Great any day as a complete meal, or as a Thanksgiving side, this Instant Pot Farro Stuffing with Sausage and Sweet Potatoes is flavorful, warm and filling.
If I’m not cooking chicken or eggs in my Instant Pot but trying something new, I feel like it’s a bit of a gamble sometimes. I do a little research on how to cook that specific item in the pressure cooker first or I just wing it. With this Instant Pot farro, I was rolling the dice the first time I made it. Is it going to turn out? Will it turn into an unidentifiable mush? Will the farro cook all the way?
Well, I come to you with good news. It is a success! The farro turns out perfectly chewy, just like it should be, the sweet potatoes stay intact, and the level of liquid is perfect! I am happy as a clam.
The apples tend to disintegrate a bit, but I love the subtle tart sweetness and flavor they add throughout the farro stuffing because of this. It does leave the peels behind — again, I don’t mind this because I love eating the apple peels but if you’d prefer that not to happen, peel your apple before chopping it.
Tip: Since this farro stuffing also includes sweet potatoes and cranberries which both add a sweet component, I recommend using a more tart apple such as a Granny Smith.
The great part about using the Instant Pot to make this farro recipe is that you’re only making one pan dirty.
Brown your sausage using the “Saute” setting on the pressure cooker and then literally just add everything else and stir it, cover it, and cook.
When I told Ben how I made this, he was super skeptical. I showed him the photos and he still wasn’t convinced. I told him it had a lot of meat in it and he still wasn’t jumping for joy.
He’s not a fan of sweet potatoes (exception: vanilla bean mashed sweet potatoes), and sometimes he’s not into grains beyond rice. Luckily for him, I make it all anyways and then we discover he loves things like vanilla bean sweet potatoes and Instant Pot farro stuffing. I bet he’s glad his wife is so stubborn, don’t you think?
Let’s back up just a touch and talk about the farro. If you’ve been around here for any amount of time, you’re likely familiar with farro thanks to recipes such as Farro Salad with Butternut Squash, Bacon, and Kale, Zucchini Noodle Mason Jar Salad with Farro and Mozzarella and Farro Salad with Za’atar, Broccoli and Feta.
If you’re unfamiliar with farro, here’s a few things you need to know:
- Farro is a type of wheat – so nope, farro is not gluten-free.
- Farro is hearty and chewy and maintains its shape (unless you cook it to death) – making it great for salads!
- Farro has a rich, nutty flavor.
It’s one of my favorite grains and if you haven’t tried it, I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. I’ve partnered with Bob’s Red Mill for this post, but that is the brand of farro I buy regardless.
Whether you use this as a replacement for traditional stuffing or if it’s a weeknight meal, I really hope you guys love it as much as we do!
We are a nut-free household but this would be great with some toasted walnuts as a garnish.
More Instant Pot recipes
- Instant Pot Tomato Soup ; creamy & easy to make!
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Broccoli — you’ll love this one and it’s a one pan meal.
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup — easy and adaptable!
- (at the same time!)
- Instant Pot Risotto Recipe
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- Instant Pot Black Bean Soup (no need to soak beans!)
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast (from frozen!)
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Recipe
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Farro with Sausage and Sweet Potatoes
4.67 from 3 votesPrep Time: 15 minutes mins
Cook Time: 10 minutes mins
Additional Time: 10 minutes mins
Total Time: 35 minutes mins
6 servings
Print Rate Recipe
Instant Pot farro with sausage and sweet potatoes is a complete meal, and it's flavorful, warm and filling.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 16 ounces turkey sausage
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced (about ½ cup)
- 1 cup uncooked farro, rinsed
- 1 large sweet potato, cut into ¾ -inch chunks (2 to 3 cups)
- 1 large Granny Smith apple, chopped (about 1 heaping cup)
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage (or 1 teaspoon dried sage)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley (or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley)
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups water (or broth)
- Fresh parsley to garnish
Instructions
Heat Instant Pot to Sauté and add oil. When oil is shimmering, add sausage and onion and cook, breaking up sausage as it browns.
When sausage is browned, add farro, sweet potato, apple, cranberries, sage, parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Pour water in and stir to combine all ingredients.
Place cover on Instant Pot and turn valve to seal. Select Pressure Cook (or manual setting, high pressure) for 10 minutes. When timer goes off, let the pressure naturally release (aka leave it alone) for 10 minutes. When 10 minutes has elapsed, quick release remaining pressure.
Stir gently to fluff and serve immediately garnished with fresh parsley
Notes
- For added crunch and flavor, try adding a handful of toasted pecans or walnuts after it has cooked!
- Choose a firm, tart apple such as Granny Smith. Peel, if desired.
- If you use pork sausage which isn't as lean as turkey sausage, you may want to drain the excess fat before adding the rest of the ingredients to the Instant Pot.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 346kcal, Carbohydrates: 52g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 57mg, Sodium: 584mg, Potassium: 550mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 8125IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 56mg, Iron: 2mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Author: Rachel Gurk
Disclosure: I’ve partnered with Bob’s Red Mill as a brand ambassador to bring you this post and this Instant Pot farro stuffing. They compensated me for my time but all opinions are, as always, my own. If you opened my cupboards and fridge, you’d find a wealth of Bob’s Red Mill products that I have purchased myself. Thanks for supporting Rachel Cooks by reading about brands I use and love!
