Sausage and Penne

1 lb Italian sausage

1/2 onion, diced

Olive oil

2 cups uncooked penne pasta

12 ou beef broth

2 Tb tomato paste

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cloves of garlic

1 tea basil

1/2 tea oregano

1/4 tea thyme

Sprinkles of red pepper flakes

2 ounces cream cheese

Parmesan cheese

Turn Instant Pot pressure cooker onto the Saute setting. When the display reads "HOT", add a little olive oil, sausage and onion to the pot and saute until the sausage is almost cooked through. The onions should be starting to turn soft. About 5 minutes. Put remaining ingredients, except cheeses, into the pot. Lock the lid in place, turn the dial to seal and pressure cook for 7 minutes with a 5 minute natural release. When cooking is done, add the cream cheese and stir until melted and creamy. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

I feel I need to mention something for the new users of the Instant Pot. Not all cooking in the pot is "instant". Yes, this meal is fast and so easy and all in one pot. But you need to plan for a little extra time than the 12 minutes of cooking time listed in the recipe. After putting the lid on, it can take a while for the pot to come to pressure. For this recipe, I would say probably around 10 minutes. Still not long, but not instant. It may hiss and steam and make strange noises while coming to pressure, but once the pin is pushed up, it is sealed and all the noises and steam should be gone. Magic is happening inside that pressure sealed contraption! And it's all in one pot! One pot to clean at the end of the night. I love this.

When I first started using the Instant Pot, I was skeptical about cooking pasta in it. I mean, how hard is it to boil water and add the pasta? I was worried it was going to come out mushy. Plus, I like my own homemade sauce. It has some of the same ingredients, but it simmers on the stove all day. How could this be good when cooked so fast? But I tried this. Because it looked easy and fast. And boy is it good. The pasta is perfectly al dente every time! I made some adjustments from the original recipe I found. As usual, add more or less spices to taste. More or less cream cheese. If the sauce is too thin, return the pot to saute and simmer until thick enough. I have been contemplating adding spinach to this recipe as well. This recipe is as simple as it gets for the Instant Pot I feel. Plus, its all in one pot. Did I mention that!?

Visit this site for the original recipe:
http://www.pressureson.net/2017/03/sausage-and-penne-with-creamy-tomato.html?m=1