A delicious, nutrient packed dinner ready in just 14 minutes! 7 simple ingredients transform into this Instant Pot taco pasta that everyone is sure to love!
Why This Recipe Works
When it comes to cooking dinner I need something that is FAST. Pretty much anything over a 20 minute meal is just too much time and energy for me. This Instant Pot taco pasta more than fit’s the bill being ready in just 14 minutes!
As a registered dietitian I know it’s important to give our bodies the nutrients we need at mealtimes, but as a regular human I also want it to TASTE good! This recipe checks both of those boxes by providing a protein and veggie punch while transporting your tase buds to your favorite Mexican restaurant!
Another Mexican inspired recipe I love is chicken fajita tacos & taco salads and if you’re looking for a more Asian inspired dish be sure to checkout my Instant Pot chicken fried rice recipe!
Ingredients Needed:
Here are the ingredients you’ll want to gather for your taco pasta:
- Ground Beef. You can really use any ground meat here, like chicken or turkey. You could even use pre-cooked rotisserie chicken and skip the browning meat step all together!
- Pasta. You can use any shape of pasta here and it will work! Shells are what I had on hand so that is what I used.
- Taco Seasoning. I use store bought taco seasoning, but you can also sub 1 tbsp of homemade!
Recipe Instructions
First up: Cooking the ground meat. For this you’ll want to set your Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Drizzle the bottom of the pot with olive oil, place your meat inside, and sprinkle it with the taco seasoning.
Cook while mixing it about with the spatula, getting a nice even browning, for ~3-5 minutes until just cooked. One finished, keep your meat in there and turn the sauté setting off.
Once meat is cooked, add in your canned corn, black beans, and tomatoes.
Then, add in your water and uncooked pasta and slowly stir everything up.
Set your Instant Pot to pressure cook for 4 minutes.
Allow the Instant Pot to release pressure on it’s own and let it stay warm until you are ready to eat it or put it into a container if meal prepping.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! For the crockpot, follow all of the same steps but cook on low for ~6-8 hours or high for ~3.
For the stovetop simply cook your pasta, then sauté meat and add the remaining ingredients + cooked pasta and simmer for 5-10 minutes!
Yep! I’ve used chickpea pasta/lentil pasta/high protein pasta for this recipe and didn’t change a thing. The noodles still cooked perfectly!
Totally! To make this recipe completely plant based I’d recommend adding an extra can of beans. You can use any beans you like, really. A nice pinto bean might go great, or you can use an additional black bean.
I give my pasta about a week in the fridge. If it’s not going to be eaten in a week I’d recommend freezing it. This will keep for a few months this way! When you’re ready to eat it just thaw and heat! Totally freezer friendly!
Other Easy Dinner Recipes:
If you love this recipe, be sure to leave a star rating on the recipe card and leave a comment below!
Don’t forget to pin it on your Pinterest board for later, or tag me on IG @no.food.rules if you try the recipe and love it!
Insanely Easy Instant Pot Taco Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground meet I use beef or turkey usually
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 can of corn drained
- 1 can of black beans drained
- 1 can of diced tomatoes with chilis
- 1 cup water or broth I typically use water
- 6 oz uncooked pasta roughly 2 cups
Instructions
- First, set your Instant Pot to the saute setting. Drizzle olive oil into the pot and brown meat for 3-5 minutes. Add in the taco seasoning as you’re cooking and mixing it up.
- Turn your saute setting off and dump in your corn, black beans, tomatoes and water to the pot.
- Add your uncooked pasta and stir it up!
- Place the lid onto the Instant Pot, set to pressure cook, and cook for 4 minutes.
- Allow your Instant Pot to naturally pressure release. When ready remove the top and enjoy!
- Optional: Add cheese on top or mix it in before eating!
Molly says
Hi! Do you drain the corn and black beans before you add them, or do you add the juices from the can too?
Colleen says
Yes- drain! I’ll add that note!
Molly O'Riordon says
I immediately got a BURN alert when I tried this. 🙁 I added more liquid and created a “hole” in the middle with the same result. What am I doing wrong???
Colleen says
Hey! I haven’t gotten that! It could be from waiting too long to add ingredients to the pot?
Molly says
I immediately got a BURN alert when I tried this. 🙁 I added more liquid and created a “hole” in the middle with the same result. What am I doing wrong???
Colleen says
Oh no! Try adding more oil or turning down the temp!
Nicole R Morrissey says
Will be on repeat! Love all the fun topping options, too!
JEFFREY A KOVACH says
I don’t care for canned corn. How much frozen corn would be equivalent?
Colleen says
I’d say 1.5-2 cups!
Chelsea says
Easy to make and very tasty- especially with a big handful of cheese mixed in! I had to add a little more water and stir it around and cook it more for the pasta to be done, but I didn’t have the tomatoes so that could be why.