I’m showing you how I take what I have in the fridge/freezer to make dinner in 30 minutes using Campanelle Pasta, sausage, chicken, and our Instant Pot.
Campanelle Pasta Recipe Idea
Sometimes you need to get dinner on the table in a jiffy, but what to make? It’s Sunday evening, and we’ve had a very busy day.
Zayd’n, our youngest, had a basketball game today.
It was a good game, our boys won. Zayd’n scored a couple of baskets, his first points of the season, so he’s geeked, and we are all very happy for him.
Sometimes, the best meals are completely improvised…
I open the freezer and see four sausage brat patties and two boneless and skinless chicken thighs.
The meat is frozen solid, but it’s not an issue with the Instant Pot. That’s the beauty of the Instant Pot, it’s powerful enough to make short work of frozen foods, and the frozen meat sitting on my kitchen counter right now is going to be child’s play.
The meat is completely frozen, but it’s done in 20 minutes with our Instant Pot. Related: Life-Changing Instant Pot Hacks
From the fridge, I grab a big package of baby spinach we picked up at Sam’s Club a few days ago.
I originally planned on using it for juicing, but right now, I have to get something on the table so the spinach gets recruited to help out.
I also grab a red onion and two jars of prepared Alfredo sauce. I peeped into the freezer again and saw a bag of frozen sweet corn.
The red onion wasn’t my first choice. I typically use red onions for Hispanic and Latin-influenced meals, but I’m out of yellow onions and sweet Vidalias.
Beggars can’t be choosers, so I gotta’ use what’s available in our pantry, and this little purple guy gets thrust into the limelight front and center! Peel and cut into small dice.
I also tossed in a couple of cloves of garlic, which I then minced.
Everything is coming together. I got the sausage and chicken doing their thing in the Instant Pot.
We typically keep French’s fried onions on deck, and I grab a container of those, too.
Fried onions are perfect for a situation like this because by adding them, you’ll instantly elevate almost any dish when you’re using pasta, savory spiced meat, cheese, and a white sauce.
This is what, for lack of a better term, is called “a throw-together meal;” I am just using the ingredients I have on hand and improvising.
You have probably done the same thing if you’re a home cook. It doesn’t always turn out right, but sometimes it does, and that’s, I believe, how new recipes are more often than not developed.
And isn’t that the very basis of cooking?
Taking what’s available and making it work, I came up with our Campanelle Pasta + Sausage, Chicken & Spinach dish today.
In the end, the boys were well fed, the wife was pleased, and all is well on the Worthey front.
Here’s what you’ll need and how to pull it all together…
How to make Campanelle Pasta + Sausage, Chicken & Spinach in the Instant Pot
Serving Size: 7-8
Ingredients:
- 1 pound Campanelle pasta
- 1 1/2 pounds frozen sausage
- 2 boneless and skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn
- 5 cups baby spinach
- 1 medium red onion
- 3/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 6 ounces French fried onions
- 2 jars Alfredo sauce, divided
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorns
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 4 tablespoons McCormick Gourmet Italian Seasoning
- 3 tablespoons McCormick Chopped Onions, divided
- Old Bay Seasoning to taste
Directions:
- Place the frozen sausage into the instant pot. Brush the frozen boneless and skinless chicken thighs with one (1) tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Coat the chicken in chopped onions and Old Bay seasoning, place the chicken into the Instant Pot on top of the sausage, place the lid on, and lock it into place.
- Adjust the vent to the closed position.
- Press the Meat| Stew option and adjust the timer to 20 minutes.
- While the meat is cooking, place a large pot of water over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add a pinch of sea salt and prepare the pasta following the package instructions.
- When the pasta is al dente, drain off the water and return it to the pot. Add one (1) jar of Alfredo sauce, four (4) tbsps of McCormick Gourmet Italian Seasoning, two (2) tbsp of McCormick Chopped Onions, and one (1) tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Toss to evenly coat the pasta set aside.
- Remove the lid from the Instant Pot, add the chopped red onions, and select the Sauté option. Using two forks, break apart the sausage and shred the chicken thighs.
- After cooking the meat, onions, and frozen sweet corn, let the meat continue to heat through for five (5) minutes. Add the spinach, close the lid, and allow the spinach to wilt (after 6 minutes).
- While you wilt the spinach, spoon the pasta and Alfredo sauce mixture into a large casserole dish.
- Remove the lid and transfer the sausage, chicken, and spinach into the casserole dish with the pasta using a large slotted spoon. Gently stir the pasta and meat together until it is thoroughly mixed and spread in the dish.
