Sausage Pasta in the Instant Pot

Who doesn’t like a good Instant Pot pasta recipe? This one uses the classic combination of rich and flavourful Italian sausages with peppers and rapini. A delicious combination if you ask me! This comes together so quickly that it’ll surely become a weeknight staple. This sausage pasta can easily be made gluten free with gluten free fussili if you can get your hands on in many grocery stores. I hope you enjoy this recipe that uses the best summer veggies have to offer!

The Ingredients

Feel free to substitute the rapini, an Italian slightly bitter green similar to broccoli or broccolini, with broccoli here. I just wanted to stick with the classic rapini and Italian sausage combination. The Instant Pot really cooks out most of the bitterness of the rapini so if this is a new vegetable for you – go for it! As I mentioned above, gluten free fussili noodles are easy to find in grocery stores. If not, use regular fussili or substitute with penne.

  • Italian sausages

  • bell peppers

  • onion

  • pasta sauce

  • Italian seasoning

  • pasta

  • chicken broth

  • rapini (feel free to substitute for broccoli or omit it)

  • salt

  • parmesan cheese


Sauté the Ingredients

The Instant Pot is great since it has the sauté setting built in. You can cook down the sausage, peppers and onion all at the same time. I didn’t add any cooking oil to this since the sausages are inherently fatty. Let it render out and soften those peppers and onions. Then, add the pasta sauce, Italian seasoning, pasta and broth!

Pressure Cook

Did I mention that this Instant Pot sausage pasta comes together in a breeze? Make sure that your pasta is submerged enough in the liquid so that it doesn’t dry out. However, when I add the rapini, I like to leave it on the top of the ingredients and avoid mixing it in so it steams rather than boils in the liquid. Season with salt and then you’re good to go to pressure cook! To serve, have some parmesan cheese and extra garlic bread for dipping. If you want the pasta a little thicker, simmer it in the Instant Pot for a couple minutes before serving.

Sausage Pasta in the Instant Pot

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 8 mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

  • Ninja Foodi

Ingredients  

  • 1 lb Italian sausages casings removed, crumbled

  • 2 peppers seeds removed and sliced

  • 1 onion peeled and sliced

  • 1 cup pasta sauce or passatta strained tomatoes

  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning

  • 2 cups gluten free fussili pasta or use regular

  • 1¼ cup chicken broth or water

  • 2 cups rapini shoots or broccoli florets

  • 1 tsp salt

For Serving

  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated

  • garlic bread optional

Instructions 

  • Turn the Ninja Foodi to saute on medium high. Add the sausage, peppers and onions and sautee until sausage is browned.

  • Pour the tomato sauce on top, add Italian seasoning, pasta, broth and rapini. Do not stir but press the pasta gently down so that the pasta is submerged. Sprinkle with salt.

  • Pressure cook for 6 minutes. Naturally release for 2. Stir to combine. If it looks liquidy, just keep stirring until it thickens.

  • Serve with Parmesan cheese.