Instant Pot enchilada casserole is a creamy pasta with ground beef or sausage and all the Mexican flavors you love. Cooked in 4 minutes, you’ll definitely want seconds. 

instant pot cheese enchilada casserole
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I was craving enchiladas the other day but didn’t want to put the time and effort into those. SO I came up with this Instant Pot enchilada casserole and bingo, I got all those same flavors I love! If you love easy Instant Pot recipes as much as I do you’ll love this one pot pasta! (originally published 12/16, affiliate links present)

Ninja Foodi Enchilada Casserole

I’m telling you, this was a throw it together let’s see what happens kinda’ meal that worked out perfectly. SO of course I wanted to share it with all of you. You can make it in your IP, Crockpot Express or as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe as well. Any pressure cooker works.

I used ground beef because that is traditionally what we have on hand and what we use for Instant Pot enchiladas too. Ground sausage, turkey or even precooked shredded chicken would work too. Medium size pasta noodles like shells work great but penne or twisty type is fun as well.

If you are new to pressure cooking we have a lot of easy one pot meal recipes for you here. To begin with let’s start with a few basic tips:

For reference, this is the model I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.

A white Instant Pot with a Star Wars theme sits on the kitchen counter, ready to tackle your favorite beef arm roast recipe. The digital display glows "On." Next to it lie a patterned cloth and some green onions, all against the backdrop of blue kitchen cabinets and a stovetop.

Instant Pot Enchilada Pasta

I made this two different ways, I will explain them both. The overall consensus was that the ground beef method with more ingredients was favored over ground sausage. If you’re in a rush you could opt for the latter though.

  • If you’ve never made an Instant Pot casserole before you’re in for a treat!
  • I love them because there’s NO boiling required. The pasta cooks in the flavorful sauce which makes them taste amazing when they’re tender!

Like I said, I made this two different ways. The preferred method is in the recipe card below, and explained here. Alternatively instead of making the meatloaf recipe initially you could use just ground sausage.

instant pot ground beef

I know, meatloaf and enchiladas?? May sound strange but it just means I added a wallop of flavors to my ground beef before browning it on the saute function.

Instant Pot Enchilada Casserole

I HIGHLY suggest getting a non stick pot. It almost eliminates all burn notifications and eliminates need for cooking spray. Makes it easier to clean too.

  1. Meat mixture:
    1. Ground beef
    2. Egg
    3. Onion soup mix
    4. Parmesan cheese, shredded
    5. Worcestershire sauce
    6. Bread crumbs
  2. Other ingredients
    1. Olive oil
    2. Uncooked pasta noodles – we used rotini once and medium shells the other
    3. Enchilada sauce – I like half mild and half medium as far as heat goes
    4. Onion
    5. Beef broth
    6. Sour cream

Use a ton of cheese for this as well. If you stir in some at the end and let that melt, then add more on the top of each person’s bowl it is best.

instant pot casserole

Lazy Enchilada Casserole

Here is a quick rundown but there’s a complete printable recipe card at the bottom of this post as well you should refer to.

  • Combine ground beef or sausage, egg, onion soup mix, parmesan, Worcestershire sauce and bread crumbs. Mix with your hands in a bowl.
  • Set pot to saute and add olive oil. When hot add ground beef and diced onions (could add roasted garlic too). Cook until outside of meat is no longer pink. Turn pot off now.
  • Add 1/2 c of your broth into your pot and with a wooden spoon deglaze your pot (scrape any stuck on pieces of meat off the bottom of your pot). Spread meat out on bottom of pot now.
  • Pour your enchilada sauce in. Now pour in the rest of your broth, do not stir at any time during this layering.
  • Sprinkle in your uncooked noodles on top and gently submerge into the liquid on top.
  • Close your lid and steam valve and set to high pressure for 4 minutes. Then do a quick release the pressure.

Lift lid, stir, and add cheese, stir again until melted. Either stir in your sour cream now to make casserole creamy, or serve as is with a dollop on top. Can sprinkle green onions on very top if desired.

enchilada casserole

Instant Pot Cheese Enchilada Casserole

If you do not want to add the sour cream your pressure cooker pasta will look like this. That is good too, but not over the top!! It really doesn’t matter what style noodles you use. I wouldn’t use whole grain because the timing will be off and personally I think they have an odd texture.

Anything small or medium size will do, you can see both types below. I use what is in my cupboard basically. Now for the good stuff!!

  • Add lots of cheese, it will melt quickly once you stir it in.
  • Sour cream brings a creaminess to this dish.
  • You could also add green onions and/or diced chives on the top when serving it.
  • The possibilities as far as toppings are endless.

The great thing about this enchilada pasta is you can really adjust the heat level. I used mild sauce the first time, but the second I used half mild and half medium. We all thought this brought more WOW to the dish.

I suppose you may be able to make an Instant Pot chicken enchilada casserole version. You’d need to dice chicken breasts into bite size pieces. Then cook the chicken with some olive oil on saute function.

instant pot pasta recipe
instant pot recipes

I might add the chicken with some diced onions. You’d just need to saute until outsides were no longer pink.  Then follow rest of instructions at the point where to pour in the enchilada sauce. When I make this shredded chicken version I will add more info as far as that goes.

What can I substitute for enchilada sauce?

