Instant Pot Sausage and Peppers

Step 1

Gather all of your ingredients and prepare them (chop the veggies, open the cans, measure the spices, etc.).

Step 2

Turn on the Sauté setting on your pressure cooker. When it is hot, add the oil, then 1 package of the sausages (5 per pkg). Brown them about 4 minutes on both sides and remove to a plate. Then repeat with the second package.

Step 3

Add the onions and stir, cooking until they start to soften. Add 1/4 cup of the broth or water and use a wooden or silicone spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to get up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Step 4

Add the garlic and sauté for a minute.

Step 5

Add the remaining chicken broth or water, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir.

Step 6

Add the sliced bell peppers. Do not stir.

Step 7

Add the sausages back in on top of the bell peppers. Do not stir.

Step 8

Pour in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and spoon the tomato paste on top. Do not stir.

Step 9

Close the lid and cancel the Sauté setting. Seal the vent if your model pot does not do so automatically.

Step 10

Press the Pressure Cook (or Manual) button or dial. Then use the +/- buttons to select 10 minutes. Choose High pressure. The pot will take several minutes to build pressure. Stay with the pot until it comes to pressure (just in case you get a BURN error. I haven't, but you never know with the newer more sensitive pots).

Step 11

When the cook time is finished, let the pot sit undisturbed for 4 minutes (4 minute Natural Release). Then manually release the remaining pressure.

Step 12

When the pin in the lid drops down, carefully open the lid and remove the sausages to a plate. Cover lightly to keep warm.

Step 13

Then gently stir the peppers to incorporate the tomato paste. This will thicken the sauce a bit and keep it from being too watery. The peppers will be very soft. This is intentional as they add a lot of flavor to the sauce when they break down.

Step 14

Serve the sausage and peppers with a generous bit of the sauce over rice, or quinoa, pasta, or on a hoagie roll.