Pressure Cooker Smokey Penne Pasta (Part 1 – Best of Freezer Meal Boot Camps)

This Pressure Cooker Smokey Penne Pasta is loaded with sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and cheese…it’s a quick Instant Pot recipe from the popular Instant Pot Freezer Meal Boot Camp series!

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Today I’m thrilled to start a series for the summer that I think you Instant Pot fans will love!  Over the past few months, I’ve been kind of compiling the best Freezer Meal Boot Camp recipes out of literally hundreds of recipes I’ve written over the past couple of years.  I polled my Instant Pot Freezer Meal Community and email list, went back through old emails and comments, and looked at search terms to my blog to make a list of the top 10 recipes that are most loved out of the Freezer Meal packs I’ve made so far.

I’ll be sharing a recipe for each week of the summer (10 weeks total).  On the 11th week, I’ll have a full pack of printables, recipes, and prep instructions to make all of these recipes at once for your freezer, just like my other Freezer Meal Boot Camps!

Today, I’m sharing what is probably the most loved recipe in all of my boot camp packs – Smokey Penne.  This one originally appeared in my Mini Boot Camp.  I’ve had so many readers share that they loved this recipe – both for how easy and how delicious it is.  This is one of those Instant Pot pasta recipes that requires little more than throwing a few things in the pot and pushing the button.  It’s great for one of those nights that you need a home-cooked meal but just don’t have the energy or the time!

In each of these posts, I’ll share how to make the recipe from either fresh or frozen.  (And a note: if you’ve done my boot camps before, these recipes might vary slightly from the original version to make overall prep easier.) You can check out the other meals in this series below:

Part 1 – Smokey Penne (you’re here!)

Part 2 – Carrot & Butternut Squash Soup

Part 3 – Mississippi Roast

Part 4 – Firefighter Chili

Part 5 – Italian Beef Sandwiches

Part 6 – Beef Ragu

Part 7 – Turkey & Sweet Potato Chili

Part 8 – Zuppa Toscana

Part 9 – Carnitas Over Sweet Potato Mash

Part 10 – Taco Soup

Ingredient List 1: If freezing, put the following in your freezer container (these are my favorite for Instant Pot prep):

1lb browned smoked sausage
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped bell pepper
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup (jarred) sun-dried tomatoes
1 cup water
2 tsp chicken better than bullion
1 10oz jar roasted red peppers (not drained)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

(Don’t forget to label your meal – here’s a free printable for that!)

Ingredients Needed For Serve Day:

8 oz whole wheat penne pasta
2 cups monterey jack
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup half and half
3 cups fresh spinach
1 box frozen breadsticks (side item)

(If Prepping From Frozen) On Serve Day…

1. Thaw your meal enough to pop out of the freezer container.

2. Add frozen meal, penne pasta, & 2 cups water to IP.

3. Set IP for high, 6 minutes.  Once cook cycle is up, quick release the pressure.

4. While the IP is cooking, cook breadsticks according to package directions.

5. Once IP cycle is done and pressure is released, stir in cheeses, half & half, and spinach.

(If Prepping From Fresh) On Serve Day…

1. Add all ingredients from ingredient list 1, penne pasta, & 2 cups water to IP.

2. Set IP for high, 5 minutes.  Once cook cycle is up, quick release the pressure.

3. While the IP is cooking, cook breadsticks according to package directions.

4. Once IP cycle is done and pressure is released, stir in cheeses, half & half, and spinach.

You can also download a recipe card for this meal here.

Enjoy, friends!