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Back when I had my first baby, my husband’s grandma brought over a big casserole dish full of mac and cheese.
You guys, I was ecstatic. I loved mac and cheese and I was exhausted beyond belief. An already cooked dinner that I knew I was going to enjoy. Yasss.
Then I peeled back the foil to heat it up and I saw all of this weirdness happening in there. To be specific, there was smoked sausage. All up in my macaroni and cheese.
I admit to nothing, but there may have been tears.
I mean, who would ruin mac and cheese that way and then give it to a hormonal new mother?
I decided to just pick around the sausage until my husband convinced me to just grow up and try a bite of the sausage.
Y’all. I am forever in that man’s debt. I’m now hooked on mac and cheese with smoked sausage. Why is it so good? I will never know. But I will always keep eating it and trying to find out.
Anyway, I jumped on the Instant Pot craze, along with the rest of the country, and I figured I’d better learn how to make some pressure cooker mac and cheese. I’ve made this a few times now, experimenting a little each time until I came to this piece of perfection. I started this off with a base recipe I picked up in one of those huge Instant Pot facebook groups, but I’ve changed things up a bit to suit my taste.
I think you’re going to love how this turns out. It’s so creamy and super cheesy. The smoked sausage is divine in here and, in my opinion, switches this over from a side dish to a main dish. Serve with a green salad and you’re good to go.
Check out my pressure cooker pinto beans and my pressure cooker carnitas, too!
Pressure Cooker Mac and Cheese with Smoked Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 pound smoked sausage
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound macaroni uncooked
- 4 cups water
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 16 ounces sharp cheddar grated
- 4 ounces Monterey Jack grated
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker to saute on high. Heat the oil in the pot.
- Slice the smoked sausage into 1/4 inch rounds and place in the pot, cooking until browned on each. Remove sausage from the pot and set aside.
- Add the macaroni, water, mustard powder, salt, and pepper to the pot.
- Place the lid on the pressure cooker and set to sealing.
- Cook on manual pressure for 3 minutes.
- Quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
- Turn the pressure cooker to saute and stir in the evaporate milk.
- Stir in the cheese, one handful at a time, until it's all melted and combined.
- Stir the sausage into the macaroni and cheese, top with parsley, and serve.
Kathy Gifford says
Do you drain off the water after cooking the macaroni??
Karly says
Nope! There’s just enough water to cook the noodles and then help make the sauce.
Renee Lamb says
This was amazing! I was afraid that it was going to be too heavy, but followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious. My kids suggested to maybe add peas on the next batch. Also, if you’re wondering if you should rinse the pot after sauteing the sausage…DON’T. It adds great flavor
Karly says
Peas are a great addition – and I love that your kids suggested them. Mine would never. 😉 Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Tammy says
This was amazing! My whole family loved it! Definitely a keeper for us.
Karly says
Yay! Glad to hear that!
Amber says
Just half the recipe! 🙂
Leigh says
I have a 3 quart instant pot, are the amounts more in this recipe? Should I cut the amounts in half?
Karly says
I’m not sure how much would fit in a 3 quart. I’ve only ever used a 6 quart.
Jan says
I have all ingredients except evaporated milk……:( any ideas of a decent substitution? I have regular organic milk and heavy whipping cream…….? Thanks~
Karly says
No, I’m sorry, I don’t know of any substitutions. I haven’t tried making this with regular milk or cream, so I’m not sure how well it would work.
Brandy says
We use the Cajun Smoked Sausage with your recipe, it really adds that extra edge to the mac n cheese. Love this recipe!
Karly says
I bet the extra spice is delicious in the mac and cheese! 🙂
Andy says
My husband travels for work, and our son and I recently had the opportunity to visit him on the road. After working on the road for weeks at a time, it’s safe to say he gets burnt out on eating at restaurants, and after 10-12 hour work days he sure doesn’t feel like grocery shopping and cooking (and I can’t blame him). So on this visit, we brought along our express cooker, and I tried this beauty out! Not only did we get to have a delicious home cooked meal as a family, but he now has leftovers for dinner after we return home! Thanks for this super fast, easy, tasty recipe that allowed us to spend a little more time together.
I may or may not have taste tested throughout the cooking process ?
Karly says
So glad you and your family enjoyed this one and it gave you a little extra time together. My husband travels for work too and it can be rough! <3
Adele says
Since there are many different sizes of Instant Pot, what size is this recipe designed for? I always have trouble with recipes that don’t indicate pot size.
Karly says
I use a 6 quart and have only ever tried this in that.
Adele says
Thanks. I have the 3 Qt so I will half the recipe.
Sara says
What kind of smoked sausage? Like a kielbasa?
Karly says
Yep, kielbasa is perfect.