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Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef

Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef is an easy pressure cooker dinner recipe made with ground beef and pasta in a tomato cream sauce. Perfect for busy days!

instant pot creamy shells and beef on a white plate

If you’re looking for an easy dinner recipe made with ground beef and pasta, you’re going to love this delicious Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef. It’s like homemade Hamburger Helper, and it’s super kid friendly. Best of all, it’s a one pot dinner, so there’s hardly any clean-up!

Have you bought an Instant Pot yet? I’ve been seeing so many Instant Pot recipes on Pinterest and just about everywhere lately, so of course I was curious. I finally gave in and bought one of these modern pressure cookers on Cyber Monday — I got a smokin’ deal!  And friends, let me tell you, that I’m definitely in love!

If you’ve never made dinner or anything else in a pressure cooker, it can be tricky at first. There’s definitely a learning curve here! But once you get the hang of it, you’re going to love cooking with your Instant Pot!

I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting with different Instant Pot recipes, and I was able to convert some of my favorite one pot dinner recipes to pressure cooker dinner recipes. Yea — Go me!

This Creamy One Pot Shells and Beef  is not only one of my family’s favorite ground beef recipes, but it’s also one of the most popular recipes on the blog. It’s basically just pasta, beef and marinara sauce, along with a little bit of cream. It’s super easy to make on the stove, but I had to change some things to make it work in the pressure cooker.

And in case you’re wondering — Yes, you can make pasta in the Instant Pot! You just have to make sure that you also add enough liquid to make it all work!

You start off by sauteing an onion in the Instant Pot, and then, you add some lean ground beef. Add some flavor, and when that’s done, you add your uncooked shell pasta, some marinara sauce and water.

 

instant pot creamy shells and beef in pressure cooker before cooking

You have to make sure that the pasta and everything else is completely covered with water and sauce. You don’t need to stir it all together, but you can push it all down with a spatula or spoon, just to make sure the liquid is covering the pasta.

Next, you use the pressure cooking function. Pasta cooks in the Instant Pot for about half the time it cooks on the stove. I set the timer to 5 minutes, which gives you a softer texture, but you could do 4 minutes or even 6 minutes.

It takes about 10 minutes or so for the pot to come to pressure, and then, the Instant Pot starts cooking and counting down the minutes until the pasta is done

When 5 minutes are up, do a quick release by turning the valve to release. Be sure to wear an oven mitt or use a spoon to be on the safe side. Remove the lid, stir in the cream and Parm, and you’re done!

instant pot creamy shells and beef in pressure cooker

One of the best thing about cooking with an Instant Pot is that you don’t have to babysit a pot on the stove. Just let the pressure cooker do the work, and come back when the time is up!

It’s quick and easy to prepare, and dinner is made in just one pot for easy clean up! My family loves the texture of the pasta, too. In fact, my kids couldn’t get enough of this creamy shells and beef! They literally ate it all up!

instant pot creamy shells and beef on a plate with parsley

Tips for Cooking Pasta and Meat in the Instant Pot

  • Make sure pasta and meat are completely covered by liquids
  • Don’t stir the mixture before pressure cooking
  • Cook pasta for about half the cook time on the box of pasta
  • Add milk or cream at the end, right before serving

Here’s a quick video for Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef. You can see how easy it really is!

 

Looking for More Easy Instant Pot Recipes?

Recipe for Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef

5 from 23 votes
instant pot creamy shells and beef on a white plate
Print
Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 

Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef is an easy one pot dinner made entirely in the pressure cooker. It's like homemade hamburger helper, with ground beef and pasta in a tomato cream sauce and very kid friendly!

Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Calories: 304 kcal
Author: Dee
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 1-pound box medium shell pasta
  • 1 24-ounce jar marinara sauce
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions

  1. Turn Instant Pot to saute setting, and wait for the display to turn to HOT

  2. Add olive oil and onions, and cook until slightly soft

  3. Add ground beef, break up with spatula, and cook until no longer pink, stirring frequently to make sure it doesn't stick to pot

  4. Season with sea salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder, and  hit CANCEl

  5. Add shells over ground beef, then add the marinara sauce and water. Do not stir, but press lightly with spoon to ensure pasta is completely covered with sauce and water

  6. Place lid on Instant Pot, close, and make sure vent is set to SEALING position

  7. Hit PRESSURE COOK for 5 minutes, or half the cooking time on the box of pasta 

  8. When pressure cooking is done, do a quick release, then remove lid and hit CANCEl to turn cooker off

  9. Stir in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, and serve

Recipe Notes

Recipe was made with Bertolli brand marinara sauce.

You can add another 1/2 to 1 cup water for a thinner sauce

My family is crazy about this easy Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef. Let me know how you like it!

Happy Cooking,

Reader Interactions

Comments

  5. I have an IP and have only used it a few times but this looks good enough to break it back out and try again. Looks delicious!

    Reply

  10. Just got my InstantPot for Christmas and this was our first meal- it was so good! Will definitely be following for the recipes to try!!

    Reply

    • I always defrost the meat and saute it first — just a personal preference. You could use frozen, but I haven’t tried it yet, so I’m sure about the cook time on that.

      Reply

  14. I do not have heavy cream, is it a necessary ingredient? Also, I am using whole wheat pasta, should I change anything? Looking forward to making this tonight for my family!

