Instant Pot Pasta with Sausage, Spinach, and Tomatoes – with video
Posted: 03/12/2018
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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
Table of Contents
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My Instant Pot is slowly but surely finding a permanent place on my countertop. It always gets used for making boiled eggs and shredded chicken. I also love Instant Pot sweet potatoes and Instant Pot mashed potatoes. What’s your favorite use for your pressure cooker?
Naturally, I’m looking for more ways to use it, and I’ve been getting so many requests from you guys! 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 were going to collide at some point. That point is now.
About this Instant Pot Pasta
This pasta is cheesy, creamy, filling, and so flavorful. Would you believe that it only has around 300 calories per serving? You really can have it all with this pasta.
Look for the printable recipe card at the end of this post. You’ll find complete directions and nutrition information.
To keep this one pan pasta super filling and still nutritious, I use whole wheat pasta, turkey Italian sausage, and lots of spinach!
Cooking Tip
Prefer pork sausage? Go for it but make sure to drain the grease off before adding the pasta and the rest of your ingredients.
How To Make This Recipe
Start by sautéing the sausage and onions right in the Instant Pot. Add garlic, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and oregano. These ingredients will form the sauce.
Submerge the whole wheat pasta in the broth mixture right in your Instant Pot. Cover and cook at high pressure for only five minutes. 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 from the pasta.
Once the pasta is cooked, remove the lid and arrange the spinach on top. Put the lid back on loosely and let the spinach wilt a couple of minutes.
In a hurry? If you want to take a couple of minutes off the cooking time, you can add the spinach right on top of the pasta before you pressure cook it instead of wilting it at the end. Don’t stir it in (you want the pasta to be submerged in liquid), just set the spinach on top before securing the lid. It won’t retain its bright green color quite as nicely but it will still taste great. I like to do it at the end because we eat with our eyes first, but really, it doesn’t make a difference in taste, so do what works for your schedule!
Of course, I like my pasta even creamier, so 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.
FAQs
How long does it take to cook pasta in an Instant Pot?
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.
Can you overcook pasta in an Instant Pot?
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.
How much liquid do you cook pasta in Instant Pot?
According to the Barilla website, cover the pasta with liquid by a 1/2 inch, generally 4 cups of liquid per pound of pasta. Remember, that “liquid” is not usually water when you’re cooking pasta in an Instant Pot. It could be broth, tomato sauce, wine, etc.
If you guys liked my other one pot pastas — copycat Healthy Hamburger Helper, One Pan Rigatoni with Creamy Tomato Sauce, or Taco Pasta, you’re going to love this one too! 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:
Make as directed and then pour into a greased 9×13 inch pan. Top with more mozzarella cheese (1/4-1/2 cup) and cover with foil. Freeze or refrigerate until ready to bake. Place cold pan in cold oven (prevents it from shattering from the shock of cold to hot) and preheat oven to 350°F. Cook for an hour, uncovering in the last 15 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is melted. It may require slightly longer cooking time if frozen. If cooking from frozen, you may also thaw overnight in fridge before baking.
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!
More Instant Pot Recipes
I keep adding more and more Instant Pot recipes to my site. Here’s what I’ve been making lately:
- Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs (turkey meatballs) — Another one pot pasta dish for you!
- Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi Pasta — Yes, you can make shrimp scampi with angel hair pasta in your Instant Pot.
- Instant Pot Crack Chicken Pasta – cheesy ranch perfection!
- Instant Pot Lemon Pasta with Chicken with spinach
- Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta
- Instant Pot Tomato Soup
- Instant Pot Cauliflower Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe
- Instant Pot Ribs — fall off the bone!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
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!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pkg. 19.5 ounce) turkey Italian sausage links, removed from casing
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion, one small onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth (see note)
- 12 ounces whole wheat penne pasta
- 1 can (28 ounce) diced tomatoes, no salt added
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 6 ounces baby spinach
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, extra for garnishing
- 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 1-2 minutes or until garlic is fragrant. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Add chicken broth, pasta, diced tomatoes, and oregano. Stir to combine and make sure pasta is submerged in liquid.
- Set Instant Pot to “Manual” 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 and place cover on (don’t turn to latch). Let wilt for 2-3 minutes, stirring as needed to help it along.
- Add 1 cup mozzarella cheese and stir to melt. If the sauce appears thin, let set pasta set for 5-10 minutes, it will thicken.
Notes
- I like sweet Italian Sausage but you can use hot Italian sausage if you prefer a little heat.
- Make sure to 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.
- If you want to amp up the vegetables a little, add a diced sweet bell pepper or diced carrots when you sauté the sausage and onions.
- If you’re in a hurry, add the spinach on top of the pasta before you pressure cook it instead of wilting it afterwards. It won’t retain its bright green color as well, but it will still taste great.
