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 Cheesy Sausage And Rice
This rice casserole is a warm, homey meal that kids and adults will both love! With protein, carbs and veg all in the same pot it’s a great one-pot meal. It is versatile and can be made exactly how your people want it. It’s easy to double or halve.
Ingredients in this Smoked Sausage and Rice
- 1 Tbsp olive oil–to saute the diced onions
- 1 cup diced onion–a good place to start with most all recipes
- 2 tsp minced garlic–garlic is a must for flavor
- 2 cups chicken broth–you can also use 2 cups of water and 2 tsp of Better than Bouillon Chicken Base
- 1 ½ cups long grain white rice–you can also use jasmine or basmati rice
- 1 (12 oz) package smoked sausage, sliced–I like to slice mine fairly thin so that they go farther and more bites contain sausage
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes–for extra flavor try fire roasted tomatoes
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper–for a tiny bit of kick or you can use red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp kosher salt–for flavor
- ⅛ tsp black pepper–for flavor
- ¼ cup butter, cut into 4 pieces–for a bit of creaminess and richness
- 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced–I used a fairly large chop on these so they wouldn’t be totally mushy and indistinguishable
- 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar–for that melty, cheesy goodness
How to make Sausage and Rice
- Saute the onions and garlic: Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When the display says HOT add in the olive oil and onion. Saute for about 4-5 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Layer in the rest of the ingredients: Sprinkle in the rice. Add the sausage, tomatoes, cayenne, salt, pepper, butter and green pepper on top, do not stir (this will help avoid 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 4 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Add cheese: Stir well. Add in the cheese and stir.
- Adjust seasonings: Salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!
What Kind of Sausage Do I Use?
I used beef smoked sausage (I think it was Hillshire Farm brand) here but any smoked sausage will work here. Other smoked sausages include andouille (cajun sausage), kielbasa or smoked chorizo. They are well-seasoned so they each add a lot of flavor to this meal. It doesn’t matter whether the smoked sausages you get are cooked or uncooked because they get cooked through in this recipe. You can choose to brown the sausages by using the saute setting for added color and flavor (I did not do this step).
Can I Use Brown Rice?
I used long grain white rice but other types of rice can definitely be used. I would follow the cooking times as listed in the green chart below. If you do use brown rice I would not add in the green pepper at the beginning as they will get overcooked and mushy with the long 22 minute pressure cooking time.
Sausage and Rice Recipe Notes and Adaptations
- Beef smoked sausage can be swapped with kielbasa, polish sausage, andouille sausage, bratwurst, chicken sausage or smoked chorizo. You can also use ground sausage and brown it along with the onions.
- Try using a different color of bell peppers instead of green.
- Try adding in some different seasonings depending on the flavor of your sausage. Some ideas are cajun seasoning, taco/fajita seasoning, italian seasoning or dry ranch dressing mix.
- If you’re going for a mexican type of meal use picante sauce or salsa in the place of the diced tomatoes and add in a drained can of pinto or black beans.
- This recipe is gluten-free as long as the broth is gluten-free.
- Make this dairy free by leaving out the butter and cheese. It will still taste amazing!
- Try using frozen diced onions to save yourself the step of chopping onions. I find mine in the frozen veggie aisle.
- Try using jarred minced garlic to save yourself the step of mincing garlic. I buy the big jar at Costco.
- Portion this meal into lunch containers for the whole week!
How to Store, Reheat, and Freeze
- To Store. Place leftovers in an airtight storage container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To Reheat. Gently rewarm leftovers in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot, adding a splash of broth as needed. You can also reheat this dish in the microwave until warmed through.
- To Freeze. Store leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Recommended Tools to Make Instant Pot Cheesy Sausage and Rice
- Instant Pot (3, 6 or 8 quart)
- Cutting board*
- Knife* to slice sausage, dice onions and cut bell pepper
- Saute paddle*
- Cheese grater*
More smoked sausage Instant Pot recipes you’ll love…
Instant Pot Train Wreck Dinner–tender potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and sausage sprinkled with cheese.
Instant Pot Campfire Hash–traditionally made over a campfire this potato, smoked sausage and corn dish is much faster and easier when made in your Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Wisconsin Special–a one pot meal of bratwursts, red potatoes, carrots, onions and mushrooms with a delicious sauce.
Instant Pot Lazy Sunday Dinner–a fast and easy, dump and go recipe of smoked beef sausage, carrots, onions and mushrooms with a garlic balsamic glaze.
Instant Pot Cheesy Brats and Potatoes–sliced bratwurst, cubed potatoes, green beans and cheddar cheese in a savory sauce.
Want More Tried And True Instant Pot Recipes?
- Sign up to receive daily Instant Pot recipes (it’s FREE)
- Join the 365 Days of Instant Pot Recipes Facebook group
- Subscribe to my YouTube channel
- Buy the 365 Days of Pressure Cooking Cookbook
Instant Pot Cheesy Sausage And Rice
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 19 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Description
A one-pot recipe for rice, smoked sausage, tomatoes and cheese that comes together quickly with your electric pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
- 1 (12 oz) package smoked sausage, sliced
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes (fire roasted tomatoes are a good choice!)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced (larger pieces)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When the display says HOT add in the olive oil and onion. Saute for about 4-5 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Sprinkle in the rice. Add the sausage, tomatoes, cayenne, salt, pepper, butter and green pepper on top, do not stir.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir well. Add in the cheese and stir.
- Salt and pepper to taste. Serve 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.
Love this recipe! Would this freeze well? Or any tips for freezing/reheating? Need to prepare some meals for after my baby arrives!
