Description
Instant Pot Pastalaya. One-pot Cajun pasta jambalaya, pressure cooked in my Instant Pot.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12- to 16 ounces Smoked Sausage, cut into ½-inch rounds
- 1 pound boneless skinless Chicken Thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (store bought or homemade)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (if using salt-free Cajun seasoning)
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 1 stalk celery, minced
- 1 bell pepper, seeded and minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning (store bought or homemade)
- 1 tablespoon southern hot sauce (Crystal, Louisiana, or Tabasco)
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth (Or 4 cups homemade broth or water + 1 teaspoon fine sea salt)
- 15-ounce can diced tomatoes and green chilies (or 2 10-ounce cans)Â
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Toppings
- More hot sauce
- More cajun seasoning
- 3 green onions, mincedÂ
Instructions
- Brown the sausage and chicken: Heat the olive oil in an Instant Pot set to Sauté Mode - High (use medium-high heat in a stovetop PC) until the oil starts shimmering. Add the smoked sausage and cook, occasionally stirring, until browned around the edges, about 3 minutes. Scoop the sausage out with a slotted spoon and move it to a bowl. Add the chicken thigh pieces, and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning (and ½ teaspoon salt if using salt-free seasoning). Cook without stirring until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Scoop the chicken out with a slotted spoon and move to the bowl with the sausage.
- Sauté the aromatics and spices: Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic to the pot, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté until the onions soften, about 5 minutes, stirring and scraping with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits of sausage and chicken. Stir in the Cajun seasoning and sauté for 1 minute to toast the spices.
- Everything in the pot: Add the sausage and chicken back to the pot, plus any juices in the bowl. Pour in the hot sauce and stir to coat the chicken. Pour in the chicken broth (plus 1 teaspoon fine sea salt if using homemade chicken broth) and diced tomatoes. Scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to make sure nothing is sticking. Stir in the pasta, poking it to ensure it is submerged in the pot liquid.
- Pressure Cook for 4 minutes with a 10-minute Natural Release: Lock the lid and cook at high pressure for 4 minutes in an electric or stovetop pressure cooker. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook - high, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode for an Instant Pot, and set it to 4 minutes). Let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure. Unlock the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam.
- Serve: Stir in the fresh ground black pepper. Pour into a big bowl, sprinkle with a bit of extra cajun seasoning and minced green onion. Serve, passing hot sauce, cajun seasoning, and minced green onion at the table. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Cajun