Instant Pot Taco Pasta
Made with less than 10 ingredients, this cheesy Instant Pot Taco Pasta is the best easy staple dinner, full of seasoned ground beef and delicious taco flavours. It’s a family favourite that's sure to earn a place on your meal rotation.
Servings: 8
Calories: 522kcal
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil optional, if using ground turkey
- 1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups chicken broth or 4 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon + 4 cups water; can sub beef broth
- 1 oz packet taco seasoning or 2½ tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
- 1 lb uncooked short pasta I used medium shells
- 2 cups jarred salsa your favourite kind, I used mild for kid friendly
- ½ cup sour cream can sub full-fat Greek yogurt
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese freshly grated is best
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh cilantro, diced avocado or guacamole
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef. Turn on the Sauté function on the Instant Pot. Once the screen says “Hot”, add the ground beef and season it with garlic powder and salt. Cook the beef until no longer pink, while breaking it up into smaller pieces. Turn off the Sauté function.
- Deglaze. Add a small amount of the broth and deglaze the bottom of the insert (using a flat-bottomed spatula, scrape up any brown bits that are stuck). Deglazing helps to avoid a burn warning.
- Layer the remaining ingredients. Pour in the remaining broth and sprinkle in the taco seasoning. Add the uncooked pasta in an even layer, then add the salsa on top. Do not stir.
- Pressure cook. Close the lid and set the vent to sealing. Pressure cook on Manual high pressure for 4 minutes for medium shell pasta (your Instant Pot model may have a "Pressure Cook" button rather than a "Manual" button). See Note 1 for how to adjust cook times for different pasta shapes. It will take 10-15 minutes to come to pressure.
- Release pressure and add the dairy. At the end of cooking time, do a controlled quick release of the pressure (let pressure out a bit at a time to reduce splatter). Mix the pasta until all ingredients are well distributed, then stir in the sour cream and shredded cheese. Set the lid askew on the pot for a few minutes to let the cheese melt completely.
- Serve. Scoop into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and avocado, if desired. Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator and eat within 4 days.
Video
Notes
- Adjusting cook time for different pasta shapes: use the lowest cook time on the package divided by 2. If it’s an odd number, round down and divide by 2. For example, 7 minutes would round down to 6, then divide by two for a 3-minute pressure cook time.
- To add corn: drain a 12- or 15-ounce can of corn and layer on top with the salsa before pressure cooking.
- To add black beans: drain and rinse a 15-ounce can of black beans and add them along with the cheese and sour cream after pressure cooking.
- Inactive time indicates the time it takes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure and release pressure.
- This recipe was tested in both 6-quart and 8-quart Instant Pot models.
Nutrition
Calories: 522kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 970mg | Potassium: 620mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 975IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 264mg | Iron: 3mg
