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Cajun Sausage Pasta is quick to prep and even quicker to cook (5 minutes)! This will become a new family favorite meal. Looking for a stovetop version? Check out my Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe!
I’m becoming a big big fan of the electric pressure cooker. SO many options for quick, one-pot dinners are popping up online and I have slowly become one of those resources! As a busy working mother who cooks for a living, finding extra time anywhere in my day to spend with my family is something I always try to do. Who wants to spend all that time cooking a meal or doing the dishes afterwards? NOT THIS GIRL. These days, instead of asking myself “will my kids eat this?” I’m more like “how many dishes will this recipe make?” It’s all about the priorities, people.
And while I don’t have a huge archive of pressure cooker recipes for you to choose from, I do have a few REALLY REALLY good ones. Not all pressure cooker recipes are created equal and not all recipes are worth making in the pressure cooker.
Stew? I still prefer that in my crockpot.
Pasta? 1000% worth the time saved by cooking the sauce together with the pasta in the pressure cooker. It only takes 5 minutes to cook my pasta perfectly and you have one pot to wash/throw in the dishwasher. I own the Crockpot Electric Pressure Cooker and I love it! (pictured below.) I know the popular brand that you are seeing everywhere is the InstantPot, but that one is more expensive and you have to buy the nonstick pot insert separately! (The Crockpot Pressure Cooker comes with it automatically.) Sooo, if you’re on the fence, let me be your guide. Get the Crockpot one.
Anyways, this recipe features smoked sausage and pasta, cooked and coated in a creamy cajun sauce. I only added one teaspoon of cajun seasoning because it has a tendency to be on the spicy side (and I have kids to feed!) but you can adjust it as you see fit. These kinds of recipes also traditionally call for bell peppers but I had none on hand, so add them in at your own discretion.
Below are a few photos of this recipe, plus the printable recipe card at the end, as usual! If you have any questions, leave me a comment below, or come join my Facebook Community. Lots of fun to be had over there! Have a great day, friends!
Instant Pot Cajun Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- smoked sausage sliced
- 1 lb rotini pasta
- 15 oz diced tomatoes 1 can
- 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning*
- salt to taste
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 4 oz cream cheese
- dried parsley flakes for garnish optional
Instructions
- Add olive oil, onion and smoked sausage to the bottom of an electric pressure cooker on the BROWN/SAUTE function. Cook about 5 minutes until the onions start to soften and the sausage starts to render off some fat.
- Add in pasta, diced tomatoes, cajun seasoning, salt and water. Stir and press pasta down into an even layer across the top of the pressure cooker. Add lid, secure, and switch cooking function to BEANS/CHILI, and cook for 5 minutes under HIGH pressure.
- Once timer is complete, quick release pressure and stir pasta.
- Add in heavy cream, parmesan cheese and cream cheese and continue to stir until its all melted in and created a creamy sauce. Top with parsley flakes and serve.
Our family LOVES this recipe. I have two boys, a 5 year old and another who turns 7 tomorrow! His birthday dinner request? Cajun pasta!!! Thank you, Lauren!
Definitely want to try this but since I’m vegetarian I will use a vegan sausage instead. Looking forward to trying it this winter!!
This looks yummy! I will have to try this!
I finally took the plunge and ordered a pressure cooker! This is the first recipe I am going to try. Wish me luck!
I added diced green chilies and sauteed up mushrooms with the sausage and it was delicious!!!
I’ve made this a few times. It’s absolutely delicious!!!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE. Oh, and my 11 year old loves it too!
Perfect! Made this tonight and it was devoured. Thanks for am amazing recipe!
How long should this take if being made in a slow cooker (since I don’t have a pressure cooker)? And at what temperature setting?
Can’t wait to try this recipe! My pressure cooker mostly sits in the pantry so I need to experiment more!
This was delicious! My husband commented on how good it was, and he’s pretty picky–particularly with pasta dishes! It was my first time using a pressure cooker, and this dish was sooooo worth it. I used the amount of Cajun seasoning called for, and after serving my kids I added more to the pot and oh my, it just puts it over the top. Thanks for sharing!
Lauren this recipe is SOOOOO good!!! I didn’t add any Cajun seasoning into the recipe (my family are wimps) but they said it was so good without it. I DID add some seasoning into my bowl and it was FABULOUS! I told my kids it was sausage and pasta in a Parmesan cream sauce, they said oh, o.k. Had i used the word Cajun they’d turned and run.
Please, please, please keep coming up with these 1 pot multi pot pasta recipes. This one and your baked ziti recipe often make appearances on our dinner table, and they are a hit every. single. time.
When I saw this recipe I knew o had to try. And I did!!!! It was delicious and the whole family loved it!!!!
I’m really interested in trying this. I don’t have a pressure cooker but have been interested because of your posts! This will be at the top of the list once I finally purchase one!
This looks great!!! I love love love my electric pressure cooker for pasta!
Sounds delicious. Quick and easy meal ideas aremy favorite especially with little ones running around.
Hi Lauren, thank you for all the hard work you do on recipes & exciting family adventure posts for your Blog !!
How easy or hard is it to program & cook with your multi pressure cooker when making raw scrambled eggs with small 1 in cubes of parboil raw Russet potatoes, with raw tri tip beef steak in 1 in cubes in medium thickness your family size quantity for 1 dinner meal service for You, Gordon, & your 3 kids compared to digital numbers programmable slow cooker with same food. amount for raw scrambled egg,,, etc mentioned above on easy or hard slow cooker?? I am doing my research. on a electric pressure cooker. Thanks so much. . Miss you & family on West side of USA nation, especially in Boise, Idaho. I hope You & family can move back.
to Boise. Take Care.
I have only done pasta once in the pressure cooker and it was really gross. Does this recipe not overcook the pasta?
No! 5 minutes using the BEANS/CHILI function is just the right amount. Not mushy at all.
Could chicken be used instead of the sausage? Would the directions be different if using chicken?
Chicken wouldn’t be cooked in 5 minutes and that’s the time you’d need to cook your pasta perfectly. I suppose you could cook your chicken separately and then add it in after.
Simply the best !