Instant Pot Veggie Sausage Pasta

Instant Pot Veggie Sausage Pasta is simple, tasty, and as hearty as pastas come!  True comfort and lots of rich flavors in a bowl.

After setting up my Instant Pot, I immediately Googled recipes and blogs catering to this new device.  I also asked friends for their suggestions.  The idea of creating my own dishes never even came to mind.  Why?  Well honestly, I was a little scared.  Scared of it blowing up in my face (literally!), scared my food wouldn’t turn out tasty creating unnecessary waste, etc.  You get the picture.

One day I ditched my fears and decided to try my hand at lasagna soup…in the Instant Pot.  And guess what…it didn’t turn out as expected.  BUT it still tasted good.  While I didn’t have a soup to serve, I did have some pretty delicious pasta that my husband compared to Hamburger Helper, one of his favorite childhood meals.

Lesson learned – when it comes to the Instant Pot, just go for it!

Since then, I’ve tried recreating this pasta a few different times.  I’ve tried different pastas, different amounts of liquid, and different cooking times.  And FINALLY, I have a recipe to share.

Seriously, you guys.  This is one of the easiest and tastiest pasta dishes I’ve ever made.  In fact, as we were eating it for dinner this week, Vishnu said, “This is so good, Par.”  Totally unprompted!  That’s how I know this recipe is a winner!

Anyways, enough chit chat.  If you own an Instant Pot, give this recipe a try and let me know what you think.  If you don’t, try to recreate it on the stove top (it make require a little more time and a few more pots).

Instant Pot Veggie Sausage Pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
4 vegetarian sausage links*, chopped (I love Tofurkey Italian sausage)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons basil paste
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¾ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
12 ounce box of whole wheat or whole grain/multi-grain pasta**
3 cups veggie broth
Cheese of choice***

1. Press the sauté button and wait until the indicator says ‘hot.’
2. Add olive oil and after 2-3 minutes add onions and garlic. Stir occasionally until onions are slightly translucent (4-5 minutes).
3. Add sausage and stir to combine. After 2-3 minutes, add tomato and basil pastes and mix well.
4. Add diced tomatoes, oregano, salt, pepper, and red chili flakes. Stir to combine.
5. Add pasta and mix lightly before adding veggie broth.
6. Ensure pasta is submerged in liquid.
7. Pressure cook on manual at high pressure for 7 minutes. Turn off heat and wait for a 10 minute natural pressure release (wait 10 minutes after turning IP off and then manually release pressure before opening lid).  If you prefer your pasta more al dente, pressure cook for 4-5 minutes instead.
8. Stir pasta to combine, serve, top with cheese, and enjoy!

*If you want to make this a meaty dish, use your favorite ‘real’ Italian sausage.
**I highly recommend using whole wheat or whole grain/multi-grain pasta versus regular or alternative (brown rice/quinoa, chickpea, etc.), as it holds up to the pressure cooker and keeps its texture/shape nicely.
***I recommend a ricotta/mozzarella/parm combo, but anything goes!  I also love feta, and Vishnu’s tried and true fav is sharp cheddar.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Instant Pot.  It’s made meal prep and cooking so much easier, and I can honestly say it’s made me a more adventurous cook too (thanks to all of the awesome blogs out there).  If you’re on the fence about this seemingly intimidating device, just go for it!  My prediction – 2018 will be the year of the Instant Pot!

With that being said, look out for more Instant Pot recipes this year!  #cantstopwontstop

Your turn – do you own an Instant Pot?  Any favorite recipes/blogs?  PLEASE share in the comments!

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