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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Making this tonight! How do yiu drain the grease from the instant pot? It is difficult to access it with a spoon!
Sara, you can use paper towels directly in the Instant Pot (my preferred method) or you can carefully lift the insert using pot holders/towels to drain the grease. Totally up to you! 🙂
This was so so good and really simple to make. My whole family loved it. The only thing I did differently was that I only used half of the poblano pepper because I didn’t want it to be too spicy for my 8 month old. Turned out perfectly! Thanks for a new favorite recipe!
You are so welcome, Kim! It’s one of my favorite weeknight IP recipes!
We’re making this for dinner tonight, but I have an 8 qt. Instant pot. Do I need to alter this recipe to make it work for the larger sized pot?
Hi Neely! When using an 8qt Instant Pot, the timing should stay relatively the same. It would just take a little longer for it to come to pressure. But as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Just made this for the first time and it was a HUGE hit with my family of 6! I will need to double this next time as they all had seconds and then complained there weren’t any left overs for the following day. Recipe was an easy, quick homerun. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, Mary! We’re so glad your whole family enjoyed it so much!
This was a quick, easy and very delicious weeknight dinner for my family. My kids have even asked for it to be part of our regular dinner rotation. I love the convenience of making it all in an instant pot, too- easy clean up! Please keep those instant pot recipes coming- they’re game changers on busy weeknights! 🙂
We love hearing that, Kris! We’ll be sure to keep them coming! 🙂
Can you do this in a crockpot? If so, how long do you cook it.? What recipe do you have.
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Haven’t tried yet but wanted to know if it freezes well.
Freezing sounds like an amazing idea but unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Thank you for a family friendly recipe packed with flavor! We all gave this a 10! It’s definitely getting added to the rotation! So easy to make too!
We are so happy this is a keeper for you and your family, Rose!
I haven’t tried this yet, but I know it’s going to be delicious. Every recipe you post is good. However, it would be welcomed if you would post an alternative cooking method for those who don’t have an instant pot. I think I can figure it out, but I’d feel better if it came from you. I don’t intend to buy an instant pot. I already have too many cooking vessels, and I don’t have the counter space or cupboard space to store one. Thank you!
Hi Mary! You can try this recipe instead. 🙂
https://damndelicious.net/2018/12/11/creamy-taco-shells/