Instant Pot Pasta with Sausage, Spinach, and Tomatoes
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A complete pasta dinner made in your Instant Pot! You’ll love this Instant Pot pasta with sausage, spinach, and tomatoes. You might have all the ingredients on hand already!
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: It’s healthy, satisfying, easy, and versatile, and you’re going to keep making it again and again!
How long it takes: 30 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: Instant Pot, measuring utensils
Servings: 6
- 1 Recipe Overview
- 2 Still Need an Instant Pot?
- 3 Are You New To Pressure Cooking?
- 4 About This Instant Pot Pasta Recipe
- 5 Ingredients You’ll Need
- 6 How To Make this Instant Pot Pasta Recipe
- 7 FAQs
- 8 Make It Your Own
- 9 Make-Ahead Ideas
- 10 Storage & Reheating Tips
- 11 Free Meal Plan
- 12 One Pot Pasta Recipes
- 13 Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Pasta with Sausage, Spinach and Tomatoes
My Instant Pot has pretty much found a permanent place on my countertop. I use it frequently for meal prep, like making boiled eggs for the week and shredded chicken to use in future dinner recipes. It also does a great job cooking dried beans (try Instant Pot pinto beans). I love that you don’t even have to soak the beans first.
Naturally, even as my list of Instant Pot recipes grows, I’m still always looking for more ways to use it, and I’ve been getting so many requests from all of you! You wouldn’t believe how many people ask me for more Instant Pot recipes so clearly I’m not the only one with an infatuation.
I’m nearly as obsessed with one pan pastas as I am with pressure cooker recipes, so it’s probably no surprise that the two recipe categories collided at some point. I now have several recipes that I’ve shared with you (check out the list near the end of the post) but this recipe remains one of my absolute favorites.
Are You New To Pressure Cooking?
Want to know which Instant Pot to get, along with tons of cooking tips for using a pressure cooker? Read my complete guide to cooking with a pressure cooker. You’ll also find lots of great Instant Pot recipes!
About This Instant Pot Pasta Recipe
Lots of reasons to love this recipe. This pasta is cheesy, creamy, filling, and so flavorful. Would you believe that it only has 425 calories per serving? It’s easy to make (read in just half an hour), it’s nutritious, and you only get one pan dirty. You really can have it all with this pasta.
Healthy ingredients. To keep this one pan pasta super filling and still nutritious, I use whole wheat pasta, turkey Italian sausage, and lots of spinach. There’s a can of tomatoes, a little bit of garlic and onion, and a handful of mozzarella cheese.
Easy cleanup. There’s no pasta pot or colander to wash because the pasta (almost magically) cooks right in the Instant Pot. So yeah, easy to make and easy to clean up, too.
I’ll run through the list of ingredients and get you started on the recipe here with a few helpful tips. Look for the printable recipe card at the end of this post. You’ll find complete instructions, measurements, and nutrition information.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Italian Sausage: I usually choose Italian sausage made from ground turkey but if you prefer a different type of raw ground sausage, that’s fine, too. Bulk sausage is easiest but if you can only find link sausage, simply squeeze the raw sausage out of the casings.
- Onion: A yellow cooking onion is fine for this recipe; they are inexpensive and store well in a cool, dry environment such as your pantry. If you happen to have another type of onion, feel free to substitute it.
- Garlic: The recipe calls for one clove of garlic but you can easily add more or skip it if you like. Remember: a clove is one small part of the larger head of garlic. Remove the papery husk and finely mince the garlic or press it through a garlic press.
- Whole Wheat Penne: The recipe is written for this type of pasta. If you choose a different kind of pasta, the cooking time may vary. Another thing to consider: If you add more pasta or use less, you may have to adjust the amount of added liquid.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes: Look for a large can, 28 oz., or use 2 small cans. I usually use “no salt added” tomatoes to control the amount of sodium in the recipe. Incidentally, if you’re looking for more recipes like this that use canned tomatoes, check out my collection of recipes for stew and soup using canned tomatoes.
- Dried Oregano: Dried herbs are easy to use and you probably have this one in your pantry.
