Ninja Foodi taco pasta is so delicious! Creamy cheesy noodles packed with sausage and diced tomatoes. This easy one pot comfort food meal takes our Instant Pot taco casserole to a whole new level using both the pressure cooker and air fryer functions.
If you love tacos and creamy pasta you’ll love our Ninja Foodi taco pasta casserole! It is a family favorite one pot meal that everyone in our house loves. Find this and more on my long list of easy Ninja Foodi recipes. (affiliate links present)
Cheesy Ninja Foodi Taco Pasta
If you use a roll of spicy ground sausage it really takes this meal over the top with tons of flavor. Even the kids said this was a winner winner pressure cooker dinner. You could use ground beef instead if you didn’t want any heat but I suggest the other.
As far as the noodles use what you like. I have made this with shells, elbow macaroni and penne as you see here. Whatever is on sale is typically what I throw in there.
Table of contents
If you too are obsessed with your pressure cooker and air fryer machine, here are a few resource to start with:
- You can bookmark our Ninja air fryer recipes page, we add to that weekly.
- Here’s an air fryer cooking times chart here for your fridge.
- Be sure to save this link to Instant Pot recipes for beginners too. You can use any of those in your pot too.
- Grab a set of wooden utensils to work with. They are great so your pot doesn’t get scratched!
- Then join our Facebook group where you can share and find more ideas you’ll love. Thousands of others share easy recipe ideas.
Ninja Foodi Taco Casserole
The first step is the same as our Instant Pot taco pasta where you set your pot to saute and add your sausage, onions and a bit of olive oil to brown. Of course you don’t have to include onions but they will soften and the kids won’t be the wiser. You could also add some diced bell peppers if you wanted at this point.
We’re going to cook our meat until the outsides are no longer pink. Yes you could substitute for ground beef or turkey if you’d like. I HIGHLY recommend ground spicy sausage though because then you really don’t need any other seasonings. It’s packed with tons of flavor as is. If you have only done the normal Ninja Foodi butter noodles before, you’re in for a treat.
The best is to use fresh or thawed proteins for sure. I do show you how to thaw ground beef in a pressure cooker though in case that is all you have at home. It will take a bit more time to defrost but a lot faster than if you were to sit in a bowl of cool water in the sink.
Ninja Foodi Taco Pasta Ingredients
- Ground sausage – spicy is great, or use half regular, half spicy
- or ground beef / ground turkey
- Taco seasoning packet or make homemade taco seasoning
- Noodles medium size like shells or penne work well
- Olive oil will help you brown the meat in the first step
- Diced tomatoes – I like petite versions
- Beef broth is better than water to add more flavor
- Sour Cream dollop is great at the end
- Cheese we add at the end to melt on top
Onions go in everything I make, this and I dice some fine into our air fryer macaroni and cheese. Slice them larger or dice smaller just for taste. Up to you entirely. Use salt and pepper to taste. Diced chives are optional to add to the top when you’re serving this up.
How do You Make a Ninja Foodi Casserole?
- Turn machine to saute onions and ground sausage
- Add can of diced tomatoes and seasonings
- Sprinkle your uncooked noodles over the top of this layer, do not stir.
- Close your pressure cooker for 4 minutes.
- Do a quick release, set to saute again.
- Stir in sour cream and 3/4 c of cheese melted and thickens
- Sprinkle remaining 1/4 c. cheese on top and close air fryer lid.
- Press air crisp 400 degrees for 3 minutes
This is very similar to the one made in an Instant Pot except you can air crisp another layer of cheese on the very top. The reason you don’t stir is that it can trigger an inaccurate burn notice to occur. We have a ton of other pressure cooker pasta recipes you can try after you thoroughly enjoy this one like our cheesy Ninja Foodi spaghetti.
And if you weren’t aware, you can use just about any Instant Pot recipe in your Foodi as well. It works the same way with the pressure cook function anyway. So let’s be clear. We aren’t counting calories on this recipe. Just enjoy it will ya’.
How do you make dairy free taco pasta?
Certainly, there are always options as far as dairy products go. Nowadays you can find most ingredients with a lactose free option. That is what I typically focus on and haven’t had an issue. Daiya has great shredded plant based cheeses which I recommend for this and our Ninja Foodi macaroni and cheese.
What is a good replacement for sour cream?
You can mix coconut cream or the thick part of coconut milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Adjust the acidity to taste. Chill in the refrigerator to thicken. Blend 1 cup of silken tofu with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
Million Dollar Cheesy Taco Pasta in Ninja Foodi
This is another name for this popular dinner idea. Other Foodi recipes you should try once you find that this one is the bomb are:
- Instant Pot taco soup is another Mexican meal to make in this
- Ninja Foodi air fryer hot dogs – or make ’em into chili dogs
- Pressure cooker chicken tacos are the bomb too
Ninja Foodi Taco Pasta
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker ninja foodi
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb ground sausage, spicy sausage is best, or use ground beef
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 c onion, diced
- 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
- 1 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz.
- 1/2 tsp chili powder, or more if you want spicier
- 1.5 c noodles, uncooked, we used penne
- 1 c beef broth
- 1/2 c sour cream, or more if you want to put a dollop on top too
- 1 c cheese, shredded, sharp cheddar is best
Instructions
- Turn machine to saute and add your olive oil, diced onion, ground sausage, seasoned salt and taco seasoning. Cook until sausage is broken up into smaller pieces and no longer pink. Then press stop.
- Add can of diced tomatoes and chili powder, stir and spread meat out on to the bottom of the pot.
- Sprinkle your uncooked noodles over the top of this layer, then pour the beef broth over the top of everything, do not stir.
- Close your pressure cooker lid (one that isn’t attached) and steam valve. Press the pressure button for 4 minutes.
- Do a quick release, lift lid, stir and set to saute once again.
- Stir in sour cream and 3/4 c of cheese until cheese is melted and taco pasta starts to bubble and thicken a bit. Cook until noodles are as tender as you'd like them to be. Then press stop.
- Sprinkle remaining 1/4 c. cheese on top and close air fryer lid. Press air crisp 400 degrees for 3 minutes until lightly browned and melted. Lift and serve!!Can add another dollop of sour cream on top of each serving and/or diced chives too.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was easy to make and my husband loved it!
OH good!