★★★★★
Congrats! Yes I do believe this will be a good candidate for freezing. As far as reheating goes I usually just pop it into the microwave. But you could also use the pot in pot method of reheating: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1nO15i43-E
I got the burn warning when I made this, without stirring the rice. However, when I took the lid off, everything was already cooked perfectly… I guess this dish failed successfully for me LOL!
★★★★
Oh man! so glad it all worked out in the end!
Another easy and delicious meal! We used COSTCO Hot Italian sausage and it was terrific!
This made a Friday evening meal a joy to make…and eat! The Hubby and kiddos all had seconds. That’s a five star meal!
★★★★★
I need to pick up some of that next time I go to Costco!
Making this tomorrow, can I ommit the can tomatoes completely
yes you can!
the flavour was defiantly there and that’s what you always wont in a dish so all the star for that 🙂 but for me personally the long grain rice just wasn’t right so I will go with my gut next time and use Arborio rice which is more suited to a cheesy type rice
★★★★★
arborio would be amazing!
This is on repeat in my house. Quick, hearty, and easy to round out with a salad.
★★★★★
I love it! Thanks Julie for the 5 stars!
Has anyone added a veggie to make this a one-dish meal? I was wondering about green beans. Thanks!
I haven’t tried it but I bet that would be great!
I made this and it absolutely delicious. So quick and easy and my family inhaled it!
★★★★★
Thanks Amy! So glad to hear it!
This sounds delicious! Should I set the IP to low or high pressure tho? Thank you!
high pressure
Should I drain the diced tomatoes?
nope
I just made this for dinner last night. I omitted the onions and garlic and used tomatoes with garlic instead. It was delicious, and I will definitely keep this in my recipe list!
★★★★★
awesome! Thanks for the 5 stars 🙂
The recipe states it makes 6 servings, but the nutrition is given for 8 servings. Why the difference?
It’s 6 good size servings or 8 smaller servings
We absolutely loved this – I went exactly by the recipe. Hubby loved it too, and I brought leftovers for lunch today. This will definitely go in the rotation!
★★★★★
Woo woo! I love to hear it Brenda!
Oh Karen you’ve done it again! It’s fast, easy & takes minimal prep (important after Saturday night bowling league) . I used hubby’s favorite polska kielbasa & he absolutely loved it! It’s absolutely delish & very colorful too. Thanks again for your fabulous recipes ❤
★★★★★
So glad you liked it Judy! And I think that’s fun that you have a bowling league!
Which type of onion did you use?
Red, yellow, white?
Yellow!
Very tasty. Did not use butter or salt, some taco seasoning. Used cheese but will try it without next time.Wouldn’t leave on keep warm or rice will get mushy.
Glad you liked it Sarah!
If I used just 3/4 cup Jasmine rice instead of 1 1/2 cups white rice in the Cheesey Sausage & Rice recipe (all other ingredients as the recipe) how much chicken broth would I use?
I would use 1 cup of broth
I made this tonight as part of my mid week meal prep. It turned out very well. I did make a few changes to take into account what I had on hand and my dietary preferences and they are: I used brown jasmine rice, stewed tomatoes, bratwurst, omitted the salt, and added cumin and chili powder. By the way, with the brown jasmine rice I cooked it for 7 minutes and that was perfect.
This is quite good tasting and may very well become a new favorite comfort food. Thank you for such a good recipe!
★★★★
Thanks for sharing your version! It sounds great!
This is truly delish!! I followed the recipe pretty closely, except I removed the casing from a package of Costco Italian sausage and browned it in the pot, rather than slicing. Then I added the onion and garlic. I recommend a slightly longer cooking time. I used jasmine rice and it was slightly crunchy, so maybe 6-8 minutes would have been better than 4 (my pot defaults to 10 when using the rice function). Great flavor and super easy on a busy weeknight! Mine was 100% from Costco, which is also fun (onions, peppers, rice, better than buillion, sausage and sharp cheddar), so a good pantry meal.
★★★★★
Nice! I love Costco!!!
Do u have a book on just slow pot cooking that’s not to expensive as I’m on a very limited income. I do keep all the individual ones that u post. Its just easier to have them in a book form.
Thank you,
Joan
Here is my first slow cooker book: https://amzn.to/3CEMVn3 *
Hi Karen,
I am making the cheesy sausage right now. I place the ingredients in order of the directions and didn’t stir it. I got the “food burn” message and checked and the rice is burned on the bottom. I transferred the sausage and rice to another pot and am cooking on low. Is there anything I could have done differently to avoid this?
Thank you,
Brenda Hill
Did you scrape the bottom of the pot after sauteeing the onion? Did you sprinkle in the rice, not stir it in. I’m assuming so. If that’s the case I am not sure why you got burn signal! What model of IP do you have?
Was going to go out for dinner tonight when got the email with this recipe. Decided to try it instead. Simple. Quick. Tasty. Good starting point to explore with, might add some red pepper flakes next time, or celery, or other spices. Thanks for sharing this one.
★★★★
You are welcome Scott!
What can be used in place of cayenne pepper cause myself and grandkids can’t do HOT 🥵 spicy
I would just leave it out!
OK thank you. I didn’t think about that.
I wish you would add what size pot you are using
6 quart
This recipe with orzo pasta
Sounds amazing. I would only cook orzo for 1 minute
Thank you
Thank you ever so much for your prompt reply. I have been dying to try your recipes out. I do have one more question,. Are all your recipes in the 6 qt instapot.
That is the IP I generally use to test recipes
Looks good! How would the settings & cooking time differ if I were using frozen riced cauliflower instead of rice?
Thank you!
I would probably just make it on the stove if you are using riced cauliflower because if you try to pressure cook the cauliflower I think it will turn to mashed cauliflower.
mashed cauliflower wouldn’t be such a bad thing either., just different.