Instant Pot sausage pasta
Penne, sausage and marinara cook together under pressure into a cheesy, saucy pot of pasta with one pot to wash.
- 40 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 6
- About $2.35 a serving
- 720 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 1 lb Italian sausage, mild, casings removed
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3½ cups chicken broth
- 1 lb penne
- 1 jar marinara sauce, 24 oz
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
Each serving has about 720 calories, 29 g protein, 72 g carbs and 34 g fat, and costs about $2.35 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No chicken broth? Vegetable broth or bone broth works.
- No penne? Rigatoni or elbow macaroni works.
- No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the onion and the garlic.
Dice. Dicing means cutting food into small, even cubes, usually a quarter to half an inch across. Pieces the same size cook at the same speed, so nothing burns while the rest catches up.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are little cubes about the size of a chickpea, and they all look close to the same.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté, add the oil and sausage, and cook 6 to 7 minutes, breaking it up, until with no pink left.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Timer: 7 min
Food safety: Raw pork sausage is done at 160°F and raw chicken or turkey sausage at 165°F. Precooked sausage just needs heating until hot all the way through.
Add the onion and cook 3 minutes, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
Timer: 3 min
Pour in the broth and from the bottom of the pot until it’s completely clean.
Scrape up the browned bits. It means loosening the brown bits stuck to the pan with a wooden spoon, usually right after adding liquid. Those bits are concentrated flavor, and they melt into the sauce.
How you’ll know: The bottom of the pan looks clean again, and the liquid turns darker and richer.
Dolly’s tip: Anything stuck to the bottom can set off the burn warning, so scrape well.Stir in the penne, Italian seasoning and salt, and push the pasta down under the liquid.
Pour the marinara over the top and don’t stir it in.
Dolly’s tip: Thick sauce on the bottom is what scorches. Sitting on top, it’s safe.Lock the lid, turn the valve to sealing, and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.
Timer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: The pot takes about 10 minutes to build pressure before the countdown starts. That’s normal.Turn the valve to venting to release the pressure, keeping your hand and face away from the steam.
Dolly’s tip: Nudge the valve with a wooden spoon handle instead of your fingers.Stir well, then stir in the mozzarella and parmesan until . Let it sit 2 minutes to before serving.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Timer: 2 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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