This Instant Pot Sausage Broccoli Pasta is the perfect quick and delicious dinner for your busy weeknights! Just two minutes of cook time and super easy cleanup thanks to the IP! This post contains affiliate links for products I am obsessed with.
Confession #144 – We’ve been eating this dish a lot for the past few months. No idea why I am just sharing it with you now.
It’s a simple dish…nothing new or earth shattering about it, except for the fact that my husband actually eats it…all of it…including the broccoli.
Which is pretty earth shattering, actually.
Aside from this dish, the only other dinner that gets him remotely interested in broccoli is my Beef and Broccoli and I can’t blame him with that one – I mean, delicious beef in that sweet and savory sauce? Yeah – I think you could put up with some broccoli for that.
This Sausage and Broccoli Pasta reminds him of this Italian Pork Sandwich with Broccoli Rabe that is super famous here in Philadelphia with all of it’s garlicky goodness.
For me, this dinner tastes like home as I grew up eating Macaroni and Broccoli…we also ate Macaroni and Cauliflower, Macacori and Peas…we pretty much ate Macaroni with all the things. We love our yellows.
I made this for the first time on a busy Saturday night – around the time I was testing that Beef and Broccoli. We were thisclose to getting take out, but last minute I decided to throw what we had in the fridge in the IP instead and we both LOVED it. And my youngest did, too. I left the crushed red pepper off of his.
And I have made this dinner lots of times with both sweet and spicy chicken sausage and we love it both ways, so you can pick what will work for your family. Can’t find Turkey or Chicken Sausage at your grocery store? Make your own using this How to Make Homemade Italian Sausage with Ground Chicken or Turkey recipe!
My brown rice pasta usually cooks in two minutes, but every so often I open the pot after a quick release and some of my pasta is still a little crunchy. If that’s the case, I just give it a stir and pop the lid back on for a couple of minutes. That usually helps. I would much rather undercook a bit than overcook…no mushy pasta for this girl!
Oh – and I tend to use a little less broccoli in this because of my husband…and I serve this dish with a side salad. You can easily add more and make this a perfect 1 green. I included this in the notes!
If you decide to give this a try, let me know what you think and don’t forget to use the #confessionsofafitfoodie so I can see your creations on social! I love it! <3
Instant Pot Sausage Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 lb spicy or sweet Italian poultry sausage removed from casing
- 1/2 onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked gluten free pasta
- 2-4 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth or stock
- Crushed red pepper
- 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese can omit for WW
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to saute and add oil to the bottom of your pan. Brown poultry sausage until cooked through. Add in garlic and onion add cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in stock, broccoli, and pasta. Lock lid and set cook time for 2 minutes.
- After cooktime is through, do a quick release and open the lid after it unlocks. Give everything a stir and check the pasta to see if it’s cooked to your liking. If it needs a little more time, just place the lid back for a minute or two, and the pasta will cook in the heat.
- Sprinkle with crushed red pepper for a little heat (or not) and top evenly with Parmesan cheese before serving. Enjoy!
Melissa A says
This was so good and so easy. I used Basmati rice. I made it for a quick easy dinner for the weekend when my kids were w their dad. And then made it again when they came home. they loved it.
Nancylynn says
Such a win! Thanks for taking the time to comment and give a star rating- it means so much!
Karen says
I’m allergic to broccoli. Do you have a suggestion as to what other veggie might pair well with this meal?
Nancylynn says
Give zucchini a try!
Christy says
A little confused…I made this as written, and the ratio of pasta to sausage looks nothing like the photos, plus there’s so much liquid remaining after cooking that out looks like soup. Any ideas?
Nancylynn says
What kind of pasta did you use?
Deanna Raysor says
Can you use chicken in place of sausage, if so is the cooking time the same?
Nancylynn says
You could use ground chicken and saute the same way as the sausage and keep cook time the same (Or use pre-cooked diced chicken). But the amount of time you need to cook chicken, will result in overcooked pasta and broccoli. Hope that helps!
Kylee says
Just made this in my instant pot!! So delicious! I used Banza chickpea noodles!! So tasty and my husband approved! Oh forgot to mention this meal literally takes zero time!! Thank you!! Can’t wait to try some of your other meals!
Nancylynn says
Thank you so much! SOOO glad you loved it!
Jenni says
Hi!
I absolutely love this recipe! I accidentally bought pre-cooked sausage, there is no way these casings are coming off. Will the recipe still work?
Nancylynn says
LOL oops! Yes, that’s fine. I would slice and brown the sausage, but then take it out of the pot and set aside. Add the broccoli, stock and pasta and cook as the recipe says. Then add the sausage back in and give it all a good stir! Let us know how it goes!
Kathleen Y Coffey says
I replied to someone’s message above so posting the same question here in case it gets lost. I am wondering where to add the chicken stock (cooking stovetop) — did not see that detail in the instructions. Thanks.
Nancylynn says
with the broccoli and pasta – I replied both places too 🙂
Tara says
Do you need to change anything if using frozen broccoli?
Nancylynn says
Hi! I haven’t tried it, but for frozen broccoli, I would steam it separately then add the broccoli to the Instant Pot after the cook time, to avoid extra mushy broccoli. Let us know how it goes!
Cristie says
For the record, this is an excellent modification. I love the frozen broccoli packs from Costco and always use those for this amazeballs recipe. Just microwave steam it in the bag for 5ish minutes, drain, and add to the pasta mixture. Then give it a final seasoning. Yum!
