Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta

Instant pot cheesy taco pasta is packed full of zesty taco flavor, ground beef, fun shell-shaped pasta, and topped with melted cheese! Make this Instant Pot pasta recipe tonight!

I love pasta night! It’s so versatile, fills you up, and is quick and easy to make! This recipe is fun because it takes a spin on taco night and makes it into a taco pasta night. Make sure you check out our recipe for instant pot taco casserole, too!

Two reasons to love cooking pasta in your instant pot

1. Making pasta in the instant pot means you only dirty one pot – the pasta, sauce, and meat all cook in the same pot!
2. The cook time for the pasta is cut in half. Sure, it still has to come to pressure – but you would be waiting for that water to boil anyway. It really does save a little bit of time and on busy nights, I will take any extra time I can get.

Variations of instant pot taco pasta

No cheese, no problem: If you are dairy-free, feel free to omit the cheese. This recipe for instant pot taco pasta is still packed with flavor without the cheese.

Meat options: This recipe can be adapted to use whatever you have on hand. Ground turkey will work perfectly because the taco seasoning does a great job of making either meat taste great. You can also substitute chicken. Simply dice the chicken up into small pieces and brown as you would the ground beef, just add a bit of oil to the pan first.

Meatless option: if you want to make this a meatless taco pasta, just saute the onion until translucent and only add enough broth to cover the pasta. The pressure cooking time stays the same.

You may also like: taco stuffed shells

If you’re looking for a healthier taco-inspired recipe, then check out these instant pot taco stuffed peppers.

Yield: 4

Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 14 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 29 minutes

Instant pot cheesy taco pasta is packed full of zesty taco flavor, ground beef, fun shell-shaped pasta, and topped with melted cheese!

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Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 14.5 ounce can diced and fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 4 ounce can mild diced green chilies
• 1/4 cup taco seasoning, or one packet
• 1/2 pound small shell-shaped pasta
• 2 cups shredded Mexican style cheese

Instructions

1. Set the Instant Pot to saute. 
2. Pour in ground beef and chopped onion. 
3. Cook, stirring occasionally until the beef is browned.
4. Turn off your instant pot and drain the fat from the pot.
5. Pour in the beef broth and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pot. (Make sure there is no food stuck to the bottom of the pot or it will not pressurize.)
6. Mix in the diced tomatoes, diced chilies, taco seasoning, and pasta.
7. Close the lid and set to sealing. 
8. Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. 
9. Quick Pressure Release (QPR).
10. Remove the lid and mix in the cheese prior to serving the instant pot cheesy taco pasta.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 753 Total Fat 41g Saturated Fat 19g Trans Fat 1g Unsaturated Fat 16g Cholesterol 162mg Sodium 1577mg Carbohydrates 39g Fiber 4g Sugar 4g Protein 52g

Nutrition information is an estimate.

Taco night and pasta night are equal favorites in my book. This instant pot cheesy taco pasta recipe gives me the best of both worlds!