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Home » Ninja Foodi Recipes » One Pot Meals » One-Pot Sausage Peppers & Pasta ~ Pressure Cooker Recipe

One-Pot Sausage Peppers & Pasta ~ Pressure Cooker Recipe

January 10, 2021 By Louise 14 Comments

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sausage peppers and pasta topped with cheese in the inner pot of the Ninja Foodi

The flavors in this easy one-pot sausage peppers & pasta are amazing. With just a few ingredients and some spices, you'll have a quick dinner that tastes like it took all day to make!

sausage peppers and pasta topped with cheese in the inner pot of the Ninja Foodi

One-pot meals are so easy to make with very little fuss or mess. There are a few easy steps to this recipe, but so worth it!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking a link, I may earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

I used the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper to make this recipe, but you can make it in the Instant Pot Duo Crisp, an electric pressure cooker with or without a crisping lid, or on the stove and in the oven.

I will give all of my suggestions for the various appliances, so no matter how you want to cook it, you can make this delicious sausage peppers & pasta!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I double this recipe?

As long as you add in the vegetables after pressure cooking like the recipe states, you should be able to double the recipe in the 6.5qt and 8qt size pressure cookers.

Keep in mind that the time to pressure will be longer, so to avoid overcooked pasta, I would decrease the PC time to 1-2 minutes.

Does this freeze well?


The only problem I can see with freezing it is the peppers and onions tend to get watery when thawed and the texture is different. If that doesn't bother you, then it's fine to freeze.

Can I change the Type of Pasta in this Sausage Pepper & Pasta Recipe?

Absolutely! You can use any type of pasta you want in this recipe, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

The shape and thickness of the pasta makes a difference in cook time, so you will need to adjust for that. I also recommend only using dry pasta and not fresh pasta in this recipe to avoid overcooking.

If the pasta you want to use is similar in size & thickness to penne, like rigatoni or ziti, keep everything the same. Even farfalle pasta would do great using the same cooking time in my experience. Probably even elbow macaroni would be fine at this PC time.

If the pasta is much thinner, like spaghetti or very small like ditalini, I would definitely decrease the PC time by 1-2 minutes to avoid overcooking.

If using something as thin as angel hair, you will need to decrease the PC time to zero minutes.

The sausage may not completely cook in 0-2 minutes, so if making these adjustments, make sure to cook the sausage completely during the browning process.

What Kind of Sausage Should I Use?

You can use anything you like, but I used a combination of sweet and hot Italian sausage in the casing. I find this is a great balance of flavors in recipes.

The brand doesn't much matter, I think I used Johnsville in this recipe. The sausage links come in packs of 5 and I buy 1 pack of each type that I want to use and use a total of 5 links. I freeze the remaining 5 for another recipe or to make this one again.

sausage links for recipe in a glass bowl

I like to keep the casing on the sausage for this recipe because it does add a textural element that I like. It keeps the snap of of the sausage. You can certainly remove it if you want.

Can I use Another Meat or Skip the Meat?

Yes, absolutely! You can either skip the sausage and replace it with chicken or even pork and I'm sure just about any other kind of meat or add the other meat to the sausage. The only thing to consider is will the meat cook completely and not overcook in the pressure cook time.

Pork and chicken will definitely cook in the PC time listed in the recipe when they are cut into bite size cubes and browned beforehand. Even most cuts of beef will cook in the PC time when cubed, that includes tougher cuts of beef as well.

Quick cooking shrimp or fish should be added at the end when you add the peppers. So, if you wanted to make this with shrimp, make sure they are thawed and peeled and then add them at the end and let the residual heat cook them.

Other types of fish that are quick cooking should cook in the same way as the shrimp, but honestly I can't think of any fish I would use in this recipe. If I wanted to serve fish with it, I'd omit the meat in the dish and serve it as a pasta side to a nicely prepared piece of fish. That's just me, though!

How Can I Make this Sausage Peppers & Pasta without an Electric Pressure Cooker?

