Instant Pot Pasta with Sausage
This Instant Pot Pasta is an easy, delicious dinner idea! Penne pasta, Italian sausage and veggies all cook together in marinara sauce in your pressure cooker.
If you love easy Instant Pot recipes, you might also enjoy my Instant Pot Spaghetti, Instant Pot Taco Pasta and Instant Pot Mac and Cheese!
Instant Pot Pasta
This Instant Pot pasta is one of my favorite ways to cook pasta for dinner. It’s a fast, flavorful and satisfying meal, with veggies, pasta and sausage all cooking together in the Instant Pot. Plus, I always appreciate only having one pot to wash after dinner!
I love how flavorful this Instant Pot pasta turns out, since the pasta soaks up some of the sauce as it cooks. You’ll also love that this recipe requires only a few ingredients, and it’s easy to customize to your tastes. You can add more veggies, use another short pasta shape that you have on hand, or make it vegetarian or dairy-free. I’ve included everything you need to know below!
Absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this dish. I make it with pre-cooked sausage and omit the spinach as my daughter does not like it. It has been in my regular meal rotation now for over a year and i can’t get enough of it. My daughters boyfriend even says it a keeper.
Marion
Ingredients You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes:
- Marinara Sauce: I used a jar of marinara sauce to save time and effort. There are some great options at the grocery store these days! The flavor of the sauce really impacts the flavor of this pasta dish, so it’s important to use a good quality sauce.
- Sausage: I recommend using Italian sausage because its flavor will best complement the other flavors in this Instant Pot pasta. You can use either cooked or uncooked sausage in this recipe, and chicken, turkey or pork sausage will all work. I often make this recipe with fully cooked chicken sausage, which I slice into rounds. If using uncooked sausage links, slit the casings open and remove the sausage from the casings before adding it to the Instant Pot.
- Pasta: I used whole wheat penne pasta. White pasta also works well. See my note below about pasta cook times in the Instant Pot.
How Long to Cook Pasta in the Instant Pot
Pasta cooking times can be tricky in the Instant Pot, because it depends on how long the pot takes to reach pressure, which depends on the volume of liquid and other ingredients in the pot, among other factors. I always err on the side of under-cooking pasta in the Instant Pot because you don’t want to end up with mushy pasta. The pasta cooks not only during the pressure cooking time, but also while the pot is coming to pressure and while the pressure is releasing during the quick release. Always use a quick release for pasta to prevent over-cooking.
For this Instant Pot pasta recipe:
- If the package cook time says between 6-9 minutes on the stove: Pressure cook for 2 minutes at high pressure.
- If the package cook time says between 10-12 minutes on the stove: Pressure cook for 3 minutes at high pressure.
- If the package cook time says 13+ minutes on the stove: Pressure cook for 4 minutes at high pressure.
How to Make Instant Pot Pasta with Sausage
Sauté onion and sausage.
Add the bell peppers, water, Italian seasoning and 1 cup of the marinara sauce. Stir, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pot. This helps to prevent the Instant Pot burn message.
Add the pasta on top and press it down into an even layer (do not stir). Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the pasta; do not stir.
Pressure cook according to the cook times listed in the recipe. Quick release the pressure when the cook time ends. When you open the Instant Pot lid, you may see some extra liquid in the pot. Give the pasta a stir and the extra liquid will be absorbed as the pasta rests.
Stir in the spinach and mozzarella. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Vegetarian: Omit the Italian sausage. You can add other veggies in its place. Try cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, red onion and/or carrots. The vegetables will become soft with pressure cooking.
- Swap the spinach for kale.
- Dairy-Free: Omit the mozzarella cheese.
Instant Pot Pasta with Sausage
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound Italian chicken sausage, see notes
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 bell peppers, chopped
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 12 ounces whole wheat penne pasta, about 4 ½ cups dry, or white penne pasta
- 25 ounce jar marinara sauce
- 3 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
- 2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded, about ½ cup
Instructions
- Turn on the Instant Pot sauté function and add the olive oil to the pot.
- If using sausage that is already cooked, slice it and add it to the Instant Pot. If using uncooked sausage, remove it from the casings and add it to the pot.
- Add the onion to the pot and sauté the onion and sausage until sausage is browned and onion has softened (for uncooked sausage, break it up into smaller pieces as it cooks). Press cancel to turn off the sauté function.
- Add the bell peppers, water, Italian seasoning and 1 cup of the marinara sauce. Stir, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the penne pasta to the pot and do not stir. Press the pasta down into an even layer. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the top of the pasta; do not stir.
- Close the Instant Pot lid and move the steam release valve to the sealing position. Set the cook time to 2 minutes at high pressure. (This 2 minute cook time is for whole wheat penne pasta with a stovetop package cook time of 9 minutes for al dente. See my notes below for how to adjust the cook time based on the pasta you use.)
- The Instant Pot will take about 20 minutes to reach pressure and then the cook time will begin counting down. As soon as the cook time ends, quick release the pressure by carefully moving the steam release valve to the venting position. When all of the steam has escaped and the pin drops down, carefully open the Instant Pot lid. You may see a little bit of extra liquid in the pasta, but this will be absorbed as the pasta rests.
