Instant Pot Rigatoni
Made with Italian sausage, seasoned tomatoes, fresh spinach, and perfectly cooked rigatoni, Instant Pot Rigatoni is easy, flavorful, and ready in about 30 minutes.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground Italian Sausage or ground beef/turkey
- 1 small yellow onion minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup dry white wine or additional chicken stock
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 16 ounces dried rigatoni noodles
- 2 (15-ounce) cans diced Italian tomatoes undrained
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan optional
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to sauté. Add 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil and let heat for 30-60 seconds. Once heated, add in the sausage minced onion and cook, breaking up the sausage into small pieces, until the sausage is fully browned and the onions have softened. Add the minced garlic and continue to cook for 30-60 seconds, just to toast the garlic. If needed, drain off any excess fat at this point and then return the inner pot to the pressure cooker.
- With the sauté function still on, add ½ cup dry white wine (or additional stock) to the inner pot and use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot. Let this mixture cook for 1-2 minutes to cook off the alcohol, then hit cancel to turn off the sauté function.
- Add 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, and ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes to the inner pot and stir to combine. Add the rigatoni noodles, gently pushing them into the liquid to submerge. Pour the diced tomatoes over the pasta, but DO NOT STIR!
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, and set it to cook for 6 minutes on high pressure using the pressure cook or manual button.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to naturally release for exactly 5 minutes. After 5 minutes do a quick release of any remaining pressure by knocking the vent knob from the sealed to the venting position.
- Remove the lid, and stir in spinach and parmesan cheese. Place the lid back on the pressure cooker and let rest for 2-3 minutes, just to let the spinach wilt and the sauce thicken.
- Serve with additional parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
Note on Cooking Time: Set the cooking time for HALF the suggested cooking time on the box of pasta you opted to use. For rigatoni, this is typically 6 minutes. For bronze cut or a different shape of pasta, you may need to add additional time.
Options for Pasta: Medium shells, corkscrew noodles, ziti, or bow-tie noodles are all suitable replacements for the rigatoni noodles if desired.
Note on Wine: Use a dry white or dry red wine that is suitable for drinking (not cooking wine). Alternatively, use additional chicken stock.
Vegetarian: Omit the sausage and swap the chicken stock out for vegetable broth.
No Italian-Seasoned Tomatoes? Use regular diced tomatoes and increase the use an double the garlic and Italian seasoning.
Add Cheese: Add up to 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese to the pasta after pressure cooking when adding the spinach.
Storage: Store leftover pasta in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can freeze the pasta in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Reheat in a heat-safe dish covered with a damp paper towel in 60-second intervals until warmed through.
Nutrition is based on using dark meat turkey sausage, rigatoni noodles, and parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Calories: 470kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 529mg | Potassium: 556mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1588IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 9mg
