Made with only 6 ingredients and in 15 minutes, this recipe for Instant Pot Smoked Sausage with Potatoes is the definition of a fast family dinner!
While the ingredients in this recipe for Instant Pot Sausage and Potatoes are humble, the results are delicious. Between the soft, flavorful potatoes, the spicy, hearty sausage, and the super tender green beans, this meal is hearty, economical, and a true family favorite.
This recipe for Instant Pot Kielbasa and Potatoes was inspired by my childhood. I grew up in an area with a lot of Polish influence, and so there was a lot of kielbasas, or polish smoked sausage, used in recipes.
My grandparents would make a simple dish using either ham, potatoes, and green beans, or kielbasa, potatoes, and green beans. It was simmered for hours on the stove or in the slow cooker until the potatoes and green beans were super soft and absorbed all the rich flavor from the sausage.
I took that recipe and sped up the process. Now in less than 20 minutes, the magic of the Instant Pot delivers this Polish comfort food. It is rich, creamy, flavorful and so incredibly easy to make.
Notes on Ingredients
- Kielbasa: Kielbasa is a polish smoked sausage. You can use any smoked sausage you like. I use an organic beef smoked sausage that is free from nitrates, preservatives, and MSG. However, you can use any variety of smoked sausage you like.
- Potatoes: Russet, red, or Yukon Gold potatoes can be used. There is no need to peel the potatoes. Simply scrub and chop into 1.5-2 inch cubes.
- Green Beans: My grandparents used canned green beans for this recipe, and so that is what I use. It keeps this recipe super simple to make. Plus that means there is no cleaning and chopping of fresh green beans which is a huge time saver. But feel free to use fresh trimmed green beans in place of the canned beans.
- Chicken Stock: Use low-sodium store-bought chicken broth/stock, homemade chicken stock, or Instant Pot Chicken Stock. While you can use water in place of stock, the stock adds more flavor to the completed dish.
- Cajun Seasoning: I find that a Cajun blend of spices adds just the right flavor to potatoes and pairs well with the smoked sausage. I use homemade Cajun seasoning, but you can use your favorite store-bought brand or seasoned salt in its place.
- Onions: The onions are totally optional, but do add a bit of flavor to this dish. Feel free to omit them if desired.
Recipe Modifications
- Make it EVEN Quicker! This is a really easy and fast recipe, but if you are really in a time crunch, I suggest skipping sauteing the sausage. I love the crispy texture the sauteing adds to this dish, but it is completely unnecessary.
- Lower the Sodium. To control the level of sodium, use low-sodium broth or stock, rinse the canned green beans or use no-salt-added canned beans, and omit the salt or cut in half the amount of salt in the homemade Cajun seasoning.
- Use Ham: Replace the sliced sausage with 2-3 cups of diced ham to make a dish reminiscent of Potatoes and Green Beans with Ham
How to Make Instant Pot Smoked Sausage and Potatoes
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Sauté Sausage with Onion: Sauté the kielbasa and onions in a bit of oil using the sauté function for 2-3 minutes or until the sausage begins to get crispy and browned and the onion softens.
- Deglaze Inner Pot. Add in the stock and scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot. This is a crucial step to preventing a burn notice.
- Layer Ingredients. Add potatoes, Cajun seasoning, and drained green beans on top of the sausage.
- Pressure Cook. Set cook time for 2 minutes on high pressure. Note: If you want your potatoes JUST fork tender, but still somewhat firm, set cook time for only 1 minute. Let the pressure release naturally for at least 5 minutes before doing a quick release of pressure.
- Serve. Open up the pressure cooker, give everything a stir, and serve.
More Instant Pot Comfort Food Recipes
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
- Instant Pot Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
If you tried out this recipe for Instant Pot Sausage and Potatoes, I would love for you to leave a comment below.
Instant Pot Smoked Sausage and Potatoes with Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced onion optional
- 1 pound smoked sausage sliced into ½ inch pieces
- 1 cup chicken stock see note
- 2 pounds potatoes cubed
- 32 ounces canned green beans drained
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute and allow to heat up for a minute or two.
- Add in olive oil, sausage, and the minced onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes, or until the sausage begins to be brown and the onions soften. Turn the Instant Pot OFF.
- Add in the stock and scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot.
- Add in potatoes on top of the sausage and sprinkle with the Cajun seasoning. Add drained green beans on top of sausage.
- Close the Instant Pot and seal the vent knob to sealed.
- Hit manual or pressure cook and adjust cook time to 2 minutes on HIGH pressure.
- Once cook time has elapsed, let pressure release naturally for at least 5 minutes. Then do a quick release of pressure by hitting the vent knob from sealed to venting, being careful to stand away from the steam being released. You can also let pressure release naturally.
- Stir together the ingredients and serve.
Cindy Engel
Hi Kristen !