You could use our easy to throw together tamale sauce we have here. This one does have some heat for sure but you can tone it down with the types of chiles used. Other options would be to pressure cook with;

  • 1 cup spaghetti or tomato sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 to 3 tsp chili powder
  • One tsp basil
  • A tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • salt and pepper to taste
Can I make a vegetarian version of Instant Pot enchilada casserole?

Absolutely! You can make a vegetarian version of Instant Pot enchilada casserole by omitting the meat and using beans instead. Consider using black beans, pinto beans, or a combination of your favorite firmer vegetables like bell peppers and/or corn The cooking process remains the same, but you’ll customize the filling to suit your vegetarian preferences.

Can I freeze Instant Pot enchilada casserole?

Yes, you can freeze Instant Pot enchilada casserole. It’s a convenient make-ahead dish that freezes well. After cooking and cooling the casserole, you can portion it into individual servings or freeze the entire casserole. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or transfer it to airtight containers or freezer bags.

What should I serve with enchilada casserole?

Instant Pot refried beans are great from scratch! Corn casserole is one of my favorite side dishes.
Instant Pot corn on the cob is something we make with almost every main course in warmer months. Serve this as is or with corn tortillas on the side if you’d like. It’s one of our favorite Instant Pot Mexican recipes.

Instant Pot Enchilada Casserole

How do you reheat enchilada casserole?

Preheat the oven to 350˚ degrees. Put leftovers in an oven safe baking dish and cover with foil. Reheat for 20-30 minutes if it’s been refrigerated, or 45 minutes if it was frozen. Stir halfway through, remove when the enchiladas are warmed. This will work with this or our slow cooker Crockpot enchilada casserole leftovers.

  • If using a microwave, reheat in a dish in 30 second increments stirring in between times. 
  • Add a bit of extra cheese on top halfway through and/or sour cream to make it creamier.

Looking for other easy pressure cooker recipes with a short cooking time? We have made hundreds of one pot meals and desserts in our “magical multi cooker”. Here are just a few similar dishes you might love as well.

  1. Above is our Instant Pot Mexican pizza. You use a springform pan for this one.
  2. We made what we called an Instant Pot Mexican casserole here. There are similar flavors but this one has beans and corn right in the mix too.

Printable recipe instructions and nutritional information is below. Just add all the things in my friends and ignore all of that stuff. 😉 Casseroles are meant to be feel good comfort food after all.

instant pot mexican pizza 4
instant pot cheese enchilada casserole
4.60 from 10 votes

Instant Pot Enchilada Casserole

By The Typical Mom
Instant Pot enchilada casserole is a creamy pasta with ground beef or sausage and all the Mexican flavors you love. Cooked in 4 minutes, you'll want seconds.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 4 minutes
Servings: 8
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Equipment

  • 1 pressure cooker

Ingredients 

  • 1.5 lbs ground beef, or spicy ground sausage
  • 1 egg
  • 1 pkg onion soup mix
  • 1/4 c parmesan, shredded
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 c bread crumbs
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 24 oz enchilada sauce, mild or medium, or half and half
  • 1 1/4 c beef broth
  • 3 c noodles, we used rotini, uncooked
  • 1.5 c cheese, sharp cheddar
  • 3/4 c sour cream, optional
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions 

  • Combine ground beef, egg, onion soup mix, parmesan, Worc. sauce and bread crumbs together in a bowl. Mix with your hands like you're making a meatloaf.
  • Set pot to saute and add olive oil. When hot add ground beef and diced onions and cook until outside of meat is no longer pink. Turn pot off now.
  • Add 1/2 c of your broth into your pot and with a wooden spoon deglaze your pot (scrape any stuck on pieces of meat off the bottom of your pot). Spread meat out on bottom of pot now.
  • Pour in your enchilada sauce. Then pour in the rest of your broth, do not stir at any time during this layering.
  • Sprinkle in your uncooked noodles on top and gently submerge into the liquid on top.
  • Close your lid and steam valve and set to high pressure for 4 minutes. Then do a quick release.
  • Lift lid, stir, and add cheese, stir again until melted. Either stir in your sour cream now to make casserole creamy, or serve as is with a dollop on top. Can sprinkle green onions on very top if desired.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 3oz, Calories: 517kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 32g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 113mg, Sodium: 1125mg, Potassium: 400mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 829IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 243mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!
instant pot enchilada casserole

About The Typical Mom

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

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14 Comments

  1. I’m always up for a good Instant Pot recipe. It really makes dinner so much easier. And my family loves enchiladas. This is perfect.

  2. I made this enchilada casserole for dinner last night and my family loved it! And I loved how quick and easy the Instant Pot made it!

  3. Absolutely delicious! This was such a nice warm bowl of comfort, which you wouldn’t think you’d need in June but the temps dipped SO much here in PA! This was exactly what we needed. Thank you!

  4. Who can say no to a delicious dinner like this ready in less than 20 minutes. It’s definitely going on repeat at our house!

  5. This is a fun twist to enchiladas! Love it because enchiladas honestly take way too much time. This way I get all the flavor without the effort. Win win!

  6. Hellooo delicious! I’m so super excited to make this for dinner tonight! Thanks for the recipe!

  7. I’m curious why the egg in the meat mixture. I have never seen that before. Looks great. I will try this.

    1. You dont have to add it, I basically make my meatloaf mixture and use that for a tastier ground beef mix.

    1. Sounds like you may not have adequately deglazed after cooking the meat. Make sure you do.