Nancylynn says
This is perfect! Thank you for confirming this broccoli hack, Cristie!
Michele says
This was the quickest and easiest recipe to throw together last minute, which is just what I needed. It was the first tine I cooked GF pasta in the IP and I was worried about the timings but it was perfect. I don’t eat onion so I substituted 1x chopped yellow pepper. Thanks so much for sharing an easy dinner idea!
Nancylynn says
Yes, sooo easy to throw together- glad you loved it!
Angela says
Delicious , just like any other of your recipes I have made 😀
Renee Morrison says
Just made this again tonight. So easy and delish!
Nisha says
This sounds great! I’m looking forward to trying it! I’m vegetarian so i’m going to use soy sausage, but it typically isn’t as strong in flavour as the real thing. Do you have any suggestions on what to add to bring more flavour to it if vegetarian?
Nancylynn says
I would add extra garlic or garlic powderr and some Italian seasonings!
Audr says
My whole family loved this recipe! I was just wondering if the Weight Watcher Freestyle Points and the Weight Watcher Smart Points were the same. I put this recipe in the App and it says 1 3/4 cup is 20 points. Any help is appreciated. The dish was so good!
Nancylynn says
Hi! They are different plans – which color plan are you? That seems like a lot of points regardless. Did you change anything about the recipe?
Kristen Walker says
Hi! I shared this recipe with my mom but she doesn’t have an IP. I have made one pot pastas stovetop but am unsure of the ratio of stock to pasta? I was thinking may 1:1 so 1 1/2 cups stock to 1 1/2 cups pasta? What would you suggest?
Nancylynn says
I would also suggest 2 cups of stock because some will evaporate during cooktime
Gracie says
Would you have to cook brown rice pasta longer? I know it takes longer on the stovetop.
Gracie says
Never mind. I just realized that’s what you used. Sorry!
Jamie says
Hi!! If I wanted to double this, should i also double the amount of broth? Thank you! 🙂
Nancylynn says
Yes! Double everything!
Jamie says
Made the double batch tonight and it was DELICIOUS!! All of your recipes are always a hit with my boyfriend and I. Thanks so much!!
Nancylynn says
Thank you SO much, Jamie!! We love this one, too and it makes me happy to know it was a hit for you guys!! And also great to know that it doubles well. Perfect!
Elizabeth says
I had no idea you could sauté right in the instantpot. (I bought it for my husband-he’s the family cook) The less dishes the better! What level pressure did you use? I had to hold the pressure release valve forever! Kids like it, I liked it. Super easy. Two thumbs up!!
Nancylynn says
Yes! That’s my fav part! I used high pressure 🙂
Julie says
Making this on stovetop now as I type.. not sure about using this much chicken stock on the stove top I’ve cooked the pasta separately and I’m going to steam the broccoli should I still be 2 cups of chicken stock or should I cut that back? 😬
Nancylynn says
Hi! Yes – cut it back to half!
Kathleen Y Coffey says
I don’t see where in the recipe to add the chicken stock. I am going to do stovetop as well. Can you advise when to add a cup?
Nancylynn says
With the broccoli and pasta
Amy B says
For the 2b mindset, would you sub cauliflower rice or florets?
Nancylynn says
You could, but I would reduce the cooktime to 0-1 minute!
Kiron says
Is it the same cook time for pasta with gluten (regular pasta)?
Nancylynn says
I would do three minutes for regular pasta!
Doreen Giamportone says
Switched out the sausage for my husband’s venison, used Ziti, and used onion powder (how could I NOT have an onion in the house???) and kept out the broccoli. Taste was good, and pasta did need more time. I added frozen broccoli and let it all sit for 10 minutes on keep warm. Everyone enjoyed it. Next time though, I’ll try beef stock instead with the venison. Hopefully, I’ll have an onion in the house then!
Nancylynn says
Lol – this happens to me, too!!
Jacki says
After you add the broccoli and pasta, do you switch to pressure mode or put the lid on while in sauté mode? *currently waiting for the pressure mode as we speak…
Nancylynn says
Yes – you cook it on pressure.
Stacey says
High medium or low pressure?
Nancylynn says
High
Michelle says
This sounds delicious and I love the simplicity! Do you think orecchiette would cook the same? Asking simply because I have some on hand!
Nancylynn says
I do!
Michelle says
Thank you so much for the response! I made this tonight using the Orecchiette and it was super good! I was able to pick up some spicy poultry sausage from a local store, so the added kick was perfect (we love spicy). I would have preferred the pasta to be done just a tiny bit more, but DH was thrilled and that’s what counts! I’ll definitely be making this again, considering how fast and simple it is!
Nancylynn says
Awesome! Next time you can add an extra minute for your pasta if you use that same kind!
Michael O'Connell says
Not sure what happened with mine, but my broccoli came out really mushy (happens for any recipe I use broccoli in the IP). Otherwise, it tasted awesome.
Nancylynn says
Yes – broccoli cooks SUPER fast in the IP…and while I like my veggies to have crunch, for this recipe, we like it soft as it kind of sticks to the pasta. Feel free to steam your broccoli in your microwave and add it in later!
Kim says
WOW this recipe looks and sounds so delicious! I can’t wait to try this out.
Nancylynn says
Enjoy!