Easy Instant Pot taco casserole pasta recipe with ground beef is full of flavor and cheesy! Stir in a spoonful of sour cream for a creamy pressure cooker taco pasta made in just 10 minutes. Your whole family will surely love this flavorful dinner and it’s delicious the next day if you have leftovers.
This Instant Pot taco casserole was created with ground beef and items I had in my pantry! I honestly couldn’t believe how tasty it came out, especially since I made it on the fly but even my kids gave it 2 thumbs up!! One of our favorite Instant Pot recipes for sure. (affiliate links present)
Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta
Before I added all the cheese and sour cream I scooped a portion out for my husband who needed a dairy free Instant Pot recipe. You can make this as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe too or in your Crockpot Express.
He even said without cheese (the best parts if you ask me) it was still packed with flavor. You can use any shape of noodles you like, or whatever is cheap is what I do.
Let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then LIKE our IP Facebook page for new ideas daily.
- This is a great InstaPot cookbook to grab too.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot. It is easier to clean and will avoid the burn message too.
- For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have and use for all recipe creations.
Instant Pot Taco Pasta
If you love pasta recipes you are going to love this 3 minute pressure cooker version for sure. It’s one of our favorite Instant Pot casseroles. 😉 You can surely just jump to recipe below but I did do a pretty lengthy step by step video you can watch so you don’t miss a beat. If you want to take this over the top use spicy sausage.
If you’re concerned it might be too hot add 1/2 lb. ground beef and 1/2 pound of spicy ground sausage. I am telling you that is the best combination that we have found. It adds just a bit of saturated fat but the flavors with just that added bit make it out of this world amazing to eat.
This is one of our cheap Instant Pot recipes because you can make this Instant Pot taco casserole for about $15 or less and feeds 5-6 people! It’s done in under 20 minutes too.
Pressure Cooker Taco Pasta
You can choose any type of small pasta. If you like elbow macaroni noodles then use those, we chose rotini which are this fun spirally shape that the kids like. At the end I put a dollop of sour cream and more cheddar cheese on top.
Sometimes I stir in the sour cream but it depends on whether everyone wants it included in their bowl. Totally up to you but I like it creamy taco pasta style personally.
Let’s be honest, I buy what’s on sale y’all. 😉 If Rotel is cheaper than diced tomatoes I will use that and you get a little spicy with that change too which is kind of nice. If you do like heat you can use half Jimmy dean spicy ground sausage and half beef to make this too.
Taco Casserole Ingredients
- Instant Pot – this is the 1 I have, I suggest getting a non stick pot to avoid burn notices now and in the future too
- Ground beef
- 80/20 hamburger is just fine
- or ground turkey could be used
- I don’t drain it but you can if you choose to
- Small noodles
- we used rotini
- you could use any small/medium pasta shells
- Shredded cheese
- I like Mexican blend cheese that is already shredded
- Diced tomatoes – I like petite tomatoes
- Tomato sauce
- Beef broth
- Onion
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- Can of diced green chiles is a good additional add in too
You can use your Ninja Foodi to make this too, either pot works. Directions are the same as below.
Instant Pot Mexican Pasta with Ground Beef
If you don’t have a taco seasoning packet then just add (I didn’t have one and this is what I used)
- 1.5 tsp of:
- Lawry’s seasoning salt
- Garlic salt
- Chili powder
How to make taco casserole
- Turn your pot to saute and add your olive oil, hamburger and diced onions.
- Cook until ground beef is no longer pink, stir in taco seasoning packet, then turn off.
- Pour in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and beef broth, do not stir.
- Sprinkle in uncooked pasta and gently submerge into the liquid, do not stir.
- Seal pressure cooking lid and set to high pressure for 3 minutes followed by a quick release.
- 2 minutes cooking time if you like your noodles al dente
- Remove the lid and stir contents. Then sprinkle cheese on top and put lid back on ajar so it can melt and dish can thicken for 5 minutes.
- Stir in sour cream if you want it in the whole dish, or serve with a dollop on top of each bowl with a side of tortilla chips or corn tortillas.
And in case you are starting with Instant Pot frozen ground beef, here’s how to thaw it out.
