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Instant Pot Pasta

Instant Pot Veggie Sausage Pasta

written by Parita 8 Comments

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.

Instant Pot Pasta

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 pasta

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!

No portion of this post is sponsored.  However, affiliate links are included. There is no extra cost to you, but I do receive a small commission on anything you buy through my links.  Thank you for reading and supporting My Inner Shakti!

Written on January 10, 2018 Related:Food, Instant Pot, Recipe

PAST, present, FUTURE

written by Parita Leave a Comment

Happy Monday (or as happy as Mondays can be)!  By the time I got home from work, I wasn’t as hungry as I usually am – surprise, surprise.  This afforded me the time to make a meal that involved some prep work.  I scoped out the ingredients in my tiny kitchen and decided on pasta.  Tonight’s feature included spinach, zucchini, yellow squash, chickpeas, spicy marinara sauce, and goat cheese – random but hearty and delicious!  Not only did this meal fill me up, but it was super easy to make.

With the pasta boiling off to one side, I sautéed the zucchini and squash in some olive oil.  After a few minutes, I added the spinach and let it wilt.  I then seasoned the veggies with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder (all to taste).  Next, I added the chickpeas and let everything cook through before adding the sauce.  Once the sauce was in, I taste tested and added paprika for some extra heat.  Once the pasta was al dente, it was incorporated with the veggies and sauce.  I topped off my serving with some goat cheese and devoured (just kidding) ate everything one bite at a time…verrrry slooowly!  [Side note: Slow Down Challenge is going well, and I will post more tomorrow.]

Simmering away...

All mixed up

PAST, present, FUTURE

I was reading a few blogs today, and I realized that not everything I post needs to be super positive.  Life’s not perfect, and while I don’t ever want to be Ms. Negative Nancy Blogger, I do want to be real.  With that being said, one of the things that I have always struggled with is living in the past and the future but never in the present.  I can’t imagine I’m the only one out there that’s like this, but oftentimes I find myself constantly wanting to go back in time or jump ahead to some future time when “everything will be perfect.”  When I find myself heading in either of those directions, I try to remind myself that I can’t control the past or the future, but I have full control over my thoughts in the here and now.  Like a lot of things in life, this is easier said than done.  Change and uncertainty have never been my forte, but I like to think that I’m getting better at dealing with both.  But there are always those times when a feeling of sadness washes over me because I am stuck in my own memories or in my thoughts about some unknown future. 

After seeing all the devastation in Japan and hearing all the heartbreaking stories on the news, I’ve been thinking about how precious our time on Earth really is.  I can’t even begin to imagine the thoughts running through the minds of those that were and continue to be affected by the earthquake and tsunami.  All I know is that I now want to work harder at getting out of my own thoughts and focus more on living in the present because in the end, it’s all we can really do, and it’s all we really have.

Do you ever find yourself stuck in the past or zooming ahead to the future?  How do get your mind to focus on the present?

Written on March 14, 2011 Related:Food, Inspirational, Recipe, Self

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