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
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?
- 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 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!
- 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
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
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,
Dee, this looks so good! And I agree, once you get that learning curve down, pressure cooking is such a great thing!
Thanks, Kristen. It’s awesome. We made pressure cooked ribs last night that literally fell off the bone!
My family would love this!! Sounds SO delicious!!!
This looks so awesome!!
I think my kiddos would LOVE this!!
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!
What a great family friendly meal!
Oh my! This looks so tasty! Great dinner option!
I made this last night as my second Instant Pot meal. It was delicious! We all loved it.
Thanks for letting me know — I’m glad you all liked it!
Making it tonight and I can’t wait! I’m going to add a can of diced tomatoes into it. Yum! Thanks for the recipe, Dee.
I love that idea! Hope you enjoy the dish as much as we do. 🙂
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!!
That’s awesome, Kelly — Thanks for letting me know! I’ve got more Instant Pot recipes coming up! 🙂
Do you drain the beef after cooking it?
I use lean or extra lean beef, so there’s no need to drain it.
Can you use frozen meat?
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.
My pressure cooker has a pressure setting of either high or low. Do you have a recommendation?
Hi Andrea! Mine is set to high, so that’s what I use.
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!
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. 🙂
Thanks, I’ll let you know how it goes!
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!
Hi Sandy — I’m so glad your family liked it! Thank you for taking the time to comment and let me know. 🙂
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
Hi Jesse, I have a one pot stove top version right here! Creamy One Pot Shells and Beef
How long did you Cook your ground beef and was it on sauté setting? Thanks so much! It looks delicious!
Hi Tammy — thanks! Yes, It was on the saute setting, and it was about 5 minutes — just until it’s no longer pink. 🙂
I made this and it turned out perfect. Delicious!!!
Awesome, Erin! I’m so glad that you liked it. 🙂
This was such an amazing meal!
Thanks so much, Julie! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it! 🙂
Yummy and easy to make!
It’s super easy and one of our favorites. Thanks, Annie! 🙂
Love the cheesy goodness! And simple too!
Thanks! It’s one of our favorite Instant Pot dinners! 🙂
I’ve been using a regular pressure cooker for years. Can this be done with a regular pressure cooker on the stove ?
Hi Shelley. It should work with any pressure cooker, although I’m not sure about the cook times. I also have a regular one-pot version you can try.
Would this recipe work in a stove top pressure cooker?
I’m not sure about the cook times with a stove top pressure cooker, but it should work. You can also try my one-pot shells and beef. 🙂
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!
Thanks, Lisa! So glad you liked it. I’ll have to try this with sausage next time. 🙂
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 : )
Thanks so much, Michelle. I’m so glad you liked it! It’s one of our favorite Instant Pot dinners. 🙂
Would small shell pasta be okay to use? This recipe sounds delicious!
I haven’t tried it with smaller shells, but I think it would be fine. Let me know! 🙂
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.
The cook time shouldn’t change, but you just have to make sure everything will fit in the pot. 🙂
what size pot do you have? did everything fit! thinking abt doubling 🙂
I have an 8-quart pot, so everything fit fine. 🙂
Great instant pot recipe, turned out great, thank you!
Glad you liked it, Chris! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
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.)
That’s awesome! I have a super picky eater too, so I know exactly what you mean! 🙂
I do not have parmesan cheese, what other cheese can I include
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.
Very easy to make and super yummy!
So you cook the pasta first?
You cook the meat first, then you add the uncooked pasta and liquids.
Dee, We tried the creamy pasta this evening and it was a hit. Thanks
So glad you enjoyed it, Bill. Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
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.????
Thanks so much, Lois! I either warm the leftovers up in the microwave or make a casserole and bake it. 🙂
This was so yummy! Both my boys and husband said it’s a keeper, thanks for the recipe!
So glad you liked it, Tera! 🙂
I am out of shells, can I use penne pasta instead?
Penne should be fine in this recipe. Just make sure the liquid covers the pasta. 🙂
Awesome thanks.. Trying it tonight so I will let you know 🙂
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!
I’m glad it worked out. Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
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.
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. 🙂
If I wanted to make this with chicken, how would I cook the chicken in the insta pot?
Just cut it up and cook it on saute setting. The rest of the recipe would be the same. I have a similar recipe for chicken enchilada pasta here, if you want to check it out Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Pasta
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!
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.
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.
That’s wonderful, Jennifer. So happy you liked it!
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.
Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to let me know. 🙂
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
Hi Hannah! Italian blend would be fine and probably even cheesier! 🙂
Yay! Thank you for the feedback! I’m excited!
What if I want to make double batch. In 6 qt? Time change? Ingredients? Etc?
You should be able to double the ingredients as long as it all fits in the pot. The cook time would remain the same. 🙂
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
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.
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
You made my day, Sabrina. Thank you so much for letting me know! 🙂
Could you use frozen meatballs in place of the ground beef?
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.
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 :)!
Ground turkey would work, and everything else should stay the same. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Thank you so much, Dee! I made it last night with ground turkey, and we LOVED it! We’ll be eating leftovers tonight :). Thank you, again!
Awesome, Linda! I’ll have to try it with ground turkey next time. 🙂
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!
What a great idea, Kelly! Thanks so much for letting me know. 🙂
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!
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! 🙂
This was sooooo good! My daughter and I ran to the store and made it all within an hour and it was so delicious!! A real keeper!!!
That’s wonderful, Ann. I’m so glad that you liked it! 🙂
Just made this for lunch. It was so quick and easy! And very tasty! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much, Lisanne. I’m glad you liked it! 🙂
For some reason mine is still super liquid-y I followed the directions. What did I do wrong?
Hmm. It usually thickens up right away, especially when you add the cheese, but it sounds like there was maybe too much liquid. I’d love to help, but I can’t say for sure without knowing all of the details.
made this last night! I didn’t have any cream, so I added some cream cheese instead. oh my.. so sinful and amazing!
I need to try that next time. It sounds wonderful! 🙂
This recipe was absolutely delicious! My whole family enjoyed it. Even my picky eaters. I used Ragu original spaghetti sauce and I had to use grated Parmesan because that was what my husband accidentally bought. Even still it came out so so good! This is a keeper! Thank you so much for this recipe 🙂
Wonderful news, Maureen! Thank you for sharing that with me! 🙂
I dont own an instant pot….can this be made the old fashioned way….on a stove? 🙂
I do have a stove top version of the same thing. Hope this helps!
Will jumbo shells work or rotini pasta? We are on the road and that is all I have in motorhome. Just got my instant pot and this is only second time using it.
I don’t know if jumbo shells would fit, but rotini should work! 🙂
Do you know if this freezes well I’m a single lady and love to cook in bulk!!! I’m sorry it’s probably too late to get a reply!!
Nope — not too late! I haven’t tried freezing it, but when we do have it for leftovers, it reheats well, especially when you bake it as a casserole! 🙂 Freezing should be fine.