Sausage and Pepper Rigatoni (Instant Pot Recipe)

If you love it, share it!

rigatoni with sausage and peppers
If you love the taste of sausage and peppers, you’ll love this one-pot pasta dinner. With a little help from your friends (in this case, a jar of marinara sauce, dried pasta that you don’t even have to boil, and a do-it-all multi-cooker such as an Instant Pot that practically does all the work for you), with minimal effort and a fast cook time, this one will become one of your weeknight favorites. Have I sold you on it yet?
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
rigatoni with sausage and peppers

Sausage and Pepper Rigatoni (Instant Pot Recipe)

  • Author: Yael
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings
Print Recipe

Description

This recipe yields a lot – great leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch, or dinner. Sprinkle some fresh basil on at the end and top with grated parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 lb. hot or sweet Italian sausage, without casings
  • 1 medium onion, chopped fine, or 3/4 cup frozen diced onion
  • 1 green pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 1 24-oz.jar marinara sauce
  • 3 1/2 cups water
  • 1 pound rigatoni, ziti, or penne pasta
  • 2 tablespoons sliced fresh basil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Grated parmesan for topping

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in the pressure cooker pot on medium-high heat until it shimmers. Stir in the sausage, onion, and green pepper and cook, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon until the sausage is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
  2. Stir in the entire jar of marinara sauce, the water, and the uncooked rigatoni.
  3. Set the pressure cooker for 5 minutes on high pressure. Lock the lid and allow the pressure to build and cook for 5 minutes.
  4. Once it has cooked on high pressure for 5 minutes, quick release the pressure.
  5. Open the lid away from you, allowing the steam to escape, and switch the setting to brown. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is tender, about 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the basil, reserving a bit to sprinkle on when you plate it, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Top with grated parmesan cheese.

Notes

My grocery store (Publix) sells sausage without casings in a package that looks like ground beef. If your store doesn’t carry sausage without casings, purchase links, cut the end off each link and squeeze the sausage out of the casings before cooking.

As another shortcut, you could use pre-diced or frozen diced onion. Another thing I’m grateful to Publix for is frozen chopped onion. I rely on it for weeknight dinners, to make the prep even easier and haven’t noticed any difference in my dishes than when I use fresh.

How to chop fresh basil into fine strips: The technique is called “chiffonade”, and it’s so easy. Wash a few large basil leaves and pat dry. Lay them on top of each other, and from one side roll them into a thin log. With a sharp knife, slice across the log in cuts close together and the result will be fine ribbons of basil you can lightly sprinkle on top of the finished dish. Chiffonade-cut fresh basil is also awesome sprinkled on fresh tomatoes and fresh mozzarella if you make a caprese salad or appetizer at your next party.

Recommended tools and equipment: 6-quart multi cooker such as Instant Pot.

  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Category: main dish
  • Method: Pressure cooker
  • Cuisine: American

Did you make this recipe?

Share your pics and tag me @call.me.sugar — I can't wait to see what you made!

Scroll to Top