Name: Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Kielbasa
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 8 oz Ziti Pasta Noodles (or Macaroni Noodlesi); 2 cups Water; 1/2 tsp Sea Salt; 2 Kielbasa Links (about 4 oz each); 1 Tbsp Butter (cut into cubes); 1/3 cup Milk; 2 tsp Dijon Mustard (optional); 2 cups Cheddar Cheese (8 oz shredded); 1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley (optional for garnish)

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Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Kielbasa – Pressure cooker mac and cheese with smoked Polish sausage in a creamy cheddar cheese sauce. Make this family favorite comfort food in minutes.

Wooden spoon stirring instant pot mac & cheese with smoked sausage. Pot is on gray background with blue and white striped linen, dry pasta noodles, and fresh parsley

Who can argue the convenience and deliciousness of Instant pot mac n cheese. It might just be the easiest pressure cooked dinner recipe in my collection. There’s no prep, just dump ingredients, press ’start’, and go do stuff. When it’s done, slice the Kielbasa, add a few ingredients and you have a scrumptious spin on everyone’s favorite macaroni and cheese!

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Instant Pot Mac n Cheese with Kielbasa Ingredients

ziti pasta (or macaroni noodles)
water
salt
butter (or olive oil)
kielbasa (or smoked sausage)
milk
Dijon mustard
cheddar cheese
parsley

How to make mac and cheese with Kielbasa in the Instant Pot

* get full printable recipe below

Add dry pasta, water, kielbasa, and butter to the Instant Pot
Cook on HIGH pressure for 2 minutes with 10 minute (NPR) natural pressure release.
Open the lid, remove Kielbasa, slice it, and return it to the pasta.
Add milk, Dijon, and cheese. Gently stir the pasta until the cheese melts and sauce becomes creamy. Serve warm

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What is Kielbasa?

It’s a Polish sausage that’s usually packaged for retail and sold at most grocery stores. This savory sausage is pre-cooked, but can be grilled, baked, boiled, or fried, and used an any number of dishes to enhance flavor and texture. In this recipe, we simply pressure cook it with the pasta, slice it, and add it back to the mac and cheese.

Smoked sausage links nested on top of cooked macaroni noodles in the instant pot.

Can I use smoked sausage in place of Kielbasa in mac n cheese?

Yes. You can substitute a non-Kielbasa smoked sausage in equal amounts. Some might use it in place of Kielbasa for flavor, texture, or limited availability.

Why we love pressure cooker mac and cheese with Kielbasa

budget-friendly comfort food in under 30 minutes
takes mac and cheese to a whole new level
perfect dinner recipe for busy weeknights
delicious and satisfying for the whole family
dump-start recipe with no prep required
no special cooking skills needed

Wooden spoon stirring instant pot mac & cheese with smoked sausage. Pot is on gray background with blue and white striped linen

Recommended Tools

instant pot
chef knife (or any knife) and cutting board
stirring / serving utensil
airtight storage container

More 30 minute Instant Pot Dinner Recipes

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Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Kielbasa

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Kielbasa – Pressure cooker mac and cheese with smoked Polish sausage in a creamy cheddar cheese sauce. Make this family favorite comfort food in minutes.

5 from 9 votes

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Prep Time: 5 minutes

Pressure Cook Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 1-cup servings

Author: Traci – TheKitchenGirl.com

Ingredients

8 oz Ziti Pasta Noodles or Macaroni Noodlesi
2 cups Water
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 Kielbasa Links about 4 oz each
1 Tbsp Butter cut into cubes

Mac and Cheese Sauce Ingredients

1/3 cup Milk
2 tsp Dijon Mustard optional
2 cups Cheddar Cheese 8 oz shredded
1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley optional for garnish

Instructions

For the pasta and sausage

Add DRY PASTA, WATER, and SALT to the Instant Pot. Push pasta under the water to submerge it.
Place KIELBASA sausages on top of the pasta. Scatter BUTTER in the pot.
Secure the lid; turn pressure valve to "Sealing" and pressure cook on HIGH for 2 minutes followed by a full 10-minute natural pressure release (NPR). *See recipe notes
Safely turn pressure valve to "venting" position and release any remaining steam. Open the lid, transfer KIELBASA to a plate, slice into 1/4" pieces, and add back to the pasta.

For the mac and cheese sauce

Add MILK, DIJON, and CHEDDAR CHEESE to the pasta, gently stirring until the cheese melts and sauce becomes creamy. * See recipe footnote about adding more cheese

Mac and cheese storage and reheat instructions

Store mac and cheese in an airtight container up to five days in the refrigerator.
To reheat, add a splash of liquid to moisten the macaroni and reheat via stove or microwave, stirring as needed.

Tried this recipe? I’d love your review!Visit the comments below and tell me how it went.

RECIPE NOTES

Pressure cook time and NPR

Thicker pasta (macaroni, penne, rotini, etc) gets 2 minutes + 10 minute NPR.
Thinner pasta (shell, spaghetti noodles) gets 1 minute + 10 minute NPR.

Do not cut the 10 minute NPR (natural pressure release) short because it helps prevent splattering and, more importantly, the pasta is still cooking.

Want your mac and cheese cheesier?

Stir in additional cheese in 1 cup amounts, adding a splash of milk or water as needed to help smooth it out.

Kielbasa Tips

Caramelization hack – For enhanced flavor, slice the Kielbasa and saute it in the Instant Pot before pressure cooking it with the pasta. This will brown the surface and make it even more heavenly.

Substitutions – You can sub any smoked sausage, bratwurst, chorizo, or hot dogs using the same recipe instructions.

Nutrition

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The Kitchen Girl

Recipe author and food photographer at The Kitchen Girl

I'm on a mission to help you eat healthy AND save money through simple, everyday recipes, product reviews, and budget-friendly kitchen tips.