Instant Pot Andouille Sausage and Orzo made in a matter of minutes. Sliced andouille sausage is sauteed to lock in flavor and pressure cooked with seasoned orzo pasta cooked in a mixture of chicken broth and fire-roasted tomatoes.
Pasta in the Instant Pot
Pressure cooking pasta is quite easy when you learn the method of cooking pasta in a pressure cooker. There are a few guidelines to pressure cooking pasta successfully:
- For every 6 ounces of pasta use 1 cup of water
- Submerge the pasta completely underwater
- Stagger the pasta pieces so that they don’t stick together (especially helpful for spaghetti noodles)
- Pressure cook the pasta for half the time it takes on the stovetop minus 1 minute.
Following these easy directions when making pasta in the Instant Pot will make mealtime easier and quicker than making it on the stovetop!
Dump and start pasta recipes such as this one saves time in the kitchen and makes dinner time faster. As an example, this Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff is a kid-friendly meal that takes less than 30 minutes and is made all in one pot.
Ingredients in Instant Pot Andouille Sausage and Orzo
- Olive oil - just enough to drizzle into the inner liner and to saute the sausage slices.
- Onion - diced
- Red bell pepper- chopped into small pieces
- Garlic cloves, minced. A garlic press is a great tool to mince fresh garlic.
- Andouille sausage- sliced in ½ inch slices
- Dry orzo pasta
- Chicken broth- low sodium
- Fire-roasted tomatoes - one 15 ounce can
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Dried oregano
- Dried thyme
- 1 cup spinach - chopped. Mixed in right before serving.
RELATED: Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup
How to Make Andouille Sausage and Orzo in the Instant Pot
Prepare the andouille sausage- Cut the andouille sausage into ½ inch slices. Add the olive oil to the inner liner of the Instant Pot and set it to SAUTÉ. Saute the sliced andouille sausage with minced garlic, onion, and bell pepper.
Sauté for a few minutes until the sausage begins to brown and the onions are translucent.
Deglaze the pot- Press cancel and deglaze the bottom of the pot by scraping off any stuck-on bits to avoid a “burn” notice. This is necessary for the recipe to be quick and easy.
Add the orzo and seasonings- Add the orzo to the pot and top with the seasonings.
Top off with liquids- Pour the can of fire-roasted tomatoes into the pot but do not stir. Pour the chicken broth on the fire-roasted tomatoes and once again, do not stir. If needed, you can spread out the tomatoes and liquid to make sure that the orzo is completely covered.
Stirring will cause too much liquid to soak into the pasta and it will not cook evenly and the lack of liquid will result in a burn notice.
Pressure Cook- Pressure Cook on MANUAL/HIGH PRESSURE for 4 minutes.
RELATED: Instant Pot Pasta Primavera
Perform a Quick Release (QR)-* Carefully release the steam in quick short bursts to avoid the pot from spewing.
Once the pressure has been released, remove the lid and stir in the spinach.
Serve hot and garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired.
*Refer to your pressure cooker's manual for how to safely perform its features.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Andouille Sausage and Orzo
Sliced andouille sausage is sauteed in the Instant Pot to lock in flavor and pressure cooked with seasoned orzo pasta cooked in a mixture of chicken broth and fire-roasted tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 12 oz andouille sausage, sliced
- 1 ½ cups orzo
- 2 ¾ cups chicken broth
- 1 5 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 1 cup spinach
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to the inner liner of the Instant Pot and set it to SAUTÉ.
- Add the sliced sausage, garlic, onion, and pepper.
- Sauté for a few minutes until the sausage begins to brown and the onions are translucent.
- Press cancel and deglaze the bottom of the pot by scraping off any stuck-on bits to avoid a “burn” notice.
- Add the orzo to the pot, top with the seasonings.
- Pour the can of fire-roasted tomatoes into the pot but do not stir.
- Top the tomatoes off with the chicken broth.
- Cook on MANUAL/HIGH PRESSURE for 4 minutes.
- Perform a Quick Release (QR)* by releasing the steam in quick short bursts to avoid the pot from spewing.
- Once the pressure has been released, remove the lid and stir in the spinach.
- Serve with Parmesan as garnish if desired.
Notes
Always make sure the inner liner is deglazed to avoid a “burn” error. Do this by scraping off any stuck-on bits on the bottom of the liner before pressure cooking.
When adding the pasta, do not stir, Simply pour the tomatoes and liquid on top of the orzo and close the lid, and pressure cook.
*Refer to your pressure cooker's manual for how to safely perform its features.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 308Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 944mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 12g
Nutrition calculation is a rough estimate and can vary depending on the cooking technique and the exact ingredients used. For informational purposes only.