Instant Pot Red Pepper and Chicken Sausage Goat Cheese Risotto

My Instant Pot Red Pepper and Chicken Sausage Goat Cheese Risotto take labor-intensive risotto and simplifies the time and effort by cooking it in your Instant. And a secret ingredient adds crunch and makes it over-the-top amazing!

Goat cheese and I have a love affair – just see my love for my Sun Dried Tomato Garlic Goat Cheese Dip and my Bacon and Egg Biscuit Bake!

I can’t get enough of the stuff – it’s creamy, just salty enough, and so tangy and delicious. It was the thing I missed the most while I was pregnant (although Aldi sells a completely pasteurized version!). My husband even jokes that when we go to a restaurant, he looks to see what dish contains goat cheese, and then waits for me to tell him that’s what I’m getting. Ha! (And he’s usually right!)

So it comes as no surprise to him or to me that my absolute favorite dinner is this Red Pepper and Chicken Sausage Goat Cheese Risotto. It is the perfect mixture of creamy, crunchy, and cheesy, and it makes a TON! Plus there’s a secret ingredient (That I promise you’re not expecting) that adds crunch and makes the risotto perfectly amazing!

It’s also Camden’s favorite dinner. If I’m eating it and don’t give him any, he starts pointing at it and screeching at me until I give him some. This Instant Pot Red Pepper and Chicken Sausage Goat Cheese Risotto is actually what we gave Camden on his first birthday, because it’s his favorite meal. He honestly loved it more than his cake (although he liked that quite a bit too – and it has no sugar so check it out!)

Risotto in the Instant Pot

The biggest hangup I have with risotto is that it takes so much time on the stove. And so. much. effort. And so much focus. Stovetop risotto requires adding a bit of liquid, stirring frequently until it all absorbs, then adding more and doing it again, 3 or 4 times. You’ve got to keep your eye on it so it doesn’t burn, and it has to be stirred a lot.

With a one year old, that’s just not usually realistic. It’s too risky – I’m probably going to end up burning it.

Making risotto in the Instant Pot is the perfect solution. The rice, all the broth, the peppers and peas all go in the pot at the same time. It gets cooked for 8 minutes. That’s it! No stirring, no monitoring.

Instant Pot Red Pepper and Chicken Sausage Goat Cheese Risotto

Like I said above, Instant Pot Goat Cheese Risotto is so easy. 

Start by melting a tablespoon of butter in your Instant Pot over saute. Add the risotto rice and saute for a minute. Then add your bone broth or chicken broth. Stir to make sure rice gets sort of rinsed. Add diced red bell pepper and peas. Close lid, turn to ‘manual’ and cook for 8 minutes.

When the timer goes off, quick release the pressure. Stir in chopped chicken sausage. Add 4 oz crumbled goat cheese, 1 cup shredded Parmesan, and 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella or provolone. Add in 1/4-1/2 cup of milk as necessary to keep cheese creamy and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Dish into large serving bowls or plates.

And then it’s time for the secret ingredient. This is the proof that I develop recipes for families, not fancy, snooty, high class dinner people. Grab a container of French’s French Fried Red Bell Peppers. Top each plate with about 2 tablespoons of the French Fried Red Bell Peppers. Believe me, you won’t regret it. 

The Leftovers

To store the leftovers, just place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I don’t recommend freezing due to the amount of cheese in the dish. Freezing and reheating may result in some odd texture issues.

Plus, it’s so delicious that you’re going to want to eat the leftovers the very next day! And then make it again the day after that. Not that I speak from experience or anything.

Have you ever made risotto in your Instant Pot? What is your favorite thing to make in the IP?