- Pour the remaining jar of Alfredo sauce on top, and add the French’s fried onions.
- Set the oven on a high broil. When the oven is hot, place the casserole on the center rack and brown the top of the dish. Watch this step closely; it only takes a few minutes to toast the top of the casserole.
- Remove from the oven and serve hot.
Can I use this recipe with a different type of pasta?
Yes, you are welcome to change out the Campanelle pasta if you don’t have it.
Penne, rigatoni, bowtie, and other styles of medium-sized pasta will work great.
Just swap and use one pound of pasta as well.
Do I have to cook with both meats?
You will find the sausage and the chicken paired together make this pasta dish incredibly rich and flavorful.
Feel free to use one or the other if you would prefer.
It will take away some of the flavor by doing so.
Can you cook frozen meat in the Instant Pot?
That is one of the biggest perks of pressure cooking is using frozen meat.
There is no need to plan ahead in terms of thawing meat.
Toss your meat in from frozen!
So yes, go right ahead and toss in frozen meat!
How long does it take an Instant Pot to come to pressure?
Depending on how full the contents of what is in your Instant Pot will depend on how long it takes for the pressure cooker to come to pressure.
On average, it can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes.
You will find that if you are cooking with frozen food, you will hit the 15-20 minute range.
Now if it is a very small amount of food, it might only take 5-10 minutes.
What does it mean to cook pasta al dente?
Al dente is a chewy and firm pasta that is still chewy.
You don’t want to make your pasta too soft, or it can become mushy in texture.
So when you see al dente, know you want to strain it before it is too soft.
How to store leftover pasta?
Store the leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days. Then, when you want, warm it up in the microwave or in the oven in a covered dish.
This is a delicious meal heated up the next day.
Due to the vegetables and the sauce, you will find it doesn’t freeze and thaw very well from frozen.
Owning an Instant Pot (or two) has made preparing dinner a breeze! Do you own an Instant Pot? What are some of your favorite go-to recipes?
Definitely try our casserole made in the Instant Pot, and come back and let us know how you liked it!
More Pasta Recipes:
Campanelle Pasta + Sausage, Chicken & Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 pound Campanelle pasta
- 1 1/2 pounds sausage
- 2 boneless and skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn
- 5 cups baby spinach
- 1 medium red onion
- 3/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 6 ounces French's fried onions
- 2 jars Alfredo sauce divided
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorns
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 4 tablespoons McCormick Gourmet Italian Seasoning
- 3 tablespoons McCormick Chopped Onions divided
- Old Bay Seasoning
Instructions
- Place the frozen sausage into the instant pot. Brush the frozen boneless and skinless chicken thighs with one (1) tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Coat the chicken in chopped onions and Old Bay seasoning, place the chicken into the Instant Pot on top of the sausage, place the lid on, and lock it into place.
- Adjust the vent to the closed position.
- Press the Meat| Stew option and adjust the timer to 20 minutes.
- While the meat is cooking, place a large pot of water over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add a pinch of sea salt and prepare the pasta following the package instructions.
- When the pasta is al dente, drain off the water and return it to the pot. Add one (1) jar of Alfredo sauce, four (4) tbsps of McCormick Gourmet Italian Seasoning, two (2) tbsp of McCormick Chopped Onions, and one (1) tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Toss to evenly coat the pasta set aside.
- Remove the lid from the Instant Pot, add the chopped red onions, and select the Sauté option. Using two forks, break apart the sausage and shred the chicken thighs.
- After cooking the meat, onions, and frozen sweet corn, let the meat continue to heat through for five (5) minutes. Add the spinach, close the lid, and allow the spinach to wilt (after 6 minutes).
- While you wilt the spinach, spoon the pasta and Alfredo sauce mixture into a large casserole dish.
- Remove the lid and transfer the sausage, chicken, and spinach into the casserole dish with the pasta using a large slotted spoon. Gently stir the pasta and meat together until it is thoroughly mixed and spread in the dish.
- Pour the remaining jar of Alfredo sauce on top, and add the French's fried onions.
- Set the oven on a high broil. When the oven is hot, place the casserole on the center rack and brown the top of the dish. Watch this step closely; it only takes a few minutes to toast the top of the casserole.
- Remove from the oven and serve hot.
Nutrition
AnnMarie John says
My family would LOVE this! I’m also always looking for more recipes for my Instant Pot so will certainly be making this.
T Worthey says
Thank you, Annmarie! D. really did an awesome job with this recipe and it was so neat watching him completely improvise the whole thing. He’s so good at taking what we have on hand and somehow making it all work.