This Instant Pot taco pasta is perfect for an easy dinner to be made any day! It’s mild, cheesy, creamy, and family-friendly. You can’t go wrong with this taco pasta, everyone will ask for seconds!
If you love tacos and you love hamburger helper, then you’re going to love this! This will remind you of hamburger helper that you used to eat as a child, but it’s even better than that! It’s so flavorful, cheesy, and creamy. Real comfort food served in a bowl!
The Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy taco pasta:
- Ground meat – beef, turkey, chicken, or pork. I used lean beef for this recipe, but you can use whatever you like.
- Onion, garlic, salt, and black pepper.
- Taco seasoning – I always make my own homemade taco seasoning, it’s much cheaper, healthier, and tastes better than store-bought. You can also use fajita seasoning here if you like.
- Tomato sauce and mild salsa – I like to use a combination of both, but if you only have one of these, then that works too.
- Stock – use beef, chicken, or vegetable stock or broth or even water.
- Heavy cream and cheese – I used mild cheddar, but you can use a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella, Monetary Jack, sharp cheddar, etc.
- Cilantro leaves – fresh and chopped for garnish.
How to Make Instant Pot Taco Pasta
It’s so simple, here’s what you need to do (scroll down for a detailed recipe card):
- Saute the beef and aromatics.
- Add tomato sauce, salsa, and seasoning followed by the stock.
- Add the pasta on top of everything, and make sure it’s all covered in liquid.
- Pressure cook on high for 4 minutes + quick release.
- Stir in cream and cheese!
Recipe Video
Here’s a 1 minute video to show you how I made taco pasta in my Instant Pot.
Top Tips
- I don’t add any oil when I saute the ground beef, it sticks to the bottom at the first minute but once it releases its liquids/fats, I scrape off anything that’s stuck to the bottom of the pot. This is important not to get a BURN message (or just use a little bit of oil!).
- The pasta needs to be fully covered in liquid, with a spatula just push it down a little. I like to keep the ground meat at the bottom so that the pasta sits on top and doesn’t stick to the pot.
- I like my pasta al dente, so I cook it for 4 minutes. If you want softer pasta, then pressure cook for 5 minutes as I did for my Instant Pot chicken mac and cheese.
- When you remove the lid after pressure cooking, you may think that you ended up with too much liquid, but once you mix in the cream and cheese you will get the right consistency. Also, keep in mind when it cools down a little, it will thicken up even more.
- Heavy cream can be substituted with sour cream or plain yogurt.
- Buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself, it tastes and melts much better than the pre-shredded stuff.
Storing Tips
- To store – store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- To freeze – freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months (preferably in individual portions). Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- To reheat – reheat over the stovetop on medium heat until it’s warmed through, or in the microwave. Add a splash of water to loosen the sauce before reheating.
More Easy Instant Pot Dinner Ideas
- Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken Florentine Pasta
- Creamy Chicken with Mushrooms
- Firecracker Chicken
- Creamy Mustard Chicken
- Broccoli Mac and Cheese
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Instant Pot Taco Pasta
This Instant Pot taco pasta is perfect for an easy dinner to be made any day! It's mild, cheesy, creamy, and family-friendly. You can't go wrong with this taco pasta, everyone will ask for seconds!
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Servings: 8
Calories: 474kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450g) ground beef 85-90% lean
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 8-ounce can (225g) tomato sauce
- 1 cup mild salsa homemade or store-bought
- 3 cups (700ml) beef stock
- 12 ounces (340g) uncooked medium pasta shells
- 6 ounces (170g) cheddar cheese about 1 ½ cups, shredded
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves chopped
Instructions
- Press on the SAUTE button, and brown the beef breaking it up as you go until it's all brown and no longer pink (about 3 minutes).
- Add the diced onion, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Switch off the SAUTE setting.
- Season with taco seasoning, salt, and pepper. Then add tomato sauce, salsa, and pour in the stock.
- Add the pasta over the ground beef, and with a spatula push it in the liquid so it's all covered. If necessary add a little bit of water to cover it.
- Cover the Instant Pot with the lid and set the valve on SEALING position. Press on PRESSURE COOK or MANUAL on high for 4 minutes.
- Allow the Instant Pot to come to pressure, and cook. Once the cooking has finished, quickly release the steam.
- Give the pasta a quick stir, then stir in the heavy cream and cheese until the cheese has melted. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- I don’t add any oil when I saute the ground beef, it sticks to the bottom at the first minute but once it releases its liquids/fats, I scrape off anything that’s stuck to the bottom of the pot. This is important not to get the BURN message (or just use a little bit of oil!).
- However, if anything is stuck to the bottom of the pot make sure that you deglaze with any liquid (water or stock) to avoid getting the BURN message.
- The pasta needs to be fully covered in liquid, with a spatula just push it down a little. I like to keep the ground meat at the bottom so that the pasta sits on top and doesn’t stick to the pot.
- I like my pasta al dente, so I cook it for 4 minutes. If you want softer pasta, then pressure cook for 5 minutes as I did for my Instant Pot chicken mac and cheese.
- When you remove the lid after pressure cooking, you may think that you ended up with too much liquid, but once you mix in the cream and cheese you will get the right consistency. Also, keep in mind when it cools down a little, it will thicken up even more.
- Heavy cream can be substituted with sour cream or plain yogurt.
- Buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself, it tastes and melts much better than the pre-shredded stuff.
- To store – Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- To freeze – freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months (preferably in individual portions). Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- To reheat – reheat over the stovetop on medium heat until it’s warmed through, or in the microwave. Add a splash of water to loosen the sauce before reheating.
Nutrition
Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 760mg | Potassium: 653mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 747IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 207mg | Iron: 2mg
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Daniella
What an awesome and easy meal to make. Exploding with flavor and my family loved it, including my 7 year old!
Michelle S
Monetary Jack cheese – that must be an expensive cheese. 😉
Looks like a yummy recipe!
Christina Sargent
This recipe was delicious and super super easy. I was looking for a easy one pot recipe to use in our camping trailer Insta pot. This recipe is beyond perfect!