Easy Instant Pot Shells and Beef
Need another quick weeknight dinner idea? Try our Instant Pot shells and beef recipe! Seasoned ground beef and pasta served in a cheesy tomato sauce.
It’s Monday again and for most people that means going back to work. We understand your pain and that’s why we’re here to help with simple Instant Pot ground beef and pasta recipe.
Our Instant Pot shells and beef is easy to prepare, delicious, and perfect for a chilly Monday evening. It’s full of cheesy beef and shells, tomatoes, and seasonings.
This is one of our favorite kid friendly Instant Pot meals. It’s right up there with Creamy Tomato Pasta and Ranch Chicken and Rice.
How to make Instant Pot shells and beef:
First, go ahead and dice the onions, shred your cheese, and open all the boxes, cans, and jars. Basically, prep things and get them ready.
After that, place the liner into the pressure cooker and turn the cooker on to saute. Let it get hot, then toss in the oil, ground beef, onions, Italian seasonings, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Next, let everything saute until the beef has browned. Use your spoon to stir the ingredients as they cook so nothing sticks.
Once the beef has cooked, turn off the machine and layer in the following ingredients: shells, water, chicken broth, canned tomatoes, and heavy cream. If needed, use the spoon to press the shells below the liquid.
Furthermore, it’s important that you place the ingredients into the pressure cooker in the order described above and do NOT stir anything. Otherwise, the creamy shells and beef may burn.
Now, pour the marinara on top of everything else. Put the lid on the cooker and set the valve to, “sealed.”
Then, press the manual (high pressure cook) button and set the timer for five (5) minutes. When the timer goes off, use a towel the cover the valve, and preform a quick release (open the valve to release the steam).
Last, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese onto the shells and beef and stir the pasta dish.
That’s it your Instant Pot shells and beef recipe is done! Simply serve it hot and store any leftovers in a sealed container in your fridge. They’ll hold for about three days.
Kim and I hope you enjoy the pressure cooker pasta recipe and wish you all the best 🙂
Instant Pot shells and beef Tips:
- The noodles in this dish cook on the softer side (more than al dente). If you prefer the shells closer to al dente, reduce the cook time by 1 to 2 minutes.
- If you are concerned about pressure cooking the heavy cream, simply add it along with the cheese after the ingredients cook.
- We do not recommend using milk in place of the heavy cream, because it can curdle. If you need to make a swap, try half and half.
- We don’t drain the grease off the meat before adding the other ingredients. However, that’s an option. Simply remove the meat and onions from the stainless steel liner. Drain off the grease, wipe the liner clean, and return the meat to the liner.
- Before adding the noodles to the stainless steel liner, check to see if the liner needs to be deglazed. If so, use ¼ cup of the broth or water and a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the liner. This is essential before adding the noodles in order to avoid a burn notice. We’ve never had an issue with the meat sticking, but it’s always a good idea to check.
Other Instant Pot pasta recipes you may enjoy:
Don’t forget to check out our Instant Pot Shells and Beef web story!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil, canola, vegetable, etc.
- ½ cup white onion, diced
- 1 pound ground beef, (We used 93/7.)
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1 ½ cups water
- 16 ounces uncooked shell pasta, (We used medium-sized shells.)
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 14 ½ ounces diced tomatoes, undrained, 1 can
- 24 ½ ounces marinara sauce
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
Optional Toppings
- Shredded Parmesan
- Extra Shredded Mozzarella
- Fresh Parsley
Instructions
- Turn on the Instant Pot using the sauté function. Wait for the display to read “Hot,” then add the oil, onions, ground beef, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook the ground beef until no longer pink while breaking up into small pieces.1 tablespoon cooking oil½ cup white onion1 pound ground beef1 tablespoon Italian seasoning1 teaspoon garlic powder½ teaspoon kosher salt½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Press the “Cancel” button, and layer the following ingredients in the order listed. DO NOT STIR. Add the shell noodles on top of the ground beef. Then pour in the water, broth, canned tomatoes, and heavy cream. Use a spoon to gently press the noodles down below the liquid if necessary. Next pour the marinara on top of the noodles and liquid.1 ½ cups water1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth1 ½ cups heavy cream16 ounces uncooked shell pasta24 ½ ounces marinara sauce14 ½ ounces diced tomatoes
- Close the lid, and ensure the valve is set to “sealing.” Press the manual (pressure cook) button, then adjust the time to 5 minutes.
- When the time is up, press “Cancel,” and open the valve to complete a quick release. Add the shredded mozzarella cheese, and stir to combine.
- Serve hot. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Heavy cream alternative? Or can I omit? Bf is lactose intolerant, takes pills so he can handle small amounts of cheese but heavy cream is too much. Thanks.
Good Morning Stephanie, that’s a good question. You have a few options. You could use milk, if it doesn’t cause issues with the lactose intolerance. Another possibility is to use almond milk or coconut milk. With that being said, coconut milk will change the flavor of the pasta and give it a coconut aftertaste. Those are the only alternatives that we are aware of. I hope this information helps. Have a lovely day 🙂