There are several ways you can make it, but the quickest way is using the stove and oven.

You can also slow cook it, but you will need to make some changes to the recipe itself and I'll go over my suggestions below.

Sausage Peppers & Pasta Stovetop/Oven Directions

Dutch Oven Directions:

If you have a dutch oven, this would be a great use for it! You can brown the sausage and the peppers/onions at the same time. Then add in the dry pasta with the liquid and other ingredients and simmer until the pasta is done.

I would increase the liquid to 2 cups to account for more evaporation. When the pasta is done to your liking, stir in the tomato paste. Top with cheese and pop the dutch oven in the oven and broil the top to melt the cheese.

Skillet & Pot Directions:

You can also simply boil the pasta on the stove in water until they are cooked 90% of the way, then drain them. Return the pasta to the pot.

While the pasta is cooking, sauté the sausage until it is ¾ of the way cooked through and add the onions and peppers.

Sauté until the vegetables are to your liking and transfer everything to the large pot that you cooked the pasta in and add in the other ingredients, but reduce the beef stock to about ½ cup or so. Mix it all together and add more stock if needed.

Scoop the sausage pepper & pasta into a large casserole dish, top with cheese and bake at 350℉ until heated through. Broil the top if needed to get the cheese browned up more.

Slow Cooker Directions

This one is a little harder for me to give suggestions for because I'm not a huge slow cooker and have never done something with pasta, but after thinking about it for a bit, this is what I would do.

I would sauté sausage and add it to the slow cooker along with the pasta, diced tomatoes, seasonings, and 2 cups of beef stock. Slow cook on high for 2-3 hours or until the pasta is cooked through.

Sauté the veggies and add them in along with the tomato paste and slow cook on high for another 30-60 minutes.

When everything is cooked to your liking, either put the sausage peppers & pasta into a large casserole dish and top with cheese and broil the cheese in the oven or scoop out into individual servings into an oven safe container and brown the cheese using the broiler.

How to Make Sausage Peppers & Pasta with the Ninja Foodi, Instant Pot Duo Crisp, or an Electric Pressure Cooker.

The Ninja Foodi and IPDC will have the same directions, so first let me address using an electric pressure cooker without a crisping lid.

Follow the same instructions in the recipe below, but after you add the veggies and stir it all up, transfer to a large casserole dish and use the broiler on your oven to melt and brown the cheese on top.

For the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper or the IPDC, here are the detailed instructions.

Step one:

I like to get my prep out the way by cutting all the onions and peppers into ½" strips and measuring out all my seasonings into a small bowl.

onions and peppers cut up into a bowl and seasonings measured out into a bowl

Step Two:

Add 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil into the inner pot and turn the sear/sauté on high.

Cut the sausage into about 2" pieces. I find the easiest way to do this is with kitchen shears. The pair I use and love are from Pampered Chef and you can find them here: Pampered Chef Kitchen Shears

I also cut the sausage on the diagonal, but that is simply for looks.

When the pot is hot, add the cut up sausage. Cook for a few minutes until browned, turning a few times to get all sides. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon so you keep the oil and juices in the pot to sauté the onions and peppers. Leave the pot on high.

I use this Scoop 'N Drain from Pampered Chef because it has a huge scoop and makes it super easy to remove food from any pot. It's great for various pasta and potatoes too!

Put the sausage in a bowl for later.

browning the sausage and removing from inner pot

Add in the onions and peppers. Season with ½-1 teaspoon of fine grind sea salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are done to your liking and remove them from the pot into a large bowl.

sauteing vegetables

Deglaze the pot with the beef stock, making sure to scrape the bottom to remove any stuck on pieces. Even the slightest bit stuck to the button could trigger the water notice. If you are unfamiliar with the water notice or burn notice, please refer to this article: Pressure Cooking 101

Add back in the sausage, along with the fire roasted tomatoes, pasta, brown sugar (optional, but it balances everything nicely), balsamic vinegar, minced garlic and roasted garlic.