- Stir the pasta and then stir in the spinach, followed by the shredded mozzarella cheese. Serve.
Notes
- Sausage: I usually make this recipe with fully cooked Italian chicken sausage, which I slice into rounds and add to the Instant Pot. To use uncooked chicken, turkey or pork sausage, remove from casings and add to the Instant Pot, crumbling and browning the sausage on sauté.
- Pasta Cook Time: I have found 2 minutes of pressure cooking to be perfect for whole wheat penne with a package cook time of 9 minutes. Follow these guidelines for other pasta types: Pressure cook 2 minutes for package cook time of 6-9 minutes, pressure cook 3 minutes for package cook time of 10-12 minutes, pressure cook 4 minutes for package cook time of 13 or more minutes.
- Vegetarian: Omit the Italian sausage. You can add other veggies in its place. Try cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, red onion and/or carrots. The vegetables will become soft with pressure cooking.
- You can swap the spinach for kale.
- Dairy-Free: Omit the mozzarella cheese.
I originally shared this recipe in September 2019. Post updated with new photos in September 2024.
Would you mind sharing what marinara sauce you found with so few ingredients?
I like both the Costco (Kirkland) brand marinara and Mezzetta brand, which I buy at Safeway. Both have just a few, recognizable ingredients.
I used more liquid (a can of crushed tomatoes – 27oz in addition to the jar) & full 16oz box of pasta. My boys like more sauce & eat a lot so I wanted to make sure there would be enough.
It turned out great. Will make again.
This is my favorite instant pot recipe. I added mushrooms, califlower and broccoli. Used a habanero Italian sausage.
I am new to the Instant Pot. What if the sausage is frozen ?
For this recipe, I would recommend thawing your sausage before making the recipe.
I have a larger family and would need to double the quantity. Is there anything in particular I should be doubling in the recipe, perhaps the water, or cooking time?
You should double all of the ingredients but keep the cooking time the same. Be sure to not exceed the fill line of your Instant Pot, and keep in mind that the pasta will expand as it cooks.
I assuming its red bell pepper, not green, that you used, correct?
I usually use red, orange or yellow bell pepper because that is what my family prefers. You can use whatever color you enjoy and have on hand.
This recipe tastes great, and reheats extremely well in the microwave. I made it with cooked mild Italian sausage, Trader Joe’s bolognese sauce (the only pasta sauce I had on hand), two oldish bell peppers, and cauliflower (added before pressure cooking). My experience proves how flexible the recipe is. The penne was perfect, too.
Bummed! My instant pot wouldn’t come to pressure. I layered as directed and it didn’t work. Any thoughts on what happened? Also, I used a 3qt IP, could that have caused the issue?
Hi Snow,
If your Instant Pot is new, read my instant pot guide and water test to make sure your pot is working correctly. Also, I do not test in the 3 qt. The 3 qt has a smaller heating element and this recipe may have been too large a recipe for it to pressurize in a reasonable amount of time.
We’re always on the run, and I really like this recipe! Used some ground Italian sausage I had and some cheesy marinara. Instead of spinach, I threw in 2 huge handfuls of kale in on step 4. Turned out really well! Thanks for the recipe.
Kristine. I cooked this recipe last night. It came out amazing. I used Cucina Auntica Marinara sauce. Great recipe. Thank you!
Delicious! Best pasta recipe I’ve cooked in the instant pot. Used white penne and 4 minutes of pressure. Perfect.
My husband loved it! So quick and easy I also enjoyed it, very yummy, we had seconds!! I added mushrooms and only half of a large bell pepper, I had to wing Italian seasoning as I was out, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, I also tossed in a bay leaf and used a brown rice gluten free pasta spirals. Cooked to your recommendations it came out perfect and my hubby couldn’t believe it was GF…Thank you
This recipe was amazing and so easy to put together. I used sweet Italian sausage (removed casings) and sauteed with the onions first. I used both red and yellow bells, our favorite jarred Marinara from Aldi, and white penne. 4 minutes was the perfect cook time. We left out the cheese and my whole family loved it. I will definitely make this again and will maybe add some more veggies next time!
If I’m doing half the servings for this recipe, does that mean I should also half the amount of time to cook in the instant pot? I’m assuming so, but wanted to make sure!
Hi Ali,
You should keep the cook time the same to make sure the pasta is done.
I made this last night and it came out perfecto. Sooo good!!!! I added mushrooms and used Rao’s Marinara sauce. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
So good and so easy
Skipped the bell pepper and spinach and added more sausage and used hot italian and ever evergood garlic sausage. Added mushrooms and used Dave’s creamy parmesan Romano sauce.
It turned out sooo good.
I made this tonight with the following variations:
1/2 the water
pasta nests ( whatever they are called )
vodka pasta sauce out of a jar
a can of mushrooms
an entire Boursen cheese package stirred in at the end instead of mozz.
