Description
Your Simple Ingredient List for a Weeknight Win. This one-pot Instant Pot pasta cooks the noodles and sauce together for a rich, cheesy family dinner with minimal cleanup.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
The Savory Base
- 1 lb lean ground beef (90/10 recommended)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 1-oz packet low-sodium taco seasoning
The Pasta & Liquids
- 16 oz rotini pasta (dry) (corkscrew shape catches sauce)
- 16 oz chunky salsa (zesty tomato-rich moisture)
- 4 oz diced green chiles (mild) (classic Southwestern flavor)
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (cooking liquid for pressure)
The Cheesy Finish
- 2 cups Mexican-blend shredded cheese (stir in to melt)
Seasoning & Garnish
- salt and black pepper (to taste)
- fresh cilantro or parsley (for garnish)
Instructions
- Sauté beef & onion: On the Instant Pot Sauté setting, cook ground beef with diced onion until beef is browned and onion softened. Drain excess grease; press Cancel.
- No-stir layering (prevents BURN): Sprinkle taco seasoning over beef. Add dry rotini on top. Pour in broth, salsa, and green chiles over the pasta. Do not stir.
- Pressure cook: Lock lid; set valve to Sealing. Pressure Cook/Manual for 5 minutes. Pot will take ~10–15 minutes to pressurize, then the countdown begins.
- Quick release: When the 5 minutes are up, carefully switch valve to Venting for a quick release. Open lid when pin drops.
- Cheesy finish & serve: Stir pasta; sauce may look thin at first. Add shredded Mexican cheese and stir until melted and creamy. Season with salt and pepper; garnish with cilantro or parsley and serve hot.
Notes
Cleanup win: One-pot pressure cooking cuts active cleanup ~60% versus a multi-pot stovetop pasta + sauce routine. For extra creamy sauce, add 1/4 cup cream cheese after pressure release and stir to melt.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course, One-Pot, Pasta
- Cuisine: American, Tex-Mex
Nutrition
- Calories: 525
- Sugar: 6
- Fat: 22
- Carbohydrates: 45
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 30
