Instant Pot Taco Pasta

Instant Pot Creamy Taco Pasta is a creamy, cheesy, delicious dinner ready in about 30 minutes. It's like a beefy Mexican Mac and Cheese.

If you’re looking for an easy dinner recipe made with ground beef and pasta with a little south-of-the-border flavor, you’re going to love this delicious Instant Pot Creamy Taco Pasta. It's one of my family's favorite Instant Pot recipes, and it's also a reader favorite and popular on Pinterest!

Taco pasta is like homemade Hamburger Helper, only better! It’s super kid friendly. And since it’s a one pot dinner made entirely in the pressure cooker, there’s hardly any clean-up!

I don't think you can ever have too many easy ground beef recipes, especially Instant Pot ground beef recipes. I probably make ground beef in the Instant Pot for dinner once a week, so I try to prepare it a different way each time.

How to Make Creamy Taco Pasta in the Instant Pot

This easy taco pasta is based on one of our favorites --  one pot taco pasta. It's basically a combination of taco meat and pasta, and it's perfect for those days when you can't decided between Italian and Mexican food for dinner.

To make taco pasta in the Instant Pot, you start out by browning a little ground beef. When the meat is no longer pink, you add your seasonings. I like to make my own homemade taco seasoning mix, but you can easily use a packet if that's what you prefer.

Then, you layer a box of uncooked pasta shells, water or beef broth and some salsa over the beef. Next, pressure cook it all for only 4 minutes. You can add a minute if you like your pasta softer.

After the pressure cooking is done, you stir it all up and add a little sour cream and cheese. The sour cream adds a creamier texture and a tangy flavor to the pasta, and it's what we would normally add to our tacos. And of course, you have to have cheese!

I use a combo of cheddar and Monterey jack, or just Colby Jack. But, you could use all cheddar if you prefer.

Grating your own cheese works best since many packaged shredded cheese varieties contain cellulose to prevent caking. Some people find this makes melted cheese a little gritty, although I've used Kirkland's shredded cheese without any problems.

Beef it Up

For extra beefy taco pasta, you can use 2 pounds of beef but keep the amount of pasta the same. You can add a little more taco seasoning for extra flavor if you want and maybe more sour cream and cheese if needed.

By the way, you can use frozen beef if you forget to thaw some out! Just cook a pound of frozen beef for 10 minutes or 2 pounds for about 20, and it should be thawed enough to crumble up.

If you want to make taco pasta with corn or canned black beans, go for it! Just throw them in before pressure cooking, and you'll have a hearty, one pot meal!

Add Toppings

You can add as many of your favorite taco toppings over the pasta. Try:

• Homemade guacamole
• Spicy Pico de Gallo You can never have too many taco toppings, right?!
• Chopped jalapeño peppers
• Sliced radishes
• Diced tomatoes
• Sour cream
• Crushed corn chips or tortilla chips

Looking for more Instant Pot ground beef recipes?

• Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef
• Easy Instant Pot Hamburgers
• Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
• Instant Pot Mom's Best Chili

Recipe was originally published in 2018 and updated in 2020

My family loved this easy Instant Pot creamy taco pasta. I hope you enjoy this easy dinner as much as we do!