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cheesy taco pasta in the Instant Pot on blue table with garnish and colorful napkin
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Taco Pasta [Instant Pot or Stove]

Taco Pasta is half taco, half pasta! This mouth-watering, one-pot Mexican pasta is made for the Instant Pot or stove. Juicy beef, black beans, and shell pasta are taco-seasoned, cheese-covered, and ready to devour in 30 minutes!
Course Dinner Recipes, Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Pressure Cook Time 1 minute
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 9 1 cup servings
Calories 299kcal
Author Traci - TheKitchenGirl.com

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil or other oil
  • 1/2 Onion diced
  • 1 lb. Lean Ground Beef
  • 1 15 oz can Diced Tomatoes (keep juice) or 1 cup packaged salsa
  • 1 15 oz can Black Beans drained
  • 8 oz Uncooked Shell Pasta about 4 cups
  • 2 Tbsp Taco Seasoning same as 1-oz packet * See footnote
  • 2 1/4 cups Chicken Broth add more for stove version as needed
  • 8 oz Cheddar Cheese 2 cups shredded
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

Taco Pasta for Instant Pot 6 qt Duo

  • Select "Sauté" on the Instant Pot and heat the OIL.
  • When the display reads "Hot", add ONION and GROUND BEEF; sauté until cooked through, stirring as needed.
  • Press "Cancel" on the Instant Pot. Drain excess fat from the beef, if preferred.
  • Add DICED TOMATOES (with their juice), BLACK BEANS (drained), PASTA SHELLS, TACO SEASONING, and CHICKEN BROTH.
    Press pasta under the liquid to submerge it.
  • Secure the lid, turn pressure release valve to "Sealing" position.
    Select the "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" button; adjust cooker to "High pressure" for 1 minute. (Yes, you read that right ... 1 minute) 😉
    Note: Use 2 minutes pressure cook time for thicker pasta (penne, rotini, macaroni, etc)
  • When pressure cook cycle completes, leave the cooker undisturbed for a 10-minute (NPR) natural pressure release. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP ... the pasta is still cooking.
  • Carefully turn the pressure release valve to "Venting" position to release any remaining steam.
  • Remove the lid. NOTE: You'll see a little excess liquid at first. Don't you worry, you need it to incorporate the cheese. The pasta will soak up the liquid (just like IP Mac and Cheese).
  • Stir in the CHEDDAR CHEESE and add SALT to taste. If you increase the amount of cheese, you'll need to add splashes of liquid to adjust consistency.

Taco Pasta (Stove Instructions)

  • Heat a 3.5 quart soup pot over medium-high heat; add ONIONS, sautéing until tender, stirring as needed.
  • Add GROUND BEEF and sauté until beef is cooked through, stirring as needed.
  • Stir in DICED TOMATOES (with their juice), BLACK BEANS, PASTA SHELLS, TACO SEASONING, and CHICKEN BROTH.
  • Turn heat to HIGH and bring to a boil.
  • Turn heat to medium low and simmer until pasta is cooked through (about 10 minutes). Add a splash of water during the process if it needs it.
  • Stir in the CHEDDAR CHEESE and serve. Add SALT to taste.

Taco Pasta Serving and Storage Instructions

  • Serve taco pasta warm with your choice of toppings: cilantro, lime, jalapeño, cheese, or sour cream.
  • Store in an airtight container up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 90 days in the freezer.

Video

Notes

Pasta - Feel free to substitute your favorite pasta. If using a thicker pasta like rotini, penne, or macaroni, pressure cook 2 minutes instead of 1 minute, followed be a 10-minute natural pressure release.
Taco seasoning – Reader feedback says that 1 packet makes is kid-friendly and 2 packets makes grown-ups happy. You get to pick 🤩
Add frozen or fresh corn to this recipe. YUM! You can add it before it pressure cooks, or after. Your choice. It's SO delish with corn.
Want it cheesier? Add more cheddar cheese (you might need a splash of broth to help smooth it out).
Add salt to taste. If you use reduced-sodium ingredients (tomatoes, beans, chicken broth), there’s a strong chance you’ll need to add salt to this recipe. Even if you use full-salt ingredients, you might still need to add it.
You can use ground turkey or ground chicken in place of the beef.
We like to substitute the cheese with sour cream…or for a healthier twist…plain yogurt.
You can use pinto beans in place of black beans…or no beans, if you prefer.
Feel free to add a can of diced chiles to spice it up!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 299kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 526mg | Potassium: 327mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 308IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 198mg | Iron: 2mg