- To make ahead or turn into a freezer meal: Make as directed and then pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Top with more mozzarella cheese (1/4-1/2 cup) and cover with foil. Freeze or refrigerate until ready to bake. Place cold pan in cold oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Cook for an hour, uncovering in the last 15 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is melted. It may require slightly longer cooking time if frozen. If cooking from frozen, you can also thaw overnight in fridge before baking.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 307kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 268mg, Potassium: 505mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 2944IU, Vitamin C: 15mg, Calcium: 165mg, Iron: 2mg
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.
Greg says
Does the garlic clove go in whole or chopped?
Rachel Gurk says
Minced! Sorry about that – I fixed the recipe to clarify.
Stacy Elliott says
Can I substitute hamburger meat for the sausage??
Rachel Gurk says
For sure! I think that will be delicious!
Stacy Elliott says
Thank you!
Rachel Gurk says
You’re welcome!
Tamiko Tolefree says
Thank You for this delicious recipe! It is super easy to make s and taste so good.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Kate says
Made this for dinner and loved it. I’m an instant pot newbie so it was really helpful to have the video included. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Rachel Gurk says
Awesome! So glad to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Lorie scott says
This was great!! Thank you!! I actually used cauliflower rotini and extra mushrooms too while sautéing sausage….first time doing pasta all in one pot. It was yummy
Rachel Gurk says
Oh yummy! I’m glad to hear it worked with cauliflower rotini too! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Pamela Chesbrough says
This recipe was perfect for what I had on hand! I cut the recipe in half and improvised slightly. I used cheddar brats, shell noodles, a mixed shredded Italian cheese (mozzarella, provolone, etc) and I added mushrooms. I did sprinkle some parmesan cheese along with salt/pepper on my serving/plate. I am ready to go back for 2nds! Definitely making this again, thank you!!
Rachel Gurk says
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it! Your adaptations sound absolutely delicious! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Becca says
Hi! Looking forward to eating this this week. How long does the pot usually take to come to pressure? Just trying to work out what time I should start!
Thanks
Rachel Gurk says
Usually about 10-15 minutes. :) I hope you love this recipe!
Alyssa says
Thanks for this recipe, it was delicious! It was also my first time using the Instant Pot and I am already feeling more comfortable with it. My husband loved it too and asked me to make it regularly. I ended up using slightly more than 3c of broth because the pasta wasn’t covered – I do regret that since it came out a little soupy even after setting, but didn’t affect the taste. Next time I won’t worry so much about that.
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so glad you liked it! It’s a good first recipe for the IP! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Laura says
How long does it usually take to get to pressure? I added broccoli on the top instead of spinach and I worry that’s messing with the IP’s ability to get to pressure. Thoughts?
Rachel Gurk says
That shouldn’t make a huge difference…I’m guessing it has come to pressure by now? :)
MG says
This was so good! Fresh and tasty. Much healthier than many other IP recipes I’ve been finding. We added about 6 oz of carrots, as suggested, and a bit more onion for extra veg. Also used a meatless sausage for our vegetarian friend. Thanks for a great recipe!
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Melanie says
This recipe is great!! The only substitution or addition I made was I used mixed super greens instead of spinach and added it at the beginning. We had leftover grilled Evergood pineapple and hotlink sausages and the flavor was amazing! Just added the already cooked sausage to the sauteed onions and garlic. My husband loved it. Definitely will be in the regular rotation for us. Thank you so much!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked this recipe! That sausage sounds fantastic! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment, it means a lot to me!
FitMomMD says
Simple and tasty weeknight meal. I used a 3/4 can of tomato sauce (since I only had one can of diced tomatoes), a bit more onion, garlic, seasoned diced tomatoes (of course!) and it came out delicious for entire family. Pasta was slightly softer than al dente but certainly not soggy! Thanks so much for sharing!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment with your adaptations!
Rashieda says
Thanks a million for this recipe! Its was simple and quick and mine looked exactly like yours! I only used two cups of chicken stock and organic wholewheat pasta – the texture and flavours were perfect! Thanks again for a hearty recipe :)
Rachel Gurk says
Oh I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Richard says
Something must be wrong with how I did it because as opposed to all the reviews mine was inedible. The pasta was soggy and slimy. Worst texture for pasta.
Taste wise it was ok, a bit salty but that is just the broth and cheese. I wouldn’t venture making pasta in the instant pot again
Rachel Gurk says
I’ve never had that experience! Did you have your valve turned to “seal” and not “vent?” I’ve made pasta in the IP many times and it always comes out great!
Sue says
This dish was super easy and very good. I used a whole box (16oz ) of whole wheat penne, 32 oz of chicken stock, 28 0z of canned diced tomatoes, used spicy chicken sausage, 10 oz of fresh spinach (I like to destem and tear Into pieces before adding, also threw in some corn at the end. Will be making this one quite often. This turned out perfect. Forgot to add the cheese at the end but after eating found out it wasn’t necessary. Thanks so much for a great recipe.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked this recipe, Sue! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Lindsay says
Can I use frozen spinach?
Rachel Gurk says
That should work fine! I’d thaw it first and try to squeeze out as much liquid as possible so the pasta doesn’t get too watery.