked al dente and pairs well with chunky meat and sauces, such as; pesto, bolognese, marinara, or arrabbiata. It's also a great addition to casserole dishes.
You can use any tube-shaped pasta such as macaroni, rigatoni, or ziti as an alternative ingredient to Penne Rigate.
Sweet Italian Sausage:
Sweet Italian Sausage is usually made from coarsely ground pork mixed with seasonings such as fennel seed and paprika. It's great for soups, stews, pasta or pizzas.
In this recipe, I actually used Sweet Italian chicken sausage that I purchased from my local Sprout's fresh bulk meat section.
The Simple Pasta Seasoning:
Because the Sweet Italian Sausage is packed with seasoning, I only added a small amount of a spice mix of Italian seasoning and basil to pump up the flavor.
Italian seasoning is usually made from a combination of marjoram, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, and basil. So if you don't have any Italian seasoning in your pantry, feel free to substitute with any of these spice combinations.
CHECK OUT MORE PASTA RECIPES:
- ONE-POT PENNE PASTA
- CANNED TUNA PASTA
- WHITE SAUCE PASTA
- GARLIC BUTTER SHRIMP SCAMPI
- FETTUCCINE ALFREDO WITH CHICKEN SAUSAGE AND KALE
- BRATWURST PASTA RECIPE (IN A BUTTERY BEER SAUCE)
Now let's talk about the preparation and cooking process.
Cooking Pasta In an Instant Pot:
This Instant Pot Penne Pasta recipe requires a small amount of preparation. It involves chopping the onion and garlic, remove the chasing from the sausage.
There is no need to cook the pasta in a separate pot because you will add the dried penne pasta into the sauce and then cook it all together at high pressure.
Here are some important steps to follow while cooking this penne pasta in an instant pot. Of course, this recipe works with any electric pressure cooker you may have at home, such as Ninja Foodi.
- First, brown the sausage then sweat the onion and garlic for about 6 minutes total.
- Second, add the Italian seasoning and dried basil.
- Next, add the diced tomatoes and bring to a boil for about 2 minutes. It's very important to scrape the bottom of the pot so there is nothing stuck which will prevent burning.
- After that, add the dried pasta evenly into the pot but do not stir!
- Then, add the chicken broth and press the pasta down gently to make sure it is submerged in liquid. Again, do not stir!
- Last, close the lid and make sure that it's on the "sealed" position then set to manual for "4 minutes" and when the cooking cycle is completed, wait for 5 minutes then do a quick release.
STORING LEFTOVER PASTA:
Transfer the leftover pasta in shallow airtight containers or resealable plastic bags. Properly stored, it will maintain the best quality for about 3-5 days in the fridge or 1-2 months in the freezer.
I hope you’ll enjoy this Instant Pot Penne Pasta recipe! If you try it out please don’t forget to come back and rate the recipe card!
Check Out These Side Dish Recipes:
- SUMMER SQUASH CASSEROLE – CHEESY AND HEALTHY
- ROASTED YELLOW SQUASH WITH PARMESAN CHEESE AND HERBS
- ELOTES MEXICANOS – MEXICAN CORN SALAD
- ROASTED BABY POTATOES WITH ROSEMARY AND GARLIC
๐ Recipe
Instant Pot Penne Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried penne pasta
- 1½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound Sweet Italian chicken sausage, (remove casing)
- 1½ cup diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 3 cups chicken broth
After Pressure Cooking:
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper , (to taste if needed)
Instructions
- Press the “Sauté” function key. When Instant Pot displays “Hot", add 1½ tablespoon of oil. Add Italian sausage, cook undisturbed for 1 minute, stir for another minute, then add onion. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add garlic, cook until fragrant. Add diced tomatoes, bring to a boil for about 2 minutes, add the Italian seasoning, and dried basil. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to keep it from burning. Turn the instant pot off.
- Add penne pasta and press evenly on top of the sausage mixture. DO NOT STIR! Add chicken broth, press the pasta down gently to make sure it is submerged in liquid. DO NOT STIR!
- Put the lid on, sealed, and set to manual for "4 minutes". After the cooking cycle finished, wait for 5 minutes then quickly release the pressure.
- Open the lid and turn on the “Sauté” setting. You will see a lot of juices but it's normal. Stir and simmer the pasta and sauce for about 2-3 minutes. Note: If you find the texture is too hard to your liking, just simmer the pasta a bit longer until you reach the desired consistency. Stir occasionally.
- Add heavy cream. Stir lightly for 1-2 minutes or until the liquid is thickened. Add parmesan cheese, stir to combine. Add salt and pepper if necessary.
Catalina says
What a great dinner idea for tonight! My whole family will love it!
Ruth I says
The instruction is so detailed and clear. I can easily follow this recipe.
Rika Livingston says
Thanks, Ruth!
Marysa says
I haven't used an instant pot, but it sounds like a great way to cook meals. I really love the convenience!