Easy Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta

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This Easy Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta is so delicious! The best thing about is how easy it is to make! Just add all the ingredients in the Instant Pot, and turn it on! In just a few minutes, you could have yummy dinner on the table, using just a few ingredients!
Instant Pot Cheese Taco Pasta in a Bowl

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I have to admit, for the longest time I have been apprehensive of making Instant Pot pasta. I wasn’t sure about timing it, I wasn’t sure how to figure out he right amount of water, and most of all, I did not want to get the “Burn” message on the Instant Pot.

But I have been wanting to try a one pot taco pasta recipe, and what is a better one pot to use than Instapot? I decided to just try it and see how it works. And guess what? The recipe turned out amazing! Pasta was cooked perfectly, nothing burned, and everyone loved it!

So if you are looking for inspiration to start making Instapot pasta, this is it! Once you make this amazing one pot cheese taco pasta, you will wonder how you ever lived without making pasta right there in your Instant Pot!
IP Taco Pasta

It is so much easiest to make pasta in the Instapot! Usually, when you make pasta on the stovetop, you need to wait for the water to come to boil. Then, you need to add pasta to it, wait for it to come to boil again, and then watch the pasta until it is completely cooked. Not so with the Instant Pot! Just add the ingredients to it, set the time, and everything will be cooked without you having to watch it.

The best thing about this delicious taco pasta casserole is that everything you need for it you probably already have in your pantry or freezer. You will need salsa, pasta shells, ground beef, taco seasoning, onions and grated cheese. As you can see, just a few ingredients add up to an amazing dinner!

More Easy Instant Pot Recipes

Looking for more simple Instapot recipes? Here are our favorite recipes that you can make fast in the IP:

Instant Pot Cabbage Recipe, this 2 ingredient recipe is perfect for making a cabbage side dish.

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Instant Pot Mini Meatloaf Recipe, these adorable mini meatloaves taste delicious and are so simple to make! Just a few ingredients will result in juicy and delicious meatloaf for dinner.

What Is Taco Pasta?

Taco pasta is delicious pasta that is made with similar ingredients and similar flavors to tacos. This delicious pasta has ground beef, taco seasoning, salsa and other items that you expect to see in a delicious beef taco. This Instapotpasta is also so simple to make!

Because of this, this delicious main dish is called Instant Pot Taco Pasta.
Instant Pot Taco Pasta Shells

How To Make Instapot Taco Pasta Shells

Here is how to make your next one pot meal:

1. Start by sauteing onions, then add ground beef and continue to saute.

2. Add taco seasoning, and saute for a bit more. Then, add salsa, water, pasta and cook until ready. Consult the recipe card on the bottom for the exact times, and additional instructions.

3. Once Instant Pot is done cooking, use Natural Release. Carefully remove the lid, let the delicious taco pasta cool for 5-10 minutes, Next, mix everything together and add some cheese.
Instapot Cheese Pasta

Serve with Strawberry and Blueberry Salad or Tomato Salad With Green Goddess Dressing.

What To Serve With One Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta Shells

As this delicious one pot meal already has the meat, and pasta, included in it, all you need to add is a vegetable or fruit salad to round up this delicious meal.

For a fruit salad, serve with Strawberry Salad With Cherries and Blueberries. For a vegetable salad, serve with The Best Low Carb Cucumber Tomato Salad.

Or, serve it with another IP side dish, Instant Pot Cabbage.

And round up the meal with an Instapot drink, Instant Pot Cranberry Apple Infused Water.
Taco Pasta in a Bowl

Tips For Cooking Pasta In The Instant Pot

So many people wonder how to cook pasta in the IP. It is actually pretty simple to do that. Here is what you need to pay attention to, when making it:

What cut of pasta use. Different cuts of pasta cook, make sure to use a short cut pasta, such as shells, gemelli, farfalle (bow ties), cavatappi. Make sure that the package indicates that cooking time is 10 minutes or more, and then use half of that when making taco pasta.

Add additional liquid for cooking pasta. As pasta needs additional liquid, when cooking, we add liquid to the Instant Pot, once we cook the onions and beef, and before we add the pasta.

Put pasta in last. By adding all the other ingredients first, and pasta last, we make sure that pasta won’t get stuck on the bottom without liquid. Instead, it will be cooked in the water/liquid that is on top. When adding pasta, gently push it into the liquid, but don’t mix everything together. You can do that, once everything is cooked.
Beige Bowl with IP Taco Pasta

Use natural release. I am not a big fan of using quick release, as it requires additional work, and I prefer not doing it. I have tested pasta in the Instant Pot, and nautral release works fine for making this dish. Once Instant Pot stops cooking, just wait for pressure to drop, and use natural release.

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One Pot Taco Pasta

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5 from 18 votes

Easy Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta Recipe

This Instapot Taco Pasta Recipe is the best one pot cheesy taco pasta ever! Made with just a few ingredients, this is a delicious one pot dinner that the whole family will love.
Prep Time8 mins
Cook Time6 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: cheesy taco pasta, taco pasta recipe
Servings: 12
Calories: 354kcal

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs Ground Beef
  • 1 lb Pasta Shells
  • 2 tbsp Canola Oil
  • 1 tbsp Homemade Taco Seasoning or use store bought
  • 16 oz Salsa
  • 4 cups Water
  • 1 cup Cheddar Cheese grated. You can also use grated Mexican cheese.
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Instructions

  • Peel an onion. Use a cutting board and a knife to chop the onion.
  • Set the Instant Pot to Saute and add oil to the Instant Pot. Once the oil is hot, add the onions. Saute them for a few minutes, then add the ground beef. Saute for a few minutes, and add Homemade Taco Seasoning, mix and continue sauteeing until the beef is almonst cooked.
  • Add salsa and water. Then add the pasta, and push the pasta in, so that all the pasta is inside the liquid. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, use the manual setting, and cook for 6 minutes, or for the half of the amount of time that your pasta packaging says. Round up, if the number of minutes is odd. For example, my pasta said to cook for 11 minutes, and I cooked this recipe for 6 minutes.
    Use Natural Release, and wait for the valve to drop. Carefully open the lid.
  • Once the taco pasta shells cool for a bit, add grated cheese and mix.
    Serve with Garlic and Broccoli Rabe.
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Notes

- You can make this dish spicier by adding some pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
- You can use a different pasta, other than shells. Use a short cut pasta that needs to be cooked for at least 10 minutes, and use half the cooking time on the package.
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Nutrition

Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 369mg | Potassium: 354mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 276IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 2mg

22 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    OK, now this is an easy taco pasta recipe, and can be a great recipe to keep handy for those times when you need something quick and easy!

  2. 5 stars
    Such a flavorful and easy meal! I love how quickly the taco pasta comes together in the instant pot. Definitely perfect for weeknights.

  3. 5 stars
    Amazing! Such a great dinner and our new favorite comfort food! Definitely going to make this again soon! The family was all over this recipe.

  4. 5 stars
    Love this Easy Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta Recipe, is easy and looks delicious!!! definitely will make it for the family for good good and comforting, for a movie night, yummy. Thanks for sharing 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    My Instant Pot is working overtime during our recent heatwave! I tried this cheesy taco pasta for a little variation for our ‘Taco Tuesday’ dinner. The recipe produced a wonderfully tasty meal (the kids have already asked for it again!).

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