- Chicken Broth: Again, look for low sodium broth. The broth is added to hydrate the pasta as it cooks, taking it from hard and dry to soft and al dente. Most of it will be absorbed into the pasta.
- Baby Spinach: This tender leafy green cooks very quickly so it’s stirred in right before the pasta is served. Even though the leaves are quite small, I usually give them a rough chop.
- Mozzarella Cheese: A couple handfuls of shredded cheese really makes this recipe a winner. As it melts, it makes a nice creamy sauce. Have a little extra cheese on hand to sprinkle on top of each serving. Freshly shredded mozzarella melts a bit better than pre-shredded cheese but I’ve used either with good results.
- Fresh Parsley: A garnish of fresh herbs seems to elevate any recipe from ho-hum to wow! Parsley is inexpensive, keeps well, and goes with everything. If fresh basil is available, feel free to substitute that for the parsley.
How To Make this Instant Pot Pasta Recipe
Let’s get started! I’m so glad that Instant Pots have a Sauté function. That’s a genius idea. Some of the new models have 3 different settings with the Sauté function so you can adjust the temperature if the pan seems to be getting too hot.
Begin by sautéing the sausage and onions in the Instant Pot, breaking up the sausage as it cooks.
Once the meat is no longer pink, add the garlic and cook it for a minute or two.
Next, add the diced tomatoes (don’t drain them first), chicken broth, and oregano. These ingredients will form the sauce. Also add the pasta. Stir well and make sure the pasta is submerged.
Put the cover on the Instant Pot and set it to Pressure Cook for 5 minutes. If you have an older model, choose Manual, High Pressure. Remember, it will take an additional 10 minutes or so for the cooker to reach full pressure.
Once the timer goes off, quick release the pressure by turning the valve to vent. Carefully! The steam is really hot. Once the pressure is released, remove the cover.
The pasta will be perfectly cooked! It’s sort of unbelievable until you’ve tried it. Since the pasta cooks right in the sauce, the end result is a naturally creamy sauce, thanks to the starch that the pasta releases. It’s a lovely thing.
We’re not quite finished. Give the pasta a good stir and add the spinach.
Replace the cover (just set it on loosely) and let the spinach wilt a couple of minutes. Stir it in once it’s wilted.
Of course, since everyone likes pasta even creamier, we’re going to go ahead and melt some mozzarella cheese in there. The cheese also thickens the sauce a bit which helps it cling to the pasta.
Let the pasta sit for five to ten minutes. It will continue to absorb a little more liquid and just seems to taste better if you let it settle down a little bit.
Although you really wouldn’t have to serve anything extra with this dinner, warm crusty bread with restaurant style bread dipping oil tastes great with it. Add a rosé spritzer or an Aperol spritz if you’re feeling festive.
FAQs
It really depends on what kind of pasta you’re cooking. Sturdier pastas require a bit more cooking time than thin delicate pasta. Cooking times can vary from zero minutes (the pasta cooks while the pot comes to pressure) to 5 minutes. Follow the recipes closely and you should have good results.
Oh yes! Pasta cooks more quickly than you would expect because 1) it begins cooking as the pot comes to pressure and 2) it’s cooked under pressure which speeds the cooking time. Again, follow recipe directions closely.
Cover the pasta with liquid by a half inch, generally 4 cups of liquid per pound of pasta. Remember, that liquid is not necessarily all water when you’re cooking pasta in an Instant Pot. It could be broth, tomato sauce, wine, etc.
Make It Your Own
- Use pork sausage. If you prefer pork to turkey, that’s fine but you may want to drain the sausage after browning it because it usually contains more fat than turkey sausage. If you don’t care for sausage, try ground beef or turkey instead.
- Add more veggies! Sauté a finely diced bell pepper or carrot, or sliced mushrooms, with the onions and sausage.
- Don’t own an Instant Pot? Try my other one pot pasta recipes that are cooked on the stove. Here are a few examples: homemade Hamburger Helper, rigatoni with creamy tomato sauce, or taco pasta. Lately, my new favorite is vegetarian orzo with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. So good!
