Instant Pot Pumpkin Sausage Pasta
This Instant Pot pumpkin sausage pasta dish is a long standing family favorite. It is quick and simple, mostly hands-off time, and the result is a delicious meal you'll want to make again and again.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-1/2 cups finely chopped onion or shallots
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound country-style pork sausage see note for variation
- 2 teaspoons dried ground sage
- 2-1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 12-ounce package penne or other tubular pasta
- 1 cup canned pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling; see note for variations
- 5 cups water
- 1/2 cup heavy cream see note for variations
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese + more for serving
- Salt & pepper to taste
- freshly chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
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Select "Saute" on electric pressure cooker and set to high (a.k.a. "Brown" on some models). Heat olive oil until hot, then diced onions/shallots and minced garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often until onions soften.
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Remove sausage from casing, if using links. Add sausage to pressure cooker and cook until browned on all sides, breaking it apart into pieces with a wooden spoon, about 6 minutes.
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Turn off pressure cooker. Then add dried sage, chicken bouillon, salt, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and bay leaf and stir.
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Add 12-ounces pasta on top of meat mixture. Add pumpkin puree along with 5 cups of water. If any pasta is poking up, press down gently with wooden spoon until it is submerged in the liquid. IMPORTANT: DO NOT STIR AFTER ADDING THE PASTA
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Secure the lid of the Instant Pot, set the valve to seal, and select “manual” or “pressure cook” and dial up or down to 3 minutes.
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Let the pressure release naturally for 6 minutes and then quick release the remaining pressure. If the pot starts to splatter when doing the quick release, cover with a dish towel or turn the knob back to pressure and let it release naturally another 4 to 6 minutes naturally before doing the quick release.
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Add 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese and stir thoroughly. Sauce will be quite runny. Let it sit uncovered for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce has thickened slightly. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve the pasta immediately with additional Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley, if desired.
Recipe Notes
1. In place of the canned pumpkin you can use any kind of cooked, pureed winter squash (Hubbard, Butternut, Pumpkin, etc.)
2. We’ve also made this with mild Italian sausage instead of the country-style and it give a little spicier flavor that is delicious.
3. We have substituted milk, half-in-half, or evaporated milk in place of the heavy cream with good results. I have even used dairy free options (almond, coconut milk or cream) and those have also worked well.
4. Other types of pasta should work fine in this dish. You may need to adjust the cooking time depending on the type of pasta you use. A good rule of thumb is: take the al dente cooking time listed on the package, cut it in half and subtract another 1-2 minutes.