Creamy Sausage Mostaccioli and Asparagus in the Instant Pot

A full creamy and bright sausage pasta dish that comes together in your Instant Pot.

This recipe was made in my favorite Instant Pot — the one I use every week. If you want yours to turn out just as good, you can grab the same one here.

All nutrition facts are AI generated and approximate.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 lb Italian sausage
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 yellow onion (chopped)
• 2 tsp garlic
• 1 Tbs Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 lb mostaccioli
• 4 cups asparagus (chopped 2 inches)
• 1 (6 oz) package grated parmesan
• 8 oz sour cream

Directions

1. Add olive oil to Instant Pot and set to Sauté; brown sausage.
2. Turn off Sauté and stir in tomatoes, onion, garlic, seasonings, lemon juice, and broth.
3. Lay pasta on top but don’t stir.
4. Lay asparagus on top of pasta—still don’t stir.
5. Close pressure cooker, cook on high for 3 minutes, then quick release.
6. After cooking completes, stir in sour cream and parmesan.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• Layer, don’t stir: Lay the pasta and then the asparagus on top of the liquid without stirring so nothing sticks and burns.
• Dairy goes in last: Stir the sour cream and Parmesan in after pressure cooking to keep the sauce smooth.
• Tender-crisp asparagus: Sitting on top of the pasta, it steams gently and stays bright instead of turning to mush.
• Season to taste: Italian sausage and Parmesan are both salty, so taste before adding more salt.
• Leftovers: The pasta soaks up sauce as it sits; loosen with a splash of broth when reheating.

Why This Works

• Liquid on the bottom: Keeping the broth beneath the unstirred pasta prevents scorching and lets the pot come to pressure cleanly.
• Pasta cooks in flavor: Cooking the mostaccioli directly in the seasoned broth means it absorbs the sauce instead of being drained plain.
• Dairy after pressure: Adding sour cream and Parmesan at the end keeps them from curdling under high heat.
• Lemon brightens cream: The lemon juice cuts through the rich, cheesy sauce so each bite tastes fresh.