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Instant Pot Creamy Cajun Pasta with Sausage is an Instant Pot one-pot meal that is all about flavor! Made with penne pasta, Andouille sausage or a smoky kielbasa, a Cajun spice blend, and more. This pressure cooker creamy Cajun pasta is full of good stuff! It’s an easy, tasty meal to make in your electric pressure cooker.
Originally published 12/10/17
Instant Pot Creamy Cajun Pasta with Sausage
Today I am updating the blog. There is a lot of work that goes into being a blogger, and one of the most important tasks is keeping up to date on technology, security, and so on.
I knew this amazingly delicious Instant Pot one-pot meal was a delicious option for dinner tonight.
This is another of those “Once upon a time, I made this on the stove” kind of recipes. It still amazes me how often I turn to my Instant Pot® electric pressure cooker to make pasta!
I think my favorite thing about making pasta in the IP is that I don’t have to drain the water from the pasta (and that allows me to use broth instead of water, for even more flavor).
The other thing I love about making Instant Pot Creamy Cajun Pasta with Sausage, and many other recipes in my IP, is that it has a great sauté feature, which means I truly can make one-pot meals in it.
Instant Pot Creamy Cajun Pasta with Sausage isn’t too spicy, unless the Cajun spice blend you use happens to be a spicier mix. If that is the case, you might want to reduce the amount you use.
My Cajun Spice Blend is just a bit spicy as Paul doesn’t like too much heat. It does still have a lot of flavor, though!
This yummy pressure cooker Cajun pasta is one of my most popular recipes, and if you try it you will know why!
I have several Instant Pot pasta recipes to choose from, so if this Instant Pot Creamy Cajun Pasta isn’t what you are looking for, search the website for pasta and you will most likely find something you will really like!
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Pasta
Instant Pot Leftover Turkey Pasta
Instant Pot Creamy Cajun Pasta with Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- 1 lb Andouille Sausage (or Smoked Kielbasa) sliced in 1/2" rounds
- 1 Chicken Breast, skinless/boneless, cubed
- 1 small Sweet Onion, chopped
- ½ cup Celery, diced
- 4 cloves Garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 ½ Tbsp Cajun Seasoning Blend* (try my recipe or a store bought blend like Tony Chachere's)
- 1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 8 med Mushrooms, sliced (optional)
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
- 4 cups Chicken Broth, low sodium
- 12 to 16 oz Penne Pasta
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- ¼ cup Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Gather all of the ingredients, and get all of your veggies and the sausage chopped before starting, and that will make for a smoother cooking experience!
- Turn on the pot to the Sauté function. When the display reads Hot, add the oil and butter.
- Add the sausage and chicken breast, if using, and cook for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the onion and celery. Cook until onion starts to turn translucent.
- Add the garlic, Cajun spice blend, smoked paprika, and mushrooms. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the red bell pepper and chicken broth. Stir. Let come to a simmer (the glass lid helps it come to a simmer faster).
- Add the pasta and make sure it is submerged. Then place the lid on the pot and lock into place. Set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
- Cancel the Sauté function. Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button (or dial) and use the + or - button (or dial) to choose 5 minutes.
- When the cooking cycle has ended, turn off the pot (or press Cancel) and do a Quick Release of the pressure/steam. Start slowly to be sure only steam comes out, and then fully release it.
- When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid and stir the pasta.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese, and let it melt.
- Stir in the heavy cream and parsley.
- Let sit uncovered for a couple of minutes to thicken up. This is a saucy dish, so it won't be thick like mac and cheese, but it will thicken some as it cools.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
RESOURCES TO MAKE Instant Pot Creamy Cajun Pasta recipe and more
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Hi Sandy, I made this for my family and they loved it! Is there a recipe for 8? Thank you
Hi Albery, So glad you like it! I would double the recipe to serve more people. Thanks for your review!
Could this be converted to stove top? I need to cook my pasta separately b/c I will be using zoodles. This sounds delish!
I think so. Add the noodles last.
I have to tell you, it’s been a long time since I’ve been truly impressed with a recipe, but I made this last night and I’m SERIOUSLY IMPRESSED! This will definitely be going into my regular rotation. Now I’m off to stalk your site for more yumminess! Thanks you!
Thank you for the nice comment, Stephanie! I’m glad you enjoyed this! Can’t beat that smoky Cajun flavor! You might like my Red Beans and Rice recipe, too. Take care!
Delicious. Used anduille instead of kielbasa.
Hi Christa! Yes, girl, Andouille is amazing in this! Thank you for the review, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Have you tried this with any other kinds of cheese? It was so good, my daughter asked for more.
Hi Christina! How nice that your daughter liked this! I haven’t tried a different cheese. If you do, let me know how you like it! Thank you for the comment!
I tried this tonight and it burnt to a crisp while sautéing before the onions even turned translucent. I’m not sure what I did. Maybe the sauté feature was too high? Or the oil heated too quickly? Or not enough? It’s like it burnt to the pot before it could do nothing. Any thoughts? I had to throw it away before I added more. I’m so eager to eat this because it looks amazing!!
Hi Kami, that is a hot pot! I would guess that the sauté function runs hot on your pot, or if you have the IP brand, it may have been set to “More” instead of “Normal” heat. If it was on Normal, then adjust it to Less, and try that. I would add a couple extra teaspoons of the olive oil, too, just to be safe. Stay with the pot while you sauté your food. Stir a little more frequently. If it looks like it is drying up, turn off the sauté setting and add the broth and move forward with the rest of the recipe. It’s okay if the onion isn’t completely translucent. Please let me know how it turns out. If your pot is running too hot, contact the manufacturer and maybe open a ticket with them.and just
I am going to use gluten free penne. Do you think the recipe will work the same? Gluten free pasta is usually the same but it takes just a tad bit longer to cook. Should I stick with the half the amount of time that’s on the box?
Hi Kami, I would, just to try it as each type of pasta seems to have it’s own time. Let me know how it turns out!
This was delicious, thank you! The tip about cooking pasta for half the time it says on the box was spot on-my penne was perfect when we got to eating it after a few minutes to allow the heat to thicken the sauce & soften the kale stems. Will definitely try this again, it’s a very forgiving recipe. Modded to suit what I had on hand (andouille, a diced jalapeño, pepper Jack cheese, fat free half & half, and added some kale with the cheese).
Hi Susan! That’s great! I love adding kale or spinach when I can, too. I’m glad you liked it, and thank you for the review!
I made this last night and was a little concerned that the pasta would over cook or stuff would blow out the vent. Instead, the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and the dish was fabulous. I used aidells cajun style anduille sausage instead of kielbasa and it was just spicy enough. Really good recipe. Thank you so much.
Hi Carol! I’m so glad you like this recipe! I also love andouille sausage, though a little to spicy for the hubby! Yum! Thank you for your review!
For health purposes, we need to cut the Parmesan cheese in half and either eliminate or replace the cream with low or nonfat milk. Please let me know if I’d need to adjust the recipe in other areas for this. Thanks.
Hi David, It will just be a little thinner, but less parmesan and a lower fat milk won’t alter the recipe that much. Not knowing which ingredients you are trying to avoid, I can’t recommend substitutions. I would make the recipe as you stated and see how it turns out. Then you will have your baseline for future batches!
I find Silk unsweeted almond milk works great in place of cream, it has a thicker texture than non-fat milk with less calories and carbs…
My first IP recipe & we all loved it. Thank you for great directions. Will def make again!!