Make-Ahead Ideas
Want to make this ahead of time or turn it into a freezer meal? I’ve done this and it tastes delicious! Here’s how you do it:
Prepare the recipe as directed and then put it into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan. (I prefer to use a metal pan if I’m going to freeze a casserole to eliminate the possibility of breakage.) Top with more mozzarella cheese (¼ -½ cup) and cover the pan completely with foil. Freeze or refrigerate until ready to bake.
Note: If the casserole is frozen, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Baking a solidly frozen casserole is tricky. Often the edges get overdone while the middle stays cool.
Preheat oven to 350°F and bake the casserole for an hour, uncovering in the last 15 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is melted.
Storage & Reheating Tips
Refrigerate: Refrigerate leftover pasta promptly in a covered dish or airtight container. It will keep for three to four days.
Freeze: This pasta recipe can be frozen for up to three months. For best results, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat: Individual portions can be reheated in a microwave safe container until warm. Larger amounts can be heated in a skillet or saucepan on the stove. Add a bit of water or broth if pasta seems dry.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 16 oz. Italian turkey sausage (see note)
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about ½ cup)
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth (see note)
- 12 ounces whole wheat penne pasta, uncooked (4 cups dry)
- 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 5 ounces baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, extra for garnishing (see note)
- chopped parsley, for garnishing
Instructions
- Heat Instant Pot to “Sauté.” Add oil, sausage, and onion. Cook, breaking up sausage into small pieces, until sausage is no longer pink and onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until garlic is fragrant.
- Add chicken broth, pasta, diced tomatoes, and oregano. Stir to combine and make sure pasta is submerged in liquid.
- Set Instant Pot to Pressure Cook (or Manual, High Pressure, depending on model) for 5 minutes. Turn valve to seal. When the timer goes off, turn valve to Vent to Quick release the pressure.
- Keep Instant Pot on Warm and add spinach. Replace cover loosely (don’t turn to latch). Wilt spinach for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring as needed to help it along.
- Add 1 cup mozzarella cheese and stir to melt. Let pasta set for 5 to 10 minutes to let the sauce thicken before serving.
Notes
- I like bulk sweet Italian sausage but you can use spicy if you prefer a little heat. If you buy links, squeeze it out of the links. If you prefer, pork sausage can be substituted.
- Use low-sodium chicken broth in this recipe. It can get salty quickly because of the sausage and cheese so you want to control it where you can. I usually use no-salt-added canned tomatoes, too.
- Buy a block of mozzarella and shred it. Pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt as well.
- If you want to amp up the vegetables, add a diced sweet bell pepper, diced carrots, or sliced mushrooms when you sauté the sausage and onions.
- To make ahead or turn into a freezer meal, refer to the post for instructions.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
denise says
I’m commenting again because I made this last night and it was a huge hit in our house.
Rachel Gurk says
That makes me so happy! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
Laura says
Absolutely love this! Thank you! I threw in some mushrooms (because they needed using up) and it was a massive success with my kids, even the picky who would normally avoid spinach and mushrooms! Made this recipe twice but think it’ll be a staple go to busy night meal
Rachel Gurk says
I love the addition of mushrooms! So glad you liked this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Jane says
This was my first time making pasta in the Instant Pot, and the whole family loved it! I used crushed tomatoes instead of diced, and Barilla Protein Plus Rotini. Cooked at high pressure for 5 minutes, then sprinkled in some fresh basil before serving. It came out with the perfect texture. Thanks for a great recipe!
Rachel Gurk says
So happy to hear you liked this! The fresh basil is a great touch!
Jane says
Could you make this without the pasta and add it after?
Rachel Gurk says
That won’t work as well because the pasta soaks up a lot of the liquid. I haven’t tested it, but it might work that way if you completely eliminate the chicken broth from the recipe. Let me know if you try it!
Gail says
I do not have an instant pot. I have a conventional stove/oven. How would you recommend cooking this recipe as such? TYIA!!!!
