Cheesy Ninja Foodi taco pasta is so delicious! Made with noodles, ground sausage, cheddar cheese and diced tomatoes this easy one pot comfort food meal takes taco Tuesdays to a whole new level.
If you love tacos and creamy pasta you’ll love this casserole made with the pressure cook function of your new multi-cooker! 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.
When I first got this pot I made all the “regular” things, but that go boring for my family (especially the kids). I typically made lots of quick and easy casseroles during the week but thought I had to use my oven for that…..Nope!!
One night I got to experimenting to see how I could cook meat, sauce and pasta together without dry it out. I figured out as long as I kept the pasta on the top and just barely submerged so they could “boil” to tender it would work. Now I am here to share my tips with y’all.
Ingredient Notes
If you use a roll of spicy ground sausage it really takes this meal over the top with tons of flavor and heat. You could use ground turkey or 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.
You are going to use some Taco seasoning, a packet that is about 1 ounce or make homemade taco seasoning yourself to begin with. That will give you the Mexican flavors you would expect to taste.
Olive oil will help you brown the meat in the first step. A good alternative if you need one would be avocado oil. Both have great health benefits vs. canola.
Diced tomatoes canned is what I throw in here, I like the petite versions so you get a few in every bite. I wouldn’t suggest slicing your own from fresh unless you were willing to peel them (which is a nightmare).
Beef broth is better than water to add more flavor. This will be the liquid needed to allow your noodles to cook to fork tender. If you have only ever cooked them in water watch out!! Just like our Ninja Foodi spaghetti, cooking in a sauce or broth creates so much more flavor.
For the toppings you add later at the end to make it creamy you are going to stir in some Sour Cream. Cheese we add at the end to melt on top or you can just stir it in.
How do make this dairy free?
Certainly, there are always options as far as dairy products go. Daiya has great shredded plant based cheeses which I recommend for this and our Ninja Foodi macaroni and cheese.
Tips
This is like our Instant Pot taco pasta where you need to cook the meat until the outsides are no longer pink first. I HIGHLY recommend ground spicy sausage so you really don’t need any other seasonings. 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 cook frozen ground beef in pressure cooker here though in case that is all you have at home.
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.
Ninja Foodi Taco Pasta Recipe
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 cup 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 cup noodles, uncooked, we used penne
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup sour cream, or more if you want to put a dollop on top too
- 1 cup 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.
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. 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.
Other Ninja Foodi Recipes You’ll Love
You can make any Instant Pot recipes in this pot too except you cannot air crisp another layer of cheese on the very top. We have a ton of other pressure cooker pasta recipes you can try after you thoroughly enjoy this one.
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. Air fryer hot dogs – or make ’em into chili dogs. Pressure cooker chicken tacos are the bomb too
This was easy to make and my husband loved it!
OH good!