I am in absolute heaven.
This will give me four large meals.
THANK YOU 🙂
My first time making pasta in the IP and it was perfect! I was a little anxious to cook pasta in this way, but our pasta was cooked perfectly. Used frozen peppers and onions for convenience, and I didn’t add any spinach or mozzarella just based on what we had. This would be great for company, and we’re looking forward to stocking our freezer with it!
Excellent dish, I used fuselli pasta on 3 mins and it turned out a little soft but not mushy. Next time I will cook for two mins. Definitely keeping this recipe handy
This is an excellent recipe as is, and I love that you included different cooking times based on the box. With so many types of pasta in my pantry, this adds flexibility. And the same for being able to clear the fridge of extra odds and ends. I’ll be making this regularly. Thank you!
This was very delish! Makes a ton to feed a small army at 8 servings; next time I will reduce to 4 servings but wanted to first try recipe as stated. Unfortunately, I lost all my beautiful winter greens in my garden from the recent “snow-mageddon” winter storm here in Texas but I substituted kale per another viewer’s comments because I had a bag in my fridge. Very tasty! Also set pressure cook for 3 minutes since I had regular penne pasta (thanks for adding that in the Notes section!). Definitely would make again!
I have made this a few times now, and it is a hit with our family – thank you!! Quick question- I want to make this for friends, but one of them has a gluten allergy. Has anyone tried this with gluten-free pasta?
I haven’t tried this with gluten free pasta, but one commenter said that she used brown rice gluten free pasta spirals and it worked well.
Thanks! Remembered to include my 5 star rating this time!
Delish! Used bow tie pasta as it was all I had, Tex mex cheese and sweet basil marinara. Halved it to four and it was excellent! Will definitely make this again!
Can I use Alfredo sauce for this?
I’m not a fan of marinara sauce.
Generally, it is best not to pressure cook dairy based sauces so I don’t recommend alfredo sauce for this recipe.
This is fantastic! So quick and easy. I like the idea of sausage slices so I precooked my sausage. Cooked the pasta for 3 minutes. Perfect! I have a very, picky husband and he loved it. Top marks! I used the President’s Choice Marinara sauce from, The Real Canadian Superstore. A very, good sauce with just your basic ingredients. This recipe is a keeper! Thank you so much!
Do you have any recommendations on how to adjust the recipe to use 16 oz of penne instead of 12 oz since I would prefer to use the whole box and my kids love pasta? (I also plan on using a little more sausage since the grocery store only had 12 oz packages.) I saw in the comments that someone added a can of diced tomatoes but could I get away with an extra 1/4 or 1/2 cup of water? Thank you.
I can’t say for sure without testing it myself, but since you’d be increasing the pasta from 12 to 16 ounces, I’d increase the water from 3 to 4 cups to follow the same pasta to water ratio. If you try it, let me know how it turns out.
This is literally the best instant pot pasta we have ever made. SOOO good. I recommend sweet basil Italian sausage. YUM!
Do you not need to add any salt to the water in this recipe? Is it not bland without salt? Thank you!
Most store-bought marinara sauces already have plenty of salt added, so I don’t add additional salt. Everyone’s tastes are different, so you can add salt if you wish. Enjoy!
I like things on the well seasoned side but didn’t add any salt to this recipe and didn’t feel like anything was missing. If I’d used ground beef I might season the beef. I used andouille sausage and didn’t think the dish was bland at all. Maybe because the sausage is browned at the beginning so it seasons the olive oil?
Can you give me a recommendation for a substitute for the Italian Sausage? We don’t like it. I use my Instant Pots several times a week. Many times, I will have both going at the same time.
I have several of your recipes lined up for the coming week. Can’t wait to try them.
Thanks
Gail
Hi Gail,
You can use ground beef or ground turkey if you don’t care for Italian sausage. You might also like my Instant Pot Spaghetti recipe.
Absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this dish. I make it with pre-cooked sausage and omit the spinach as my daughter does not like it. It has been in my regular meal rotation now for over a year and i can’t get enough of it. My daughters boyfriend even says it a keeper.
I didn’t have spinach but didn’t miss it. Added tablespoon of cream cheese at the end and substituted pepper jack cheese for the mozzarella cause that’s what I had on hand. Also added 1/4 teaspoon of dried pepper flakes. The result was a nice creamy sauce with a slow burn. Delicious. Will definitely make again.
This is a winner in our house!!!! We’re entering a hot spell weather-wise and my husband was asking for sausage and pasta. Since boiling pasta heats up the house too much, I searched and found this recipe. It’s so easy to make. I used gluten-free rice pasta. The package states to boil it for up to 15 minutes; 4 minutes on high pressure did the trick according the note in the recipe. I also used Daiya cheese (dairy-free) and chopped kale instead of spinach. My husband went for seconds — I’d say he “loved” it! Will be making this again for sure. Thanks for a great recipe.
So glad you all loved this recipe! Thanks for sharing how the gluten-free rice pasta worked for you.
Can leftovers be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2-3 months.