Rachel Gurk says
I haven’t tried this on the stove, but I think it would likely work well with the same ingredients and general instructions (brown sausage first, etc), just in a large covered pan over medium heat. Stir often so that the pasta cooks evenly.
Mike says
I just made this…tasty and easy…a little to soupy for me…next time I’ll drain the tomatoes…
Rachel Gurk says
It does thicken once it cools a bit, but you could definitely thicken it up by omitting the tomato juice. :)
Kerri says
I tried this recipe and it was amazing in taste. The problem I had was it was more like soup :(. Should the tomatoes be drained perhaps?
Rachel Gurk says
It thickens up a few minutes after it cooks, but it shouldn’t be like soup. Are you sure you got all the measurements correct?
Kitty D says
made it today – awesome flavors, texture and had alot of leftovers. There was just 2 of us, so i have lunch for the week! Highly recomend this meal!
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so happy to hear that you liked this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment, it means so much to me!
R says
You mention amping up the vegetables by adding them to the saute step, would something like sliced/chopped zucchini be fine to add in this step also? I’m worried leaving it in for the 5 minutes of pressure cooking would result in it being too mushy. Was thinking of adding bell peppers/zucchini together to this and was trying to figure out the best way, thanks for any feedback!
Rachel Gurk says
I think bell peppers would probably be okay, but zucchini would probably turn to mush. I would maybe just cut the zucchini very small (matchsticks, or spiralized?) and add it in after pressure cooking (before the spinach), stir it in, and let it just cook a little with the heat of the sauce while the spinach wits. Otherwise, you could saute it separately and stir it in after but that gets another pan dirty.
Elle says
I am new to instant pot creations. I see in the title of this article that it says “with video” but cannot seem to find the actual video? Looks delicious!
Rachel Gurk says
Are you on desktop or a phone/tablet? On desktop, the video is right after the photo but as you scroll down the page, it will move with you so you can continue to watch as you read the post and view the recipe.
Laurie Eivet says
This is very reminiscent of a Weight Watcher’s recipe I make on rhe stove top, but in one pot! I was worried about the pasta getting too soggy, but that didn’t happen. My sauce thickened fine, but it was a little too saucy for my taste. I think I’ll only use one can of tomatos in the future and nix the mozzarella. It made a cheesy mess of my pan and my plastic pan scraper thingy and didn’t really mix in. I think I’d prefer my fresh grated parmesan, maybe some mixed in and some on top of the final product. Oh, and I have a Mealthy Multipot, not an Intant Pot and am a first time user. I’m chuffed at how easy this was to put together– and so fast! Thank you!
Rachel Gurk says
So happy to hear you liked this recipe, Laurie! Thank you!
Cheyann T says
This is FANTASTIC! Awesome comfort food. I added in a heaping of Penzy’s Sicilian seasoning!! Thanks so much for the recipe. This is a keeper!
Rachel Gurk says
So happy to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Carl says
Changed it up a little… But made it, and LOVED IT…. Used chicken breast instead of the turkey sausage. Used half fire roasted diced tomatoes w/ green chilies and half regular diced tomatoes… Will be making this pretty often! Will try the turkey sausage next time.
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Metamorphosis Lisa says
This was delicious! Used a Chicken Parm Italian sausage, added chopped carrot, zucchini, roasted peppers, red chile flakes and a chunk of Parmesan rind to the pot plus lots of Spinach after PR. SO, so good! I just ladeled any excess broth from the pot and saved it for another use. Freezing leftovers too!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad to hear you liked this one! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment. Good call on the Parmesan rind!
Dana says
Great, easy recipe for a first time instant pot user! Thank you, will make this again!
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so happy to hear you liked this recipe, Dana! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Stephanie R Gibson says
curious if I could use canned spinach. I have no fresh spinach and my kids are napping and I won’t have a chance to get out and get it…..
Rachel Gurk says
I think that will work! Just drain the liquid out pretty well so it doesn’t get too watery.
Larry Stephens says
Made a few small changes to ingredients. I used hot Italian sausage, two tsp of better than bullion roasted garlic to the chicken broth and ten ozs of spinach Three thumbs up and five stars!
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment and review!