Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef is pure comfort food. This easy Instant Pot dinner recipe is so creamy and cheesy. Pasta shells and ground beef are cooked in a tomato sauce and then Parmesan cheese, cream, and cream cheese get mixed in. Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef is a little like homemade Hamburger Helper, only much, much better.
Made from simple ingredients, it is perfect for a busy weeknight meal and is sure to be a family favorite.
How To Make
To make Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef, first use the saute mode to cook a pound of lean ground beef and a chopped onion. Then add your flavors- dried Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes plus a tablespoon of tomato paste.
Once the ground beef is no longer pink, pour the uncooked pasta shells on top. Pour a jar of spaghetti sauce and 3 cups of water over the shells. Press the shells down into the liquid, but do not stir. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.
The pasta soaks up so much flavor cooking this way rather than just being boiled in water and then mixed into sauce.
After pressure cooking, do a manual release. Stir in 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, 1 cup of heavy cream, and 2 ounces of softened cream cheese.
This Instant Pot recipe is so easy and so delicious. Your family will be fighting over the leftovers.
★★★★★
What readers are saying
This quickly became a family favorite. The kids could probably eat it every day and be happy. Leftovers are good for lunch the next day. And it’s very easy to improvise if I’m out of an ingredient or 2.
Variations and Substitutions
- Make is spicier. Double the amount of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Use ground turkey or ground Italian sausage instead of ground beef.
- Mix in 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- To make it vegetarian, use Impossible Beef.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Mississippi Roast
- Instant Pot Crack Chicken
- Instant Pot Swiss Chicken
- Instant Pot Caesar Chicken
- Instant Pot 3-Packet Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta
Watch the video below to see how to make Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef
Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow or sweet onion,, diced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 (16-ounce) box medium pasta shells,, uncooked
- 1 (24-ounce) jar pasta sauce
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 ounces cream cheese,, cut into chunks and softened
Instructions
- Add olive oil to the inner pot of an Instant Pot. Turn on “Saute” mode. Add onion and cook until starting to get soft.
- Add ground beef and cook and crumble it with a wooden spoon until no longer pink. Turn Instant Pot off.
- Add Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes and tomato paste and stir.
- Pour shells on top of ground beef mixture.
- Pour pasta sauce and water on top of shells. Do not stir, but press shells down into liquid with the back of a spoon.
- Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is in “sealing” position. Set to Pressure Cook on HIGH for 5 minutes.
- Do a manual pressure release and when the pin drops, remove the lid. Stir in Parmesan cheese, heavy cream, and cream cheese. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally posted June 6, 2018.
Recipe adapted from Meatloaf and Melodrama
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Delicious! I’ve made it twice since Christmas (when I got my 8 qt. Pot). I skip the red pepper flakes and follow the rest of the recipe and it has turned out perfect every time. We are having a great time with our Pot – it has really changed up our options, especially during the week. Thanks for the recipe!
This was good! I did find it a bit spicy, so I will cut the red peppers by half next time. And as others have said, increase the cook time by 2-3 minutes. My noodles were still hard the first time.
This was good! I would, as others have suggested, increase cook time by 2-3 minutes. I did find it somewhat spicy, so I would cut the peppers by half.
My children ask for this several times a month. Thanks!
I’ve made this twice and keep getting the burn notice. I’m wondering if the meat, water, and sauce should be mixed first? Hen put the pasta on top and press pasta down into liquid/meat mixture. Anyone try that? I definitely scrape the bottom after
sautéing the meat, so it’s not that.
After I saute the onions and the hamburg and add the seasonings, I deglaze with a little bit of the water. This removes any of the burned on bits on the bottom of the pan. I’ve made this several times now, and it always comes out perfect…knock on wood!
This was a hit. We enjoyed it. However, like many have mentioned, the “burn” notification came on. Would be interested to know if others who got it were able to fix the issue if they made it again.
Wonderful! I made it with 2 pounds of beef and all the rest as written. And put timer on 6 minutes. . This will be a regular dish now family loved it and it was so easy. Next time tough I may use half beef and half Italian sausage for a hint more flavor.
I’ve made this several times. It’s one of my favorite Instant Pot dishes. Love it! Could eat it every week. It’s rich, creamy and very easy. Add a salad and garlic bread and it’s a great dinner.
Very good! I did get a burn message and the ground beef part was sticking. There was plenty of liquid in the pot so I’m not sure why? I have an 8 quart so maybe needed to add more then 3 cups water?? Either way it tasted great and very easy to make.
I made this dish and it was very good. Almost like lasgna without all the cheese, but I liked it a lot because it was very creamy. We will definitely be making this again!
I always make my own pasta sauce and didn’t want to cook something separate on the stove so I altered the recipe just a bit. I sauteed the meat in the pan and added the tomato paste and spices as called for, deglazing the pan with the tomato paste. I added the pasta (whole wheat) and then I placed all of the ingredients for my homemade pasta sauce on top (pureed crushed tomatoes, more Italian seasoning, onion and garlic powder and more salt and pepper.). I added the 3 cups of water, plus a bit more to clean out the tomato from the can. While I did receive a burn notice, I knew there was plenty of liquid in the pot so I just let it continue to cook. To my surprise everything was just fine when I opened the pot after the quick release. There was a bit of meat and tomato paste getting a little burnt/stuck to the bottom but after a good stir you could not tell it all mixed in and didn’t effect the flavor. I think my meat and tomato paste was a bit thick and needed more moisture at the bottom so I plan to try that next time and see if that helps. However, I would suggest to just continue cooking if you know there’s enough liquid (3 cups should be plenty) because your dish will still finish. It made me nervous since this is only my 3rd Tim to cook in the instant pot and I didn’t know what would happen. Very happy with the end result though and I hope this helps some one else.
You’re defInitely helping me out, jar sauces just don’t appeal to my taste, I would like to know what size can of tomatoes you used? Thanks