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    Recipes » Recipes

    Instant Pot Macaroni Beef Casserole

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information. Published: May 14, 2018 · Modified: Mar 25, 2021 by Dee

    Instant Pot Macaroni Beef Casserole is a quick and easy dinner made with ground beef, pasta and diced tomatoes in the pressure cooker. This simple, budget friendly meal is perfect for busy days, and even picky eaters love it!

    Jump to Recipe -

    instant pot macaroni beef casserole with cheese in white bowl

    This easy Instant Pot ground beef recipe is based upon one of the Hubs' favorite dinners that his mom made when he was growing up. It's similar to American goulash, and it's super easy. If you're looking for a simple budget friendly dinner, you'll love this Instant Pot macaroni beef casserole!

    I'm always looking for easy ground beef recipes, so when the Hubs talked about this hamburger casserole recipe, I wanted to try it. It was Mother's Day weekend, and we were both feeling a tad nostalgic, so we got to talking about some of our favorite childhood recipes.

    When the Hubs mentioned this macaroni casserole, I thought it sounded a lot like American goulash, only his family didn't call it that. The original recipe was cooked first in a skillet and then covered with cheese and baked in the oven.

    While that sounds like wonderful comfort food, it's a tad warm for the oven right now, so I decided to make a pressure cooker version of the same recipe.

    You guys, the Hubs gave this pressure cooker ground beef dinner a double thumbs up. He said it tasted exactly like he remembered, and even my picky eaters liked it. Score another win for mom!

    How to make Instant Pot macaroni beef casserole

    This recipe starts out like my other Instant Pot ground beef recipes. You brown the ground beef directly in the inner pot, and then you start adding the other ingredients.

    like I said, this Instant Pot recipe is super simple, so you just throw in some sea salt, garlic powder and pepper. Then, you add chopped celery and onions.

    ground beef with celery and onions in instant pot

    Next, you layer macaroni, water and diced tomatoes. The tomatoes go on top, but don't stir them into the rest of the ingredients.

    macaroni and diced tomatoes in instant pot

    Pressure cook everything together for a couple of minutes, add some shredded cheese, and that's it! I was so tempted to add a little extra spice, but as it turns out, you don't need it.  This simple ground beef and pasta dinner is tasty enough as it is!

    macaroni beef casserole in Instant Pot

    The pasta gets pretty soft, but my kiddos like it that way. So does the Hubs. If you want firmer pasta, you might try cooking it for only 3 minutes.

    instant pot macaroni beef casserole on fork

    Do you have to brown the ground beef first?

    Since the pasta cooks faster than the beef, I recommend browning the beef on the saute setting before adding the rest of the ingredients.

    Looking for more Instant Pot ground beef recipes?

    • Instant Pot creamy shells and beef
    • Instant Pot creamy taco pasta
    • Easy Instant Pot hamburgers
    • Mom's best Instant Pot chili
    • Instant Pot spaghetti and meat sauce

    Recipe for Instant Pot Macaroni Beef Casserolee

    instant pot macaroni beef casserole with cheese in white bowl

    Instant Pot Macaroni Beef Casserole

    Published by Dee
    Instant Pot macaroni beef casserole is a quick and easy ground beef recipe made in the pressure cooker with beef, pasta, cheese and diced tomatoes.
    5 from 8 votes
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    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 9 mins
    pressure time 10 mins
    Total Time 24 mins
    Course Main
    Cuisine American
    Servings 15
    Calories 380 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 pound lean ground beef
    • 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 cup chopped celery, about 4 small stalks or 2 large
    • 1 yellow onion, chopped
    • 1 16-ounce box uncooked macaroni noodles
    • 4 cups water
    • 2 15-ounce cans low sodium diced tomatoes, undrained
    • 3 cups shredded colby jack cheese

    Instructions
     

    • Hit SAUTE on pressure cooker, and when it reads hot, add olive oil and ground beef 
    • Cook beef until no longer pink, stirring so that it browns evenly. Add the sea salt, garlic and pepper, and stir
    • Add the celery and onions, and stir
    • Hit CANCEL, then add macaroni, water and diced tomatoes. Do not stir.
    • Cover with lid, and turn vent to sealing position. Hit PRESSURE COOK for 4 minutes, and do a quick release.
    • When pin drops, remove lid, and stir in cheese. Serve immediately, and top with additional shredded cheese, if desired 

    Notes

    Recipe was made in 8-quart Instant Pot electric pressure cooker but can be made in the 6 quart without any adjustments

    Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 380kcal
    Tried this recipe? Please comment and rate it! Show me your dish on Instagram!Mention @meatloafandmelodrama or tag #meatloafandmelodrama!

