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!
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.
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!
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!
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
Looking for More Easy Instant Pot Recipes?
- Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
- Mom’s Best Instant Pot Chili
- Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken
- Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
Recipe for Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef
Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef
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
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting, and wait for the display to turn to HOT
- Add olive oil and onions, and cook until slightly soft
- Add ground beef, break up with spatula, and cook until no longer pink, stirring frequently to make sure it doesn't stick to pot
- Season with sea salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder, and hit CANCEl
- 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
- Place lid on Instant Pot, close, and make sure vent is set to SEALING position
- Hit PRESSURE COOK for 5 minutes, or half the cooking time on the box of pasta
- When pressure cooking is done, do a quick release, then remove lid and hit CANCEl to turn cooker off
- Stir in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, and serve
Video
Notes
Nutrition
My family is crazy about this easy Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef. Let me know how you like it!
Happy Cooking,
Kristin says
This is a great recipe!! Can you double it? Thanks
Dee says
Thanks! As long as it fits in your pot, you can double it. The cook time remains the same. 🙂
Lynne Trover says
do you have to use parmasen cheese?
can you use another cheese?
Dee says
You can use another cheese if you want. 🙂
Meg says
Fantastic! Family loves it. Definitely making again soon!
Dee says
Awesome, Meg! I’m so glad you like it — thanks! 🙂
Heather says
You use uncooked pasta in IP correct? Making tonight!
Dee says
Yes — Use uncooked pasta in this recipe.
Maggee Mae says
I used a cheap spag sauce so I added a can of diced tomatoes with chilis. Also added red pepper flakes. A little too much heat for my parents. Forgot who I was feeding. Oops!
Easy recipe to make and its a keeper.
Dee says
Thanks, Maggee! I love that you spiced it up! 🙂
Kim Byrd says
I use breakfast sausage ( Tennessee Pride) instead of ground beef. I also substitute some of the pasta sauce with diced tomatoes. For the Italian seasoning , I use the dry Italian salad dressing mix. I also use bowtie pasta. My family of 11 loves this easy and yummy meal ! Thank you!
Dee says
So glad everyone liked it! I have a recipe for sausage and shells on the blog too. 🙂
Jane says
What size IP is this recipe made in? Any adjustments for an 8 quart pot?
Dee says
I’ve made it in both the 6 quart and 8 quart without changing anything.
Lauren says
Have you ever made with Banza (shells made from chickpeas)? Wondering if any adjustments are needed.
Dee says
I’ve always used regular wheat pasta. I thought someone had left a comment once about using a different type of pasta, but I can’t find it now.
Stacey says
I used Gluten Free pasta and cooked it for 8 minutes (half the cook time suggested on the packaging). It was delicious! Thanks!
Dee says
Thanks so much for sharing, Stacey! I get a lot of questions about gluten free pasta. 🙂
Gary C says
The recipe is simple and straightforward. It was a breeze to make, and the family enjoyed it!
As for changes:
1. Instead of using granulated garlic, I added a clove of minced garlic once the onions were well softened.
2. To stick with the recipe, I also bought the Barilla medium shells. We all thought 5 minutes made the pasta too soft. Next time we’ll try 4 minutes, as someone else recommended.
It occurs to me that I might be able to dial back the heavy cream a bit, and change the parmesan cheese to a mixture of fresh ricotta, shredded fresh mozzarella, and grated parmesan cheese (similar to lasagna or baked ziti). Something to try for next time. 🙂
Dee says
So glad you liked it, Gary. Thanks so much for the review!
Cyndi says
Hi there, recipe looks great! Can this be made with frozen beef, or does it need to be thaw?
Thank you!
Dee says
It needs to be thawed, since you’re cooking the pasta at the same time.
Monica says
My hubby & I love this dish! I’ve even made it to take to friends for meals and it was a hit at each place! So easy and yummy!!
Dee says
That’s wonderful — So glad you enjoy it! Thanks, Monica! 🙂
Meg says
This is so yummy! My boys and husband love it so much, we have it about every two weeks!
Dee says
You’ve made my day, Meg! Thank you so much!
Mhenson says
I don’t have cream in hand but was thinking of using cream of cheddar soup. Any thoughts?
Dee says
You could add a little milk — you just want to thin out the sauce a little. Cream of cheddar would change the flavor, but you can try a little at the end.
Greg says
This has become a family favorite.
Dee says
So glad to hear this, Greg. Thanks so much!
Jennifer says
I LOVE THIS RECIPE!!! The first time I made it as is and it was delicious. And then I plugged the numbers into the Weight Watchers app and was slightly taken aback at the points per serving. Darn carbs! I modified it by switching to ground chicken and I used a lighter fat cream. Still just as tasty and it knocked about half of the points off a serving. I make this time and time again. I just brought it out for the company pot luck and everyone was raving. Thank you for sharing!
Dee says
Thank YOU, Jennifer! So happy you enjoyed the recipe, and thanks for sharing your modifications! I’ll have to try the lighter version! 🙂
Margaret says
I’ve made this several times now because it’s soooo delish…My family loves it. I did however use 1lb ground round & 1lb ground pork also substituted the water with beef stock…This will always be a keeper…Ty for this recipe..YUM 🙂
Dee says
Thank you so much! I’m thrilled that you and your family enjoy it!
Kristin says
Not that I will even have any left to freeze, but can this be frozen for future meals?
Dee says
Yes you can. I’ve done this before, and it was just as good heated up!
Jessica Linstroth says
My family favorite and so eas to make
Dee says
Thanks so much, Jessica! So glad you all like it!
Sydney says
I’m a new convert to using an Instant Pot, and my busy family loves pasta and Italian food. Since discovering your site in my hunt for quick and easy dishes to make in my IP, I have made this wonderful recipe several times using half and half and ground turkey. The last time I made it, about three weeks ago, I used two jars of Trader Joe’s bruschetta sauce, which are 12 ounces each, instead of marinara sauce. Oh. My. Gosh. It tasted and smelled like a fabulous Italian restaurant!
Dee says
I’m so glad you like the recipe! Thanks so much for your kind words and for sharing you variations! 🙂
Elizabeth Bernstein says
I’m on WW so I used ground turkey breast instead of beef and milk instead of heavy cream and it still came out delicious! My picky eater had seconds.
Dee says
So glad it worked for you! Thanks so much, Elizabeth!
Stephanie says
Made this recipe with gluten free macaroni noodles turned out perfect cooked at 5 minutes
Dee says
That’s good to know — thanks for sharing with us!
Suz says
Whoa baby this is good!! Definitely will be making again. Used pork breakfast sausage instead of ground beef and half and half instead of heavy cream to save some calories. Other than that followed the recipe. Thanks for a yummy dinner!!
Dee says
Awesome — Thank you so much! So glad you liked it!
Stephanie says
Have you ever made this recipe with the small sized shells? My husband bought those by mistake.
Dee says
I’ve always used the medium shells. Small should still work, though.
Jenna says
I’m not sure my instant pot has just an “instant pot” setting, is there another setting I should be using?
Dee says
It should be either “manual” for older models or “pressure cook” for later ones. Are you using a different brand of pressure cooker?