I use both types of garlic in the recipe for the best flavor, but you can omit the roasted garlic and/or the minced garlic if you prefer.

Add in the seasoning blend and stir well to combine everything. Finally, add the tomato paste on top and do not stir.

adding the remaining ingredients to the pot before pressure cooking

Put the pressure lid on turn the valve to seal. Set the pressure on high for 4 minutes. When the time is up, allow the pot to natural release for 2 minutes and manually release the remaining pressure.

Remove the pressure lid and stir in the tomato paste and add in the onions and peppers and stir to combine everything. Turn the Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot off.

Top with grated cheeses of your choice. While I always prefer freshly grated cheeses, this is one of the times when getting an Italian blend already shredded in a bag can save both time and money.

So, if you don't have blocks and blocks of various cheeses on hand, please do that. However, if you do have tons of cheese, use whatever blend of cheeses you like. I used mozzarella, parmesan and pecorino romano. You will need about 1½ cups of cheese to cover the top.

Spread the cheese in an even layer on top of the sausage peppers & pasta and close the crisping lid. Air Crisp or Air Fry on 400℉/200℃ for 5 minutes, check and see if the cheese is melted and brown to your liking.

If it isn't, continue to AC for 2-5 minutes longer, checking frequently so it doesn't burn.

stiring in tomato paste, adding in vegetables and browning cheese on top

Serve & Enjoy!

sausage peppers & pasta on a white plate

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sausage peppers and pasta topped with cheese in the inner pot of the Ninja Foodi
Print Recipe
5 from 7 votes

One-Pot Sausage Peppers & Pasta

Recipe by The Salted PepperFollow us on Pinterest!
Delicious & Simple One-Pot Meal that is ready in less than 30 minutes.
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time18 mins
Time to Pressure & Natural Release Time7 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Dinner, Quick and Easy Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Italian Pasta Bake
Servings: 8
Calories: 487kcal
Author: Louise

Equipment

  • Electric Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

Spice Blend

  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning blend
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp sea salt, fine grind
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Sausage Pepper Pasta Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb Italian sausage sweet, hot, mild or a combination
  • 2 Vidalia onions
  • 2 green bell peppers
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 1 orange bell pepper
  • 1 tsp sea salt, fine grind for the onions and peppers
  • ½ tsp black pepper for the onions and peppers
  • 1½ cups beef stock
  • 8 ounces penne pasta
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 14.5 ounces fire roasted tomatoes
  • 1 bulb roasted garlic
  • 1 tsp minced garlic about 3 cloves
  • 6 ounces tomato paste
  • 1½ cups Italian Blend cheese or any combination of
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Mix up the seasoning blend in a small bowl.
  • Cut the sausage into bite size pieces. Add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the inner pot and turn the sear/ sauté on high. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and brown it on all sides. Remove the sausage from the pot, leaving the oil and juices in the pot.
  • Slice the onions and peppers into ½" slices and add to the hot pot. Season with ½-1 tsp of salt and ½ tsp pepper. Sauté for 5-10 minutes or until the vegetables are done to your liking. Remove from the pot and place them in a different bowl from the sausage.
  • Deglaze the pot with the beef stock and make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom. Return the sausage to the pot along with the diced tomatoes, pasta, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, roasted garlic, minced garlic, and seasoning blend. Stir to combine.
  • Place the tomato paste on top and do not stir. Put the Pressure lid on and turn the valve to seal. Set the pressure on high for 4 minutes. When the time is done, allow the pot to natural release for 2 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure.
  • While the pot is pressure cooking, shred the cheeses you want to use. You will need about 1-1½ cups of shredded cheese to cover the top.
  • Open the lid and stir in the tomato paste and add back in the veggies and stir it all together. Top with shredded cheese and AC on 400°F/200°C for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and brown to your liking. Make sure to check on it every couple of minutes after the first 5.
  • Serve & Enjoy!