Taco Pasta Recipe
You could make a variation of chicken taco pasta by stirring in some precooked rotisserie / leftover chicken diced up at the end before you sprinkle on the cheese. This will give it time to warm up. I hate wasting any food so I do this if that is the protein I have on hand that needs to be used up. Know what I mean. 😉
After you make this be sure to try some of our other Instant Pot pasta dishes our kids love:
- Instant Pot sloppy joe casserole is something new to try, creamy like this one too if you add sour cream
- Add hot cheesy chicken parmesan casserole to the list for next week, it’s always a winner for dinner
- I’d try this Instant Pot enchilada casserole next if you love Mexican style recipes
- Our chicken taco bowls are great if you’re looking for a healthier option
There’s a video in this postshowing you how I make it: Feel free to print the recipe below and keep it with your other favorite recipes. OR just come back and visit us every time you need the ingredients and step by step. We love “seeing you” so there’s that. 😉
Sure to be your family’s next favorite meal ever, let us know what you think below once you enjoy a bowl yourself.
Instant Pot Taco Casserole
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1.5 tsp seasoned salt, I use Lawry’s (if using 1 taco seasoning packet then skip these seasonings and just add that)
- 1.5 garlic salt
- 1-2 tsp chili powder, depending on spice level
- 14.5 diced tomatoes, petite diced is best
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1 3/4 c beef broth
- 2 c noodles, small, we used rotini
- 1.5-2 c cheese, Mexican blend shredded is best
- 1/2 c sour cream, optional
Instructions
- Put your Instant Pot on saute and add your olive oil, ground beef, spices (or taco seasoning packet) and diced onions. Brown meat until pink is gone. Turn pressure cooker off. Can drain if you desire, or not.
- Pour in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and beef broth, do not stir.
- Pour in uncooked noodles and gently press down so they are submerged into the liquid, do not stir.
- Put lid on Instant Pot and close steam valve.
- Set to pressure high for 3 minutes.
- Do a quick release.
- Sprinkle 1.5 c cheese on top and put lid back on to warm cheese and allow to melt for at least 5 minutes, 10 is better to allow sauce to thicken as well.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top or put 1/2 c. sour cream into pot and stir for a creamy taco casserole style meal! Will thicken more upon standing.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So awesome. Thank you! I have two teenagers and it’s almost impossible to find recipes that both of them love. They both came back for more. Stirring the sour cream in before serving was a great touch. Really made it creamy.
Yeah!!! So glad it was a hit.
Great recipe!
I forgot I wanted to add black beans, would I need to add cooking time and more liquid?
Thanks!
Is the calories estimated with the cheese and sour cream added?
Recipe card calculates it with everything that is listed in box.
I can’t do diced tomatoes (don’t ask me…I can do sauce but chunks give me allergy type reaction)…can I omit or add taco sauce? When I make taco pasta regularly I use taco sauce instead of just tomato sauce
You could try that or tomato sauce, there may just be a difference in flavors.
Turned out great will make again.
I have an 8 quart, made it as the recipe states and the pasta was still 1/2 cooked. I brought it back up to high pressure, but was scared to burn the bottom (which I did) and the pasta was still under cooked. I don’t understand what went wrong.
I have never had that at all with this or any other IP casserole I have made. Make sure steam valve is completely sealed before starting and deglaze after cooking meat. Either of those could have been the issue.
Can this recipe be doubled or should I just make it twice?
I have a 6 qt. and it would be too much to double, maybe if you had a 10 qt??
I made an extra 2 cups of pasta on the stove just in case …I ended up adding it to the finished product and it was great. There was more than enough sauce to accommodate the extra pasta.
Glad you loved it.
It was a quick and delicious dinner last night! I used taco seasoning and the Mexican style diced tomatoes because that is what I had on hand. That gave it a nice spicy little kick.
Your taco casserole recipe sounds so good.. I was wondering if you could use rice instead of pasta..My husband is not a fan of pasta… if so how much longer would I Have to cook it.. Sorry I am new to Instant pot … Thanks so much for all your recipes… YOU are a great help..
I haven’t done that though there is a stuffed pepper casserole I have for the IP he might like. https://temeculablogs.com/instant-pot-stuffed-pepper-casserole/
I had the same thought! I might try it this week and see!
I made this tonight after work. My grand girls like to help. Even my picky 3 1/2 yo.gobbled it up.! I used taco seasoning and I used 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef (I’m a meat hog lol) mmwith 1 1/2 pkgs of taco seasoning and used fire roasted garlic diced tomatoes for the diced tomatoes. Thanks for a yummy, quick and easy dinner!
Why don’t you try Orzo pasta? He’d never know the difference!