Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Shells
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ONE POT DINNER! So creamy, cheesy and full of taco flavors using ground beef. Quick, simple + so bomb for the whole family!
So the sleepless nights continue with baby Cartman. He is unbelievably adorable and sweet, but he’s also a little bit of a terror when all he wants to do is play at 1AM, and then again at 4:30AM.
But that’s okay. I can still get dinner on the table in a flash using one single pot.
That’s right. We have a one pot wonder here from start to finish using crumbled ground beef, making this super quick and budget-friendly. Best of all, the uncooked pasta shells cook right in the Instant Pot with the rest of your ingredients in just 5 minutes!
Not to mention, these pasta shells are amazingly cheesy, creamy and so so filling, giving me the energy to play with this 6lb baby corgi all night long!
Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Shells
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ medium sweet onion, diced
- 1 small poblano pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 cups beef stock
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 cup mild salsa, homemade or store-bought
- 12 ounces medium pasta shells
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, about 1 1/2 cups
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Set a 6-qt Instant Pot® to the high saute setting. Heat olive oil; add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Add onion and poblano, and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic, chili powder, oregano and cumin until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in beef stock, tomato sauce, salsa and pasta; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 5 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Stir in cheese and heavy cream until cheese has melted, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in cilantro.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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This was so good. I used a regular pot and just added a little extra water for the pasta to cook properly. Worked perfectly and took about 30 minutes start to finish (including the time to chop veggies).
My husband and I loved this! It was creamy with so much flavor. My kids thought it was a bit spicy but I think that’s because of the salsa we used. I’m always weary about trying new recipes in the instant pot because we’ve had so many flops, but this is a weeknight dinner winner!
Tried this tonight with a few minor modifications- 16oz GF pasta shells, 4 cups broth, 1.5 lbs beef, adjusted seasoning, cheese, and cream, but failed to increase tomato sauce and salsa. It did come to pressure, but the timer never started so I timed it myself. I got the burn notice and the noodles got a little overdone. However, it’s still tasted amazing and wasn’t actually burnt on the bottom anyways. Two thumbs up – I will definitely make this again and add a little more salsa & sauce! Thanks for the great recipe!
I made this again keeping everything the same except omitting the heavy cream to lighten it up- still delicious! I think its delectable without heavy cream for a more everyday meal but just addictingly delicious with heavy cream.
Made this recipe. The family enjoyed it. However I had to extend the cooking time to 10 minutes total. After the first 5 minutes the pasta was not fully cooked.
Excellent recipe, quick and easy to make and most of all delicious! will be a family staple for my family now!
Looks good
I used ground turkey and green yogurt and also used gluten free noodles from Aldi and it came out delicious! I cooked for 3 min since gf noodles fall apart faster… perfection
This was delightful! I used vegetable broth and didn’t include the meat in order to make this vegetarian for one of my friends. Even with those changes, it was delicious and thoroughly enjoyed by all at my party!
Can I make this in a crock pot?
Wondering the same thing. Thinking you can you just have to boil the past and add to the end. Just guessing though
Delicious and simple. The leftovers taste even better the next day. I was initially hesitant about a poblano pepper, having never had one before, but it was a great taste and not spicy. It added a nice “earthy” pepper taste to the dish.
Incredible!!!
I added a can of rotel mild and used pineapple habanero salsa. The combination of sweet and spicy is perfection! Will make again.
That sounds amazing; however, I don’t have an Insta pot. How do I modify the directions? Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for sharing such delicious and easy-to-follow recipes. So many of your recipes have been a hit with my family and you have helped increase my confidence in using my instapot. The ribs are a regular around here. I look forward to trying this recipe this week!
I’ve been cooking this recipe using two taco seasoning packets for ease and quickness using the instant pot.
Last night I finally cooked it without a pressure cooker, and it still came out amazing. Just make sure if you do that way that you bring the pot to a rolling boil, then add the pasta, and boil following the guidelines for an al dente pasta or longer for your preferences all while storing to not burn the bottom of the pan. It came out perfect like always.
Love your recipes! my husband is a diabetic. I wish you would publish the nutritional value for your recipes.
My husband doesn’t like hamburger helper. He enjoyed this and the kids raved about it. I added a jalapeño and used 1/2 and 1/2 creamer with a teaspoon of butter added since I didn’t have a poblano or heavy cream.
I made this for a meal train drop off for a friend just home from hospital. Many thanks to the previous reviewers who confirmed that ground turkey, any broth and Greek yogurt would be successful subs. I kept a small portion at home so I could try it and discovered that my family ate half of it while I was out dropping it off. They are already asking me to make it again for us to have! Very tasty and really quick to pull together after work.
Quick, easy and flavorful weeknight dinner. All 6 of us loved it!
This was delicious!!! Quickly threw it together as my fiance was already eating leftovers for dinner. He then proceeded to eat 2 servings as a second meal because it was so good. Used mostly Banza chickpea pasta for extra protein and a huge scoop of 0% greek yogurt instead of heavy cream. And forgot the cilantro because I was starving. Might only cook for 3-4 mins next time because I don’t mind al dente pasta and leftovers will get softer. Thank you!!!