This Instant Pot taco pasta is an easy, family friendly dinner made with ground beef, pasta shells, salsa, and cheese. It is mild, creamy, and full of taco flavor, all cooked together for a quick meal everyone will want again.
If you love tacos and you love hamburger helper, then you’re going to love this! This will remind you of the 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
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Ground meat: Use ground beef, turkey, chicken, or pork. I used lean ground beef.
- Taco seasoning: Homemade or store bought both work.
- Tomato sauce and mild salsa: I like using both, but you can use just one if that is what you have.
- Stock: Beef, chicken, or vegetable stock all work. Water works too.
- Heavy cream and cheese: I used mild cheddar, but cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or sharp cheddar all work.
How to Make Instant Pot Taco Pasta
- 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.
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.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
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!
servings
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!
Recipe Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 g) ground beef 85-90% lean
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 8-ounce can (225 g) tomato sauce
- 1 cup (225 g) mild salsa homemade or store-bought
- 3 cups (700 ml) beef stock
- 12 ounces (340 g) uncooked medium pasta shells
- 6 ounces (170 g) cheddar cheese about 1 ½ cups, shredded
- ½ cup (120 ml) 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.
Notes:
- No oil needed: I usually brown the ground beef without oil. It may stick at first, but once it releases its fat, scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Deglaze well: If anything is stuck to the bottom, add a splash of water or stock and scrape well to avoid the BURN message.
- Cover the pasta: Make sure the pasta is fully covered with liquid. Gently press it down with a spatula if needed. I like to keep the beef on the bottom and the pasta on top.
- Do not worry about extra liquid: When you open the lid, the pasta may look a little loose. Once you stir in the cream and cheese, it will come together and continue to thicken as it cools.
- Cream swap: Heavy cream can be replaced with sour cream or plain yogurt.
- Best cheese: For the best melt and flavor, grate your own cheese from a block instead of using pre shredded cheese.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months, ideally in individual portions. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheating: Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave. Add a splash of water if needed to loosen the sauce.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 2cups, Calories: 623kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 104mg, Sodium: 802mg, Potassium: 737mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 833IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 267mg, Iron: 3mg
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.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Chris says
Great recipe! I substituted cream cheese (8oz) for the heavy cream. Turned out great!
Diana says
That is a great substitution, and I am glad it worked so well for you. Thanks for sharing your tweak!
Elizabeth says
Can an equal amount of half and half be substituted for the heavy cream? Thanks!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
You can use half and half, but the final result won’t be quite as rich and creamy. Enjoy!
Lisa says
I just wrote a review on this recipe. I’m making it for the 2nd time.
Diana says
Thanks, Lisa! So great to hear you’re making it again.
Lisa says
I love, love, love this recipe. The only thing that I changed was that I did not add cheese or cilantro into the recipe, but added it on top of the dish before eating. Plus, I used ground turkey meat instead of ground beef. It was delicious. Thanks for your recipe.
Diana says
Thank you, Lisa! Love how you made it your own. Turkey is a great swap!
Isabel says
I added 3 cups beef broth as recipe says and it came out so liquidy after cooling, when I had all the items in the pot and clicked pressure cook- it took about 5 minutes to preheat prior to actually cooking. Do I count the preheating time towards the actual counting time?
Diana says
Hi Isabel, the cooking time starts *after* the Instant Pot finishes preheating and comes to pressure. So don’t include the preheat time, just count the timer once it begins. I’m not sure why your pasta came out too liquidy but try reducing the broth to 2 cups next time, and you can always gently sauté for a few minutes after cooking to reduce the sauce if necessary.
Kathryn B. says
Just got an instapot and this was the first recipe I tried. Added some pickled cactus to it and I used sour cream but it was amazing! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Diana says
Sounds like a delicious twist, Kathryn! So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for giving it a try!