    Happy Cooking,

     

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    • Cheesy Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
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    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Alex says

      December 19, 2018 at 3:40 pm

      Tried this tonight , very easy quick and tasty recipe . Instead of water I used low sodium beef broth .thank you for posting5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        December 19, 2018 at 7:55 pm

        The beef broth probably makes it taste even better. Thanks, Alex!

    2. Kathy says

      November 09, 2018 at 12:33 pm

      I want to make this but forgot to take out my ground beef. Can I use the IP to cook frozen ground beef and how would I go about that for this recipe? Thanks

      Reply
      • Dee says

        November 09, 2018 at 9:10 pm

        I haven't tried it, but I know people who pressure cook the frozen meat on the trivet for 15 to 20 minutes and then cook the rest of the recipe after that.

    3. Barbara S. says

      July 16, 2018 at 2:07 pm

      Made for dinner just now,too hot for oven and stove,hubby loved it! Its a keeper and so quick!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        July 17, 2018 at 10:01 am

        Thanks so much, Barbara. So glad you liked it! It's one of my husband's favorites. 🙂

    4. Miz Helen says

      May 21, 2018 at 1:06 pm

      What a great Macaroni Beef Casserole, we will love it! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and come back to see us real soon!
      Miz Helen5 stars

      Reply
    5. Patricia @ Grab a Plate says

      May 20, 2018 at 9:30 pm

      What a great dish! Seeing your pix make me want to dig right in! Love how the IP makes everything so easy!

      Reply
    6. Sandra | A Dash of Sanity says

      May 18, 2018 at 6:17 am

      This looks like a great weeknight meal my family will love!5 stars

      Reply
    7. carrie @ frugal foodie mama says

      May 16, 2018 at 4:34 am

      This looks like perfect comfort food to me! 🙂

      Reply
    8. Anna says

      May 15, 2018 at 9:26 am

      I love IP pasta for busy weeknights! This looks so tasty!5 stars

      Reply
    9. Jacque Hastert says

      May 15, 2018 at 7:37 am

      This dish looks fantastic! My kiddos would actually eat dinner 🙂5 stars

      Reply
    10. Mark says

      May 14, 2018 at 9:01 pm

      Looks really good! So I have a tomato allergy ... do you think making this without them would be ok? Would I need to add more liquid as a result of omitting them? It’s so hard finding recipes that don’t require to form of tomatoes -> paste, powder, etc !

      Thanks in advance for your time !

      Reply
      • Dee says

        May 15, 2018 at 8:13 am

        You could definitely leave out the tomatoes, but it wouldn't have the same flavor. You might try adding beef broth instead of water or stirring in cream after cooking for extra liquid. 🙂

    11. Kimberly says

      May 14, 2018 at 7:43 pm

      Lovely beef casserole …Nice presentation!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        May 14, 2018 at 8:36 pm

        Thank you so much, Kimberly. That's sweet of you! 🙂

    12. I Heart Naptime says

      May 14, 2018 at 2:57 pm

      Yum, this looks so delicious! My family would love this!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        May 14, 2018 at 3:02 pm

        Thank you! My family sure loves it! 🙂

    13. Amanda says

      May 14, 2018 at 2:24 pm

      Will be making this for the family tomorrow, this looks so tasty!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        May 14, 2018 at 2:26 pm

        Awesome! I hope your family likes it!

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    I’m the blogger, chief cook, recipe developer and photographer behind Meatloaf and Melodrama. I absolutely love to create easy, budget-friendly, homemade meals and treats for my family. I also love to think of new ways to repurpose leftovers so that my family will actually eat them!

    More about me →

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