This Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta is the perfect meal for a lazy afternoon or quick dinner, made with ground beef, pasta shells, and all your favorite taco flavors.
I always find it so easy to make an Instant Pot pasta dish like this, because you really just put everything in the pot and cook it for a short amount of time, then add a few extra ingredients at the end and you have this perfect pasta.
Why You’ll Love It
- This Instant Pot taco pasta is so creamy and delicious and it only takes minutes to make. It’s one of my best go-to meals that everyone loves.
- Pasta is so easy to make in the Instant Pot. This recipe only requires a little bit of work and what you are left with is a delicious pasta dinner that is cooked perfectly!
- You will want to try all kinds of pasta recipes in your Instant Pot after trying this recipes, I promise! Here are some great recipes to get you started.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground beef – Try to use a low fat ratio like 95% so you don’t have to drain so much fat from the pot
- Onion and garlic – For flavoring, if you don’t like them you can leave them out
- Beef stock – Use a premade stock or bouillon cubes and water
- Salsa – Use whatever salsa you like best and this is where you can adjust the heat in the pasta, from mild to spicy
- Tomato paste – It’s okay to substitute tomato sauce, if that’s all you have.
- Taco seasoning – Buy a packet or use a homemade taco seasoning
- Small or medium pasta shells – Don’t use extra large shells for this pasta or they’ll be overwhelming the other ingredients
- Cheddar cheese – freshly shredded cheddar works really great. You could also use a spicy cheddar
- Heavy cream – I like to use heavy cream because it adds a nice thickness and mouthfeel. You could use half and half, if you want, but it won’t be as creamy.
- Extra cheese and cilantro – for garnish
Equipment Needed
- Instant Pot – I use a 6-quart Instant Pot Duo Plus to make all of my recipes, but you can use any size or brand of electric pressure cooker. If you’re using an 8-quart pot, you will need to adjust the amount of liquid accordingly, as it requires more water to build steam.
Helpful Tips
- It’s best to shred your own cheese from a block for this recipe because it melts better than pre-shredded cheese, which can make a gloopy mess.
- If you like sour cream, you can stir that in with the cheese, rather than using heavy cream.
- You can vary the heat in this recipe by using mild to hot salsa. If you like it really spicy, add some fresh jalapeno to the pot before cooking.
Stovetop Directions
Don’t have an Instant Pot? No problem!
Cook the pasta according to package directions.
In a frying pan over medium heat sauté the ground beef and breaking it up as it cooks. Drain excess fat before moving on.
Add the onions and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the salsa, tomato paste, and taco seasoning. Stir to combine.
Stir the pasta and add in the cheese and heavy cream. Stir to combine and allow to rest for 2-3 minutes before serving with your desired garnish.
Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta
Note: Made in a 6-qt Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) cooking oil
- 1/2 pound (227 g) ground beef
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 3/4 cups (414 ml) beef stock
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) salsa mild to spicy
- 4 ounces (113 g) tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon (3 g) taco seasoning
- 8 ounces (227 g) dried small or medium pasta shells
- 1 cup (113 g) shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup (59 ml) heavy cream
- Extra cheese and cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Turn on sauté mode on the Instant Pot. When hot, add the cooking oil, then add the ground beef and break up the meat as it cooks, about 2 minutes on high. Drain excess fat from the pot before moving on.
- Add the onions and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Turn off sauté mode. Add the garlic and simmer for 30 seconds.
- Add the beef stock and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up all the browned bits.
- Add the salsa, tomato paste, taco seasoning and pasta. Stir to combine. Make sure all shells are under water.
- Set the pot to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. It will take 5-10 minutes to come up to pressure. When done, manually release the pressure. Stir the pasta.
- Add in the cheese and heavy cream. Stir to combine and allow to rest for 2-3 minutes before serving with your desired garnish.
Notes
- It’s best to shred your own cheese from a block for this recipe because it melts better than pre-shredded cheese, which can make a gloopy mess.
- If you like sour cream, you can stir that in with the cheese, rather than using heavy cream.
- You can vary the heat in this recipe by using mild to hot salsa.
- If you like it really spicy, add some fresh jalapeno to the pot before cooking.
Nutrition
How Long Does it Take to Cook Dry Pasta in the Instant Pot?
Every type of pasta varies, but it takes usually around 5-7 minutes to cook dried pasta in the Instant Pot on high pressure. If you cook it for 5 minutes, you’ll get an al dente pasta and for 7 minutes will give you a more well-cooked soft pasta.
For the shells, I think 5 minutes is perfect, but you might find you need an additional minute or two to get your desired bite.
More Pasta Recipes to Make in the Instant Pot
Once you try pasta in the Instant Pot you will keep coming back for more. Here are some more great recipes you will love in the Instant Pot.
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Angela is a talented home cook and an expert at creating delicious, nutritious meals that can be prepared quickly and easily using an Instant Pot.
Can you freeze the taco pasta meal?
Hi Ron, yes you can freeze this taco pasta. Make sure to wrap it tightly and it should last up to 3 months in the freezer. Allow it to thaw completely in the refrigerator before reheating.
Taco anything goes good in my house. So glad I tried this recipe. I will make it again soon.
My family absolutely loved this pasta. There were no leftovers!!
I was so surprised by how well the pasta cooked. I will have to cook more pasta in the Instant Pot from now on.
The Instant Pot is a great way to cook pasta! This is one of our favorite recipes. Glad you liked it.
I cooked this for 7 minutes because I like my pasta well done. It came out perfect. What a delicious recipe/