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This week the inevitable happened. I messed up an Instant Pot recipe. After four nearly perfect meals made in my beloved pot, I was left in complete dismay over the botched pasta. Full disclosure, I made this Penne with Sausage in Tomato Cream Sauce twice in a 24 hour period because I just could not believe my Instant Pot had failed me. Little did I know, but soon realized, the pot was not to blame. It was the user.

Being a huge fan of the Instant Pot, I really thought nothing could go wrong. I mean, I’ve made four successful dishes! Well, this week I learned about a little notification called ‘Burn’. The penne was set to cook for five minutes in the pressure cooking setting. I prepped all the ingredients and eagerly awaited the chime letting me know my food was ready. As I sat on my couch I heard a chime, but this chime was an unfamiliar one. It was shortly after the pot seemed to reach pressure, but definitely not five minutes long. I sprang up from my couch and found in bold red letters the word BURN on my Instant Pot selection screen.

Naturally, I internally panic at the thought that my noodles, sausage, and sauce were trapped inside my Instant Pot. I knew not to just hastily open the pot because the pot had come to pressure. It didn’t smell like anything was actively burning or on fire so I took some time to look through the manual and do a quick Google search to figure out how I was going to save my dinner. Oddly enough, my Instant Pot said it was still cooking and the time seemed to be correct but after waiting 15 minutes and still not hearing a chime, I decided to press the quick release button to see what was going on. Once it was safe to open the pot, I was greeted with mushy noodles in sauce. I was discouraged but determined to get this dish right because, despite the slop-like appearance of the first batch, the flavor was delicious! So that’s what I set out to do- make this penne perfect.

After doing some online research and reading over the recipe, I was stunned to realize that blogger that originally posted this dish made note of the burn notice and I had completely overlooked it. It turns out, newer models of the Instant Pot, like mine, were having the same issue with this recipe. I took the advice on how to remedy the problem the next day and made sure all my times were properly set and it worked like a charm. The noodles weren’t perfectly al dente, but they were firm and enjoyable to eat. Another lesson learned, read the fine print. So if you have 8 quart Instant Pot like mine and like delicious creamy tomato sauce, penne, and sausage- this recipe is for you!

Penne with Sausage in Tomato Cream Sauce

What You Need:

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 lb Italian sausage, casing removed, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1.5 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 bell peppers (one red, one green)
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 lb dry penne pasta
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Shredded parmesan
• Chopped parsley to garnish
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions:
Click here to Cook With Me!

• Press Saute and add oil to the inner pot of Instant Pot.
• Add sausage, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add onions and garlic. Stir until onion is translucent.
• Deglaze the pot well with white wine, stirring until liquid has nearly evaporated.
• Turn off Instant Pot for 3-4 minutes
• Add water then add bell peppers, sugar, dried basil, oregano, salt, black pepper,  and tomatoes, stir well.
• Add uncooked pasta making sure the pasta is submerged without stirring.
• Close the Instant Pot properly.
• Cook on Manual mode for 5 minutes.
• Press the quick release valve to completely release the steam, and open the Instant Pot.
• Press Saute.
• Stir in heavy cream and simmer the pasta for 2-3 minutes until heated through.
• Turn off Instant Pot and let the pasta rest for a few minutes to absorb any remaining liquid and cool.
• Sprinkle each serving with parmesan and parsley and red pepper flakes.
• Serve and enjoy!

Cook With Me:

• Press Saute and add oil to the inner pot of Instant Pot.
• Add sausage, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add onions and garlic. Stir until onion is translucent.
• Deglaze the pot well with white wine, stirring until liquid has nearly evaporated.
• Turn off Instant Pot for 3-4 minutes
• Add water then add bell peppers, sugar, dried basil, oregano, salt, black pepper,  and tomatoes, stir well.
• Add uncooked pasta making sure the pasta is submerged without stirring.
• Close the Instant Pot properly.
• Cook on Manual mode for 5 minutes.
• Press the quick release valve to completely release the steam, and open the Instant Pot.
• Press Saute.
• Stir in heavy cream and simmer the pasta for 2-3 minutes until heated through.
• Turn off Instant Pot and let the pasta rest for a few minutes to absorb any remaining liquid and cool.
• Sprinkle each serving with parmesan and parsley and red pepper flakes.
• Serve and enjoy!

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