Video

https://youtu.be/473l927A11A

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 487kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 1306mg | Potassium: 772mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 1404IU | Vitamin C: 99mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 3mg

ABOUT THE RECIPE AUTHOR, LOUISE LONG

Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.

The Salted Pepper

Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and getting the most out of the Ninja Foodi.

Ninja Foodi 101

Ninja Foodi Fresh & Healthy Meals

Simply Cooking with Louise

Seeing the need for easy, delicious, and high quality recipes, she is focusing all of her efforts creating recipes specifically for the Ninja Foodi. Her recipes are easy for the home cook to follow and provide step-by-step instructions.

Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.

She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can.

I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE COOKING UP IN YOUR NINJA FOODI! TAG ME @THESALTEDPEPPER ON YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM WHEN YOU MAKE A DISH!

BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE SALTED PEPPER RIGHT HERE ⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. David

    January 16, 2021 at 6:54 pm

    5 stars
    I just used British beef sausage from a butcher but the recipe was delicious. Louise you are just fabulous everything I cook from you is fantastic food 😍

    Reply
    • Louise

      January 16, 2021 at 8:15 pm

      I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  2. Sandi Del Rosario

    January 15, 2021 at 8:25 pm

    5 stars
    Another great recipe, Louise! When I saw this pop up in YouTube, I was very excited since all of these ingredients are our favorites! Well, it didn't disappoint! My hubby thanks you! He said he wants to have the leftovers (maybe take out the pasta) and put them in a hoagie roll! Will definitely try that. I used the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and it was just perfect amount of heat (all hot italian sausages) and sweetness! Thanks, Louise! Stay safe out there!

    Reply
  3. Dan M

    January 13, 2021 at 10:28 am

    5 stars
    This recipe looks great and I really want to make it. However, I don't have a Ninja pressure cooker. I have a Power Cooker Plus. Are you familiar with this model? What settings would I use that would be comparable to the Ninja that you used?

    Reply
    • Louise

      January 14, 2021 at 12:11 pm

      I'm not familiar with the power cooker plus, but if it's a pressure cooker, I would make it the same way. You will just have to melt the cheese on top in the oven.

      Reply
  4. Heather Tarr

    January 12, 2021 at 7:39 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for supper tonight. Used up a mixture of frozen veggies instead of peppers. It was delicious!! Thanks for the all great recipes. I'm enjoying learning to use my Foodi by following your recipes. All have turned out wonderful so far.

    Reply
    • Louise

      January 14, 2021 at 12:12 pm

      I'm so glad you enjoyed it and that you are enjoying your Foodi!

      Reply
  5. Eva S Cross

    January 12, 2021 at 11:04 am

    Hi Louise! You have done it again. Delicious! Tastes like a hot sausage sandwich with pasta instead of bread. I cook for a 91 year old friend, this was a hit with him and my husband. Thank you for all you do.

    Reply
    • Louise

      January 12, 2021 at 4:02 pm

      I'm so glad you both enjoyed it!

      Reply
  6. Donna Love

    January 12, 2021 at 8:14 am

    5 stars
    I made this recipe last night as well. Soo good! The flavors a wonderful! I used ground beef and added celery. I love that you give us different ideas to make the recipe our own! How do I get on MeWe?

    Reply
    • Louise

      January 12, 2021 at 4:03 pm

      I'm so glad you liked it and made it your own! MeWe is a social media platform similar to FB, here is the link: https://mewe.com/

      Reply
  7. Shirley Tanner

    January 11, 2021 at 11:25 pm

    5 stars
    I made this tonight and it was delicious!! One of my favorites now!! Great job!

    Reply
  8. Jeanny H.

    January 11, 2021 at 10:15 pm

    5 stars
    Made this in my 8 quart Ninja for dinner tonight, and it was delicious. The only change I made was adding a little bit of cayenne to season blend. Pasta was cooked perfectly and overall it had a great hearty flavor. Great comfort food recipe for a cold winter night. Looking forward to the leftovers! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Louise

      January 12, 2021 at 4:06 pm

      I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

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