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Wooden spoon stirring instant pot mac & cheese with smoked sausage. Pot is on gray background with blue and white striped linen
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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.
Course Dinner Recipes, entree
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Pressure Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 6 1-cup servings
Calories 320kcal
Author Traci The Kitchen Girl

Ingredients

  • 8 oz Ziti Pasta Noodles or Macaroni Noodles
  • 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.

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

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 480mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 513IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 298mg | Iron: 1mg