We have made this several times and its always a hit !! My son races his race car at our local dirt track. Sometimes those concession lines are way to long so we whip this up in the trailer and feed our whole pit crew. Everybody loves it. Its better than concession food anyway ! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. Simple, quick & delicious !
Kristen Chidsey
What a great compliment Cindy! Thank you for taking the time to share--and for sharing my recipes with others 🙂
Christina M Williams
If I wanted to make this a creamy mixture - would it be doable to add a can of cream of mushroom on top, during the cooking process? Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Christina! I personally have not tried this, so I am not sure how it would turn out. You would certainly just want to place on top of the green beans, and not stir in until after pressure is released. My concern would be that it would not incorporate well due to the liquid in this recipe.
Kristal
Wow!!! This was sooo good!! I used turkey sausage, the small yellow potatoes and diced them up. I did not have a minced onion so I used onion powder. My husband even loved it!
Stacy Haas
This was fabulous! Followed recipe exactly. Thank you so much!
Paula Pringle
Wow. This was so easy and sooo good. Finance’ says it’s a keeper. I’m passing this along to all friends and family. Thank you for sharing.
Theresa
I actually make this dish in a pan at least once or twice a month.. but wanted to try it out in my instant pot... so much quicker! YESSS! Still yummy and I did it in the 3qt. I did 3 minutes instead of 2 due to size and I believe the pressure is a little less than my 6qt. Still awesome for a quick weeknight meal! Thanks for the guidance on time for the instant pot... I always wrestle with times. 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
Happy to help and glad you were able to make a favorite in the instant pot with success!
Pat Dickerson
I want to make this tonight but am curious about the amount of liquid. I normally make this dish in a skillet, just potatoes and kielbasa. Is this soupy when it is done when you use the added liquid?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Pat. This dish needs the full amount of liquid for pressure to be reached. I serve with a slotted spoon, but it is not at all soupy. I hope you enjoy.
Melissa Villegas
I am making this tonight - So far I have made your meatloaf and pot roast and both my family went nuts over. I am so glad I found your website.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you have found my site as well Melissa! I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as they loved the meatloaf and pot roast!
Fran
Especially these days, it is a great idea and a financial stress-free idea. Thank you. Looking forward to more great ideas.
Cort
I’ve made this twice and gotten rave reviews both times...a new family favorite!
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing that Cort! Thanks for sharing!
Jenn
Love this!! Great recipe I was so hesitant about the potatoes cooking in such little time but they did! Also love that you added the note for 8qt I had such a hard time with my instant pot at first with burn warnings because I didn’t realize most recipes were heard towards 6qt. Thank you for a great recipe
Kristen Chidsey
Glad you enjoyed Jenn! And I always try to make notes for an 8 quart model, as like you said, they are not the same as a 6 quart!
Steph
I loved this. It was easy to make and tasted great!
Kristen Chidsey
So glad you enjoyed Steph!
Marissa Lopez
I'm going to try this it looks delicious! Do you think I could add small corn on the cob to this?
Kristen Chidsey
Yes absolutely Marissa! I would set on top of the remaining ingredients. Enjoy!
Ashley
My family loves canned green beans. But I have to really cook them in some stock to get rid of that “canned” flavor, if you know what I mean.
With this being such a short cook time, which I love – I am concerned that it will not give the beans enough time to absorb the flavor in the steam and they will come out tasting as if I heated them in the microwave from the can. Thoughts?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Ashley! I do find that the green beans take on the flavor of the kielbasa and cajun seasoning, but not quite as much as if they simmered for hours. I think it would be worth a try though. My son HATES canned green beans and he does like this. Another option would be to cook the green beans separately and add after cook time or use fresh/frozen green beans.
Sue
I would think the potatoes would have a enhanced flavor if you stirred them into the meat mixture. Any thoughts on this.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Sue, you certainly can, but I find that the potatoes absorb the flavor from the steam the instant pot generates.
Jared
Could I add shrimp to this recipe to make it more of a seafood boil? Would the cook time probably stay the same without overcooking the shrimp?
Kristen Chidsey
I would add frozen jumbo or large shrimp on top of the potatoes and you should be good 🙂 Enjoy!
Kimberly J. Porter
This was a huge hit at my house. My son had 3rds!!
Kristen Chidsey
That is a HUGE hit! So glad you all enjoyed so much!
Rev. Dr. Jerry Garber
Have made this in two different sizes of Instant Pot. I use a smaller model for the RV. This recipe is just excellent!
Kristen Chidsey
It makes me so happy to hear this recipe is such a success for your family!
Sharon Cohan
Can I use frozen beans? If so , same cooks tim
Kristen Chidsey
Yes, you can and the cooking time will be the same. Enjoy!
Megan
So delicious! Flavors went well together! I love cooking with other meat besides chicken and beef! So quick and easy!
Kristen Chidsey
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Megan and the change-up of proteins 🙂