Instant Pot Creamy Cajun Pasta with chicken and smoked sausage in a creamy, spicy sauce makes an easy and flavorful family meal. It can be made start to finish in under 30 minutes.
Since I got an Instant Pot in January, I have tried making lots of different things in it and I have been impressed with every single one. This is the second pasta dish I have made. Creamy Shells and Beef was my first. I especially like making pasta dishes in the Instant Pot. The pasta turns out so flavorful, but not overcooked.
Instant Pot Creamy Cajun Pasta Recipe
This Instant Pot Creamy Cajun Pasta is full of onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, Cajun seasoning, paprika, and Italian seasoning. It also has chopped pieces of chicken, and diced tomatoes. At the end, Parmesan cheese, a little heavy cream, and some cream cheese are mixed in and they make the pasta so creamy.
How To Serve
This is a rich pasta dish that will serve 6 people. I like to serve it with steamed broccoli or a garden salad with Creamy Italian dressing. Some yeast rolls are a great addition.
How To Store
Leftovers can be kept for 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in a microwave.
Recipe Tips
- This instant pot cajun pasta dish will be a little bit soupy. As it cools, it gets thicker. Leftovers reheat really well.
- For the smoked sausage, you can use either andouille sausage or kielbasa sausage.
- Instead of penne pasta, you can use rotini pasta.
- To reduce the sodium some, use an reduced-sodium chicken broth.
- Chicken thighs can be used instead of chicken breast.
- Leave the cayenne pepper out if you want it less spicy.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Swiss Chicken
- Instant Pot Jambalaya
- Instant Pot Mississippi Roast
- Instant Pot Caesar Chicken
- Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef
- Instant Pot Creamy Lemon Chicken
Watch the short video below to see how easy this recipe is.
Instant Pot Creamy Cajun Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium sweet or yellow onion,, diced
- 1 green bell pepper,, diced
- 6 white mushrooms,, sliced
- 1 (14-ounce) package smoked sausage,, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves,, minced
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 (14-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 tablespoon Cajun or Creole seasoning, I use Tony Chachere’s
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 12 ounces uncooked penne pasta
- 4 ounces cream cheese,, softened and cut into pieces
- 1 cup freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot on “Saute” mode. Add oil and butter.
- Add onion and green pepper and cook until starting to get soft, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add mushroons, sausage and garlic and cook another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add chicken, paprika, Italian seasoning, chicken broth, tomatoes, Cajun seasoning, and cayenne pepper.
- Add pasta and use a wooden spoon to push it all down into the liquid.
- Place lid on Instant Pot. Make sure the valve is in “sealing” position. Cancel the “Saute” mode and set to Pressure Cook on HIGH for 5 minutes.
- Manually release the pressure. Remove lid and stir in cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, and heavy cream until the cheese is melted.
- Sprinkle parsley on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally posted July 5, 2018.
Recipe adapted from: Simply Happy Foodie
So yummy! I made a few modifications. We added extra sausage and will probably add shrimp the next time. Since everyone can’t take alot of spice, we also only used 1/4 tsp. of Tony’s and omitted the cayenne altogether. It was so yummy!!
I don’t have an instant pot can I make this in a crockpot or another pot?
Great pasta — very creamy with a hint of heat. I didn’t
add the cayenne pepper so the cajun was just enough. I also added some bacon and cooked the onions/pepper in that grease with the butter. Yum yum
So yummy! I made a few modifications. We added extra sausage and will probably add shrimp the next time. Since everyone can’t take alot of spice, we also only used 1/4 tsp. of Tony’s and omitted the cayenne altogether. It was so yummy!!
This pasta is so good and it makes a lot my family loves it
I made this tonight and my family loved it. I will definitely be making this again. 😊
I male this about every 2 weeks. I substitute half n half for the cream. My family LOOOOOVES this dish. I love that ots an InstaPot recipe so I’m not in the kitchen too long. Win/Win.
Do you know the nutritional values, such as calories per serving?
I have made this recipe several times and it always turns out delicious! It’s one of our favorites. This time I didn’t realize that the box of penne that I had was only half full, so after checking the cooking time on the box, I used rotini, since the cooking time was the same for both.
I make this often because it is sooo good and so simple. I have made it without the chicken and mushrooms when I didn’t have any on hand and it is still wonderful. When I make it for family they always want the recipe!
Absolutely delicious. So easy to make. Yummy!!!!!!