    Reply

    • The cream just lightens up the tomato sauce and gives the dish a creamier texture, but it isn’t necessary. The last time I made it, I used a lot less cream, and it was fine. You could even use a little milk if you want. I haven’t tried using whole wheat pasta, but I believe you still cook the pasta for half the time recommended on the box, so 4 or 5 minutes, tops. 🙂

      Reply

  15. I made this tonight and it was a hit. My 16 year old son had 2 big helpings! I used half and half because that’s what I had and it turned out perfect. We’ll be making this one again! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Sandy — I’m so glad your family liked it! Thank you for taking the time to comment and let me know. 🙂

      Reply

  16. Can you make this on the stove top or crock pot? If so please help with the adjustment for that I wanna make it tonight and don’t have a pressure cooker

    Reply

    • Hi Tammy — thanks! Yes, It was on the saute setting, and it was about 5 minutes — just until it’s no longer pink. 🙂

      Reply

  22. I’ve been using a regular pressure cooker for years. Can this be done with a regular pressure cooker on the stove ?

    Reply

  24. Just made this last night. Huge hit! I did make a few modifications based on what I had on hand. Instead of ground beef and onions, I used italian sausage (removed from casings) and casarecce pasta (rolled tube) instead of shells. 5 min manual high pressure was perfect after sauteing sausage. I only used about 2/3 cup of heavy cream. For our tastes it was enough. Thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply

  25. Just made this tonight….the family loved it!!! Who doesn’t love a successful new dinner recipe….so easy yet so delicious! Thanks for sharing : )

    Reply

  27. Would you recommend adjusting the cooking time at all if doubling or even making one and a half of the recipe? I want to make this on Sunday for a bigger crowd.

    Reply

  29. Made this for dinner tonight and it was a huge hit! Five kids ranging in ages from 7-12 plus my husband and I all loved it. Even my picky youngest, who wouldn’t admit he liked it (“I kind of like it but it also kind of has a funny taste” – high praise from him!) ate a whole plateful. Would definitely make again!

    (I used ground elk because we have a freezer full of it and honestly I think it was indistinguishable from beef.)

    Reply

    • You can use almost any shredded cheese for a creamier texture, but you can also try it without the cheese, and it should still be fine — just not as cheesy.

      Reply

  34. Hi Dee,
    Made your creamy shell instant pot.turned out wonderful.i also used half and half milk .and used 4 min pressure and quick release turned out super good.will be lots of left overs as there’s only two of us. My IP is 6 qt and I love it. haven’t cooked with any other pot since Christmas. I have.nt done warm up as I just made it last night I guess I will try warm up in microwave.🤗

    Reply

        • It turned out great. For some reason my Instapot wouldn’t count down once the pressure came up but I was watching the clock and just stopped it. I think I added just a little too much water but it was still delicious. 😀 Thanks for sharing the recipe with us!

          Reply

  37. How noticeable is the marina sauce in the taste? My kids hate all things tomato and I wonder since this is cheesy and creamy, if they will notice the marinara.

    Reply

    • A couple of my kids are the same way, and that’s why I added the cream and the cheese — really takes away the strong tomato flavor. You can even add a little more cream if you need to. 🙂

      Reply

  39. Great recipe, can’t wait to try it! Do you know what adjustments can be made to cut the recipe in half? These instant pot recipes make so much food. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Kathy — They do make a lot of food! You could definitely try halving the recipe. I love having leftovers, so I usually pack the leftover pasta into a casserole dish and bake it for a different version later in the week.

      Reply

  40. Thank you for this recipe. This was the first thing I made in my Instant Pot. It was delicious and super easy. My husband love it and went back for seconds.

    Reply

  41. I used my Instant stant pot tonight for the first time using this recipe. It was so good. Thanks for posting it. I have the small instant pot so I just cut the recipe in half. Perfect for my daughter and me.

    Reply

  42. Hi, Dee! I am excited to try this tomorrow night! I am placing a Walmart Grocery order now, and I’m not finding shredded Parm, but I am finding a shredded Italian Blend… Do you think that would be just as good?

    Thank you!

    Hannah Birney

    Reply

    • You should be able to double the ingredients as long as it all fits in the pot. The cook time would remain the same. 🙂

      Reply

  44. Can you help me figure out how to use the crock pot instead for this recipe? I am thinking you would brown the meat first on stove top. Add ingredients and cook but not sure how long it would take for pasta to cook, 2-3 hours? THanks so much! The kids at my preschool I think will love this recipe

    Reply

    • I’ve never tried it in the Crock-Pot, but I would definitely brown the meat first on the stove, and then add the pasta, sauce and water. I’d add the cream and cheese at the end.

      Reply

  45. Made this tonight in my instant pot. It was quick easy and tasted good. My husband and son enjoyed it and we have enough for leftovers. Thank you

    Reply

    • I know a lot of people make frozen meatballs and pasta, so it would probably work — just not sure how long you would cook it.

      Reply

  47. I can’t wait to try this recipe, but could I use ground turkey as we don’t eat beef at home? Would I need to make any modifications? Thank you so much! P.S. It will be my FIRST Instant Pot dish :)!

    Reply

  48. I made this and my husband loved it! I can’t do dairy, so I substituted a can of full fat coconut milk for the cream and nutritional yeast for the Parmesan. It turned out great. Thanks!

    Reply

  49. Easy, yummy, and a hit among the whole family! If you are looking to cut back a bit, I only used 1/2 c. Parmesan and 1 c. cream and it was creamy enough! It was also a little al dente for us so I just popped the lid back on and let it sit for a few more minutes before I added the cream and cheese. I will be making this again for sure!

    Reply

    • Hi June — I am so glad that your family liked it, and you know, I sometimes vary the amount of cream or cheese too. Thanks for taking the time to tell me! 🙂

      Reply

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