Awesome Wife Casserole is an easy one pot meal with italian sausage, potatoes, and vegetables. Make it in the Instant Pot, slow cooker or oven.
Awesome Wife Casserole
As you know I cook a lot. I make about 6 new recipes a week and naming them can get a little old! I asked Greg what I should name today’s recipe and he said “awesome wife casserole.” He loved it and he gave me a compliment for making it so I’m going to take that compliment and his awesome name!! 😉 Make this dinner and your family may be naming the dinner awesome mom, dad, husband, wife, grandma or grandpa dinner!
It’s an Instant Pot take (you can also make it in the Crockpot or oven) on an old layered beef casserole recipe. I swapped out the beef for flavorful Italian sausage. By using the Instant Pot you cut down the cooking time down from 2 hours in the oven to a few minutes in the Instant Pot.
This dinner is colorful and flavorful and it’s my favorite…a one pot meal. It’s dinner in a bowl and no sides to make (unless you really want to!). The leftovers are awesome for lunch the next day too.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Ground Italian sausage–you can also use another type of sausage or smoked sausage
- Diced onion–yellow or white
- Broth–veggie, beef or chicken broth, or you can use water and Better than Bouillon
- Carrots–you can also use baby carrots
- Red potatoes–or peeled Russets or Yukon gold potatoes
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic powder
- Corn–canned, frozen or fresh
- Green pepper
- Worcestershire sauce
- Tomato sauce
- Campbells cheddar cheese soup–or 4 ounces of Velveeta. You can also leave this out and stir in some real shredded cheese after the pressure cooking time is up.
Instant Pot Steps
(See the recipe card below for the oven and slow cooker directions)
- Brown the sausage: Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the Italian sausage and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown the meat for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease.
- Deglaze the pot: Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking.
- Layer in the ingredients: Dump in the carrots. Then add in the potatoes. Lightly salt and pepper the potatoes. Dump in the garlic powder, corn, peppers, Worcestershire, tomato sauce and cheese soup. Don’t stir. This will prevent the burn error message.
- Pressure cook: Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 1 minute (for more firm veggies) or 2 minutes (for softer veggies). When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Serve: Stir well. Salt and pepper to taste. Scoop onto plates or bowls and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- We ate this as a one pot meal. But you can serve alongside a slice of buttered French bread.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in an 8 quart pot. Halve the recipe in a 3 quart pot.
- Try adding in green beans, either canned or fresh. Another option is to add in cauliflower florets.
- If you don’t want to add in the condensed soup or Velveeta cheese try adding in some 1-2 cups of fresh shredded cheese. Do this after the pressure cooking time is over.
- This recipe can be gluten-free if you use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce and Velveeta instead of the condensed soup.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with red potatoes are Instant Pot Cajun Sausage, Potatoes and Green Beans and Slow Cooker Homestyle Chicken And Vegetables.
More Instant Pot One Pot Meals
Instant Pot Cheesy Sausage And Rice
A one-pot recipe for rice, smoked sausage, tomatoes and cheese that comes together quickly with your electric pressure cooker.
Instant Pot Greek Chicken Potato Bowls
Seasoned chicken and potatoes with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and feta.
Instant Pot Cowboy Up Supper
Spaghetti with bacon, beans, chili seasonsings and cheese. A hearty supper that will fill up your little and big cowboys.
Instant Pot Hobo Hotdish
A casserole take on hobo dinners. Ground beef, carrots, onions and celery in a creamy sauce.
Straight out of Heaven Casserole
This cornbread chicken casserole is so good that my husband said “it’s straight out of heaven!” It’s got chicken, vegetables and cornbread stuffing. It comes together so quickly and only has a 1 minute pressure cook time in the Instant Pot! Pin this recipe for later! Instant Pot Cornbread Chicken Casserole If you’re looking for
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Awesome Wife Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
An easy one pot meal with italian sausage, potatoes and vegetables. Make it in the Instant Pot, slow cooker or oven.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup broth (veggie, beef or chicken)
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 medium red potatoes (20 ounces)
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 (15 oz) can corn, drained
- 1 green pepper, cored and diced
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ( 8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 (10.5 oz) can Campbells cheddar cheese soup or 4 ounces of Velveeta
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the Italian sausage and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown the meat for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking.
