Make this Instant Pot Penne in Cajun Mustard Cream Sauce for a quick and easy weeknight meal. With options to prepare it with andouille sausage or meatless you can make everyone happy.
Instant Pot Penne in Cajun Mustard Cream Sauce
I love anytime I can eat pasta with some sort of cream sauce. I especially love when I eat penne and can suck the sauce through the tubular pasta into my mouth. I know you do it too. I also love using cream cheese to flavor a pasta dish. It is so perfect to my taste buds.
The sausage is tasty and adds a lot of flavor. However, if you want to make it meatless, you can leave it out. I used a cajun-style andouille sausage but you can also use smoked sausage or kielbasa.
The mustard and lemon juice adds a twist to this cajun pasta. It’s a little different but a good different.
If you want to use a different type of pasta like rigatoni or bowties it’s no problem! Look at the back of the pasta package and it will say boil for x amount of minutes. To find out how long to pressure cook, take that number and divide by 2 and subtract 1. For example if it says boil for 10 minutes you’d divide that by 2 (5 minutes) and subtract 1 (4 minutes).
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What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?
To make Instant Pot Penne in Cajun Mustard Cream Sauce I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.
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Instant Pot Penne in Cajun Mustard Cream Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Make this Instant Pot Penne in Cajun Mustard Cream Sauce for a quick and easy weeknight meal. With options to prepare it with andouille sausage or meatless you can make everyone happy.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne rigate pasta, uncooked
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (for more flavor) or water
- 2–3 tsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 (13 oz) package cajun-style andouille smoked sausage (optional)
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
Instructions
- Add pasta to the Instant Pot. Pour broth/water over the top, try to cover pasta as much as possible. Sprinkle in 2 tsp of the cajun seasoning and add in the garlic powder. Add in the butter and petite diced tomatoes. If using sausage, slice it into 1/2 inch pieces and add it into the pot.
- Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up move valve to venting for a quick release (you can also use a natural pressure release).
- Turn the pot to the saute setting and stir in the cream cheese, until it is melted. Turn off the saute setting. Stir in the lemon juice and dijon mustard. Taste and if needed add in another teaspoon of cajun seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste as needed.
- Serve and enjoy. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*.
To make gluten free: Double check your chicken broth to be sure it does not contain gluten. Substitute noodles for GF noodles and decrease cook time by 1 minute.
Recipe inspired by Closet Cooking.
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Cajun
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe with sausage
- Calories: 437
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 294 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Carbohydrates: 37 g
- Protein: 18 g
Keywords: pasta, meatless
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Hi Karen: Thanks for this great recipe. I made it as is and is was delicious . . . Just the right amount of spicy. Another winner to add to my IP rotation.
★★★★★
I’m so glad you liked it Jerry! Thanks for the 5 stars!
I tried this just like it was first and it was very good! The second time around I added sautéed mushrooms, dried minced onion, more cream cheese, and a small bag of baby spinach. I also used Hunts diced tomatoes with oregano, garlic, and basil. I will be making this easy recipe again and again! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
that version sounds awesome!
Loved it! Was a family hit!
★★★★★
Thanks Sandy! We love this one too!
My comment after first taste, “damn that’s good.” I used Dak’s Cajun Voodo seasoning which added heat and no salt. Absolutely perfect for this dish. I was forced into the IP world, receiving one as a Christmas gift. This recipe makes me a convert.
Yesss glad you are converted Gina!
So easy & oh so delicious! This came together unbelievably fast & no prep. Just eyeballed amounts in the 3-qt for 2 servings. I didn’t have penne or diced tomatoes, so used bowtie & crushed tomatoes. I bought Johnsonville cheddar & jalapeno sausage to try your Texas Kolaches recipe later in the week, so I threw some of that in the pot as well. Added some sun dried tomatoes & frozen spinach at the end. One pot wonder & definitely adding to rotation – what a great recipe, thank you!
★★★★★
Wow your version sounds better than mine! will have to try!
I have tried several of your instant pot recipes and they have all been fantastic! My family definitely wants every one of them again! This one was SO delish! I used a 16 oz box of rotini, an extra can of broth, and a whole block of cheese because I knew we’d need more. One tiny Tupperware left over is all we’ve got! I’m hiding it for my lunch tomorrow – shhh 😏 Thanks for your delicious creativity!
★★★★★
Good plan! Hide it in the back of the refrigerator.
So, I don’t have an instapot yet (i’m just not ready to commit to another small kitchen appliance). Is there a way to convert this to a slow cooker or stove top recipe? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. We’d be making it vegetarian too with soy kielbasa.
You could definitely make it on the stove top. I’d cook the penne separately and drain and then stir everything together in a large pan over the heat.
So easy and delicious. Will definitely make again!
