Cheesy Instant Pot Hamburger Casserole

Cheesy Instant Pot hamburger casserole with ground beef and rice is a one pot dish our family loves for a quick and easy dinner! If you love our Crockpot Hamburger Casserole but want it done faster, get our your Ninja Foodi or pressure cooker and try this tonight. 

My girls agree this is on the top of their list for Instant Pot kids recipes for sure. We pack it with a blend of Mexican cheeses so it’s extra ooey gooey. But that’s not all. Top it with some grated cheddar cheese and chives to take this Instant Pot ground beef and rice casserole over the top!

Ninja Foodi Hamburger Casserole

You can make this in any brand you have at home. Ninja Foodi would use the lid that is not attached with the pressure cook button. Made in the same pot you can saute the ground beef or sausage in just minutes this way.

Instant Pot Ground Beef and Rice Casserole

Like I said, a pound of spicy ground sausage is a great twist, or us half and half. If you make a lot of pressure cooker ground beef recipes add this to your rotation.

If you love any variation of Instant Pot white rice you can find you’ll love this Instant Pot ground beef and rice casserole. Here’s where you start……

If you have a different brand of pot that is okay. I have made this in my Ninja Foodi, Crockpot Express and Mealthy as well. No matter what machine you use, you’ll start with the saute setting adding your olive oil, onion and ground beef.

• The only difference with this would be that you could melt an additional layer of cheese on top.
• Just sprinkle 3/4 cup of cheese after stirring the rest in and set your air crisp lid to 400 degrees for about 6 minutes.

What are the different types of hamburger meat?

There are many out there, and it is really your preference. We buy half a cow at the beginning of each year and use that. It is as organic and low fat as you can get but I have used 80/20 in the past.

• The four main types of ground beef are; ground chuck, ground round, and ground sirloin.
• These will all look quite similar in a grocery store or butcher’s shop. They may be labeled under a variety of names and may be a major difference in the price you pay.

Generally the leaner you buy the more expensive it is, and organic is always more money as well (but we think it is worth it). Make sure it is defrosted to make this Cheesy Hamburger and Rice Casserole.

Cheesy Instant Pot Hamburger Casserole

Another way we have made it (which I like more than any other) is to mix ground sausage and ground beef together. Use 1/2 pound of a spicy roll of breakfast sausage + hamburger of your choice. This will create a WHOP of flavor and a bit of heat we all love.

1. Pressure cooker
   1. I HIGHLY recommend that everyone get a non stick pot if you don’t already have one.

You can also add a can of diced chiles which is a great add in and not spicy if you choose the mild variety. You could add medium or spicy for heat if you wanted to.

Does rice need to be cooked before adding to casserole?

Not in this case!! You need to add it uncooked here. There is enough liquid to cook it to tender with the other ingredients as long as it is submerged and not stirred. If you bake this in the oven you would have to cook it first most of the time or it will come out tough.

Hamburger Casserole Ingredients

Cheese is of course optional when making any dish like this, but a must for us. If you need a dairy free alternative, Daiya has a wonderful option that comes shredded in cheddar and mozzarella.

1. Hamburger
   • or spicy ground sausage / ground turkey
2. Use the same grains as you would to make plain Instant Pot White rice
   1. uncooked, not Minute rice
3. Cream of chicken soup or mushroom variety
   1. or make 10 oz. homemade cream of mushroom soup if you’d prefer
4. Chicken broth
   1. store bought or this is how to make chicken broth in Instant Pot homemade
   2. or beef broth if you’re using mushroom soup
5. Onion
6. Olive oil
7. Can of corn drained, like sweet kernel corn
8. Milk
9. Cheese is needed too, shredded. Mexican blend is our favorite, or use a mix of sharp cheddar and Jack.

Can you use frozen ground beef to make a casserole?

You could but you would need to defrost it before starting this. You can use this same machine to do so though. You would just follow our instructions on how to cook frozen ground beef in an Instant Pot and then continue on with the steps below.

You could omit the cheese entirely if you’d like. HOWEVER cheese is a must for us. The more the better really but that is personal preference.

• A casserole isn’t a casserole without cheesiness y’all!
• I like sharp cheddar but that is up to you too. I’ve used a Mexican blend that was already shredded before because that is what I had on hand and it was fabulous.
• If you have a dairy free household member you can serve them, then add it later too.

Pressure Cooker Ground Beef and Rice Casserole

• Saute olive oil, meat, and diced onion until hamburger is no longer pink.
• Turn off and whisk together in a separate bowl your condensed soup, broth, milk and spices.
• Pour that into your pot and stir.
• Drain your can of corn and add that in, do NOT stir.
• Pour in uncooked white rice evenly on the top, don’t stir!
• Close lid and steam valve and set to high pressure cook for 8 minutes, followed by a quick release.

Stir in cheese and serve!

Do you cook rice before adding to the casserole?

NO! All of my Instant Pot casserole recipes require uncooked white rice.

• This is a real winner because it means everything can be thrown in together at one time. No prep work needed when making things like our stuffed pepper casserole either. 
• We do cook white rice all of the time when serving chicken or a roast but the true definition of a casserole is that everything is cooked as a one pot meal.

I will say this is a bit like our pressure cooker Mexican casserole, but with fewer ingredients. I suggest you try that one next. If you’re ready for a super easy recipe with a super quick cook time. 

Want to make this with noodles instead of white rice? Follow our Instant Pot cheeseburger macaroni recipe or make our Instant Pot taco casserole some night.

Instant Pot Ground Beef and Rice

Linked above doesn’t use condensed soup at all so it isn’t as creamy, but a healthy sort of version of this one here. We have made this as one of our easy Instant Pot sausage recipes too. If made on the stovetop with noodles you could follow these Sausage pasta instructions.

• It is just as easy but of course will take all day to become perfectly tender.
• You also have to precook the meat for this one, just keep that in mind as you shouldn’t add raw hamburger to a Crockpot.

• Slow cooker stuffed cabbage soup is a fave.
• Enchilada lasagna you can make in your oven.

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