- Dump in the carrots. Then add in the potatoes. Lightly salt and pepper the potatoes. Dump in the garlic powder, corn, peppers, Worcestershire, tomato sauce and cheese soup. Don’t stir.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 1 minute (for more firm veggies) or 2 minutes (for softer veggies). When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir well. Salt and pepper to taste. Scoop onto plates or bowls and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add in the sausage and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown the meat for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Add into the slow cooker.
- Pour in broth (use only 1/2 cup for slow cooker version). Then add in the carrots, potatoes (lightly salt and pepper the potatoes), garlic powder, corn, peppers, Worcestershire, tomato sauce and cheese soup. Stir.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until potatoes and carrots are cooked through.
- Salt and pepper to taste. Scoop onto plates or bowls and enjoy!
Oven Instructions:
- Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add in the sausage and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown the meat for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease.
- In a large bowl add together the meat, carrots, potatoes, garlic powder, corn, green pepper, Worcestershire, tomato sauce and cheese soup (no broth for the oven version). Stir well. Add the mixture into a 9×13 inch pan.
- Cover and bake at 350 for 2 hours.
- Salt and pepper to taste. Scoop onto plates or bowls and enjoy!
- Category: Sausage
- Method: Instant Pot
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
High pressure or low pressure in the instant pot? Making this now so I just took a guess… Thanks in advance!
If I don’t specify then it is always high pressure. Hope this helps!
I would like to make this but I don’t eat pork. Any substitute recommendations?
smoked beef sausage?
This is not a casserole, this is a thick and hearty soup. Casseroles are baked, sometimes layered, sometimes with a crust, and usually with a topping of some kind (biscuits, cheese, bread crumbs) The misnaming does not diminish the deliciousness, but I fear people will pass this recipe by because they think it’s a casserole. The only deviation I made was I used half a pound of Italian sausage because I did not have a whole pound. This SOUP was awesome, like part of the name says. I would definitely make it again due to the ease and speed of putting it together and serving it. But call it what it is…SOUP. I love soup, people love soup.
★★★★★
I would like to see these meals put into make ahead freezer meals for quick meals. I’m unsure how one could freeze this meal. Don’ t know how the potatoes and carrots would turn out once frozen. Always interested in doubling recipes and freezing half for a later date.
As a stay at home Dad, my only complaint is the name of the dish.
★★★★★
I’ll call is Awesome DAD casserole for you!!! Good work 👏👏👏
I’m making this tomorrow night but I’m throwing it in a casserole dish and putting crumpled phyllo dough on top of it and baking it in the oven
★★★★★
Sounds awesome! I hope you like it!
Make your own broth from soup bones, do not add salt, use tomato sauce with no salt, frozen corn not canned corn. Sauté sausage, drain & rinse to get rid of salt & fat. Recipe has over 1100 mg has over 1100 mg sodium per serving. Too much. Cardiac, kidney patient cannot enjoy this dish.
Good tips for those that have special diet needs.
Have you tried it with seasoned ground beef?
nope! but that would totally be fine. I would add lots of seasonings.
You lost me at Velveeta or Cheddar Cheese soup. Sorry!
I love most of your recipes.
right? I came to the commoents to see if someone else figured out a substitute for that that’s an actual food 😂
I would just mix in some shredded cheese and some broth and/or half n half to replace the moisture.
In the notes and tips section above I write, “If you don’t want to add in the condensed soup or Velveeta cheese try adding in some 1-2 cups of fresh shredded cheese. Do this after the pressure cooking time is over.”