★★★★★
Glad you liked it Abbey 😊
Made this tonight without the meat so I could make two separate portions (one sausage, one chicken! For me and the boyf). It was super easy to prep and make, almost no prep work is perfect. I added some spinach at the end to add in some veggies. But I would definitely cut the mustard in half next time, I thought it was a super strong flavor and I did end up adding more cream cheese and even some milk to cut that sharpness a little more. If boyf likes, I’ll be making again. (Great with italian sausage and chicken!)
★★★★
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I made this in my 3 quart IP except I didn’t add the lemon as I didn’t have any. It tasted awesome except next time I may cut the amount of mustard in half as it was a little too much for me. I also added grated parmesan cheese at the end. 👍
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing your experience Kandace!
I was glad to see this as I’m allergic to lemon and wondered how it would be.
My husband LOVED this recipe (me, too!). He isn’t always impressed with new recipes, but he requested this get made often. That’s high praise. Creamy, flavorful…a new family favorite. Thanks!
★★★★★
How awesome Terri! I love that he tried something new and liked it! WIN!!
Hi! I’ve made this recipe a few times now & have started adding a couoke of handfuls of spinach to it at the end. So yummy! Thanks for the great, easy recipe!
★★★★
I love that idea!
Could I leave out the lemon juice?
Sure.
Just made this for the second time, and I’m planning on bringing the ingredients to make it on vacation! So fast, easy and yummy!
I use a whole package of cream cheese, I never seem to remember the half package at the back of the fridge and it always goes bad. It’s really good, extra creamy!
Thanks for a great recipe!!
More cream cheese = more delicious
Made this a few times and it’s always a hit. So tasty and easy; a perfect weeknight meal. It’s definitely in our steady rotation now!
★★★★★
Yay! So glad to hear this Caitlin!
Have you ever tried tripling this recipe in your 6 quart Instant Pot?
Pretty sure that would go over the 2/3 fill line. I wouldn’t do it. You could double it.
If I double the recipe, do you think I need to alter the cooking time?
nope
https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-double-instant-pot-recipes/
Perfect. Thank you for taking the time to reply to my questions. I truly appreciate it!
No problem!
Could you do this in a slow cooker?
This was so tasty and easy. We all really loved it.
I used half of an 8 oz tub of spreadable cream cheese for this and your other “creamy” recipes. I find it easier to store what’s left than when you cut a block of cream cheese in half.
★★★★★
That is a great idea. I’m going to try that too!
Do you drain the can of diced tomatoes? Can’t wait to try it,
No I don’t drain the tomatoes.
YUM! This looks so delicious! I also love to suck out all the tasty sauce from penne noodles I have done it since I was a kid. Thanks for sharing!!
ha ha me too!
My daughter loves Honey Mustard Sauce. I am so glad you shared this recipe:) Thanks!
You’re welcome!
I am not a fan of mustard, is there anything else I could substitute?
I’m not sure but you could just leave it out and then season to taste.
Another great recipe. When I try out a new meal I base my opinion on three areas:
1. Taste – I took my first bite and was sold. Creamy, great flavors and a little spice. The creme cheese and dijon mustard really make this meal sing.
2. Ease to make – I bought a box of pasta bigger than the recipe. I used all of the pasta and just added more broth (don’t use water) to almost cover the pasta. I went to butcher and purchased andouille rather than store bought in a package. Great flavor. I used Montreal seasoning because I have a huge jug of it and the taste was good. I had most of the ingredients in my ever expanding pantry.
3. Clean-up. I am lazy and don’t want to destroy my kitchen with dishes and food all over the place. This recipe was a breeze. I would give it a one dish rating because it felt like I only had one dish to clean. If I an going to spend more time on the clean-up vs. preparing the meal, not worth it to me.
ken
I love your review! So glad you liked it. I like all your changes too. They sound so tasty 🙂
Sounds delicious. I am just starting to use the instant pot. Do you think I could sub shrimp for the sausage? If so, how would I need to adjust the recipe?
Shrimp takes just 1-2 minute pressure cook time. So if you end up using it you may just want to cook the recipe without any meat as stated above. Then after it has cooked stir in the shrimp and use the saute setting to cook the shrimp.
Hello Karen
I love your recipe ideas. Am a widow so just have the mini IP. Can I just cut the recipes in 1/2 or do they need other alterations? Thank you
Yes you can. Just make sure the liquid in the recipe is enough to bring your pot to pressure 🙂
This sounds amazing. I don’t have a instantpot. Any directions for how to make this in a slow cooker? Or is it more of a stove top recipe?
Thanks!
You could definitely make it on the stove top. I’d cook the penne separately and drain and then stir everything together in a large pan over the heat.
I haven’t even made this yet but can tell it’ll be fabulous!!!!
★★★★★
🙂