Our Instant Pot Cheesy Pasta Casserole is totally going to be part of your regular meals in no time. It is full of vegetables so you can feel good about this for your kids, as well as full of cheese so it is gooey and delicious. I am a huge fan of one pot meals, and my Instant Pot definitely makes it easier to manage. I’m sure you are going to love this amazing recipe!

Instant Pot Cheesy Pasta Casserole

Cheesy pasta is one of those things that everyone loves. It’s a comfort food item that kids are going to beg for, and honestly, since you can so easily use lower fat items, it can be a healthy choice for adults. While this recipe contains ground meat, you could make it without and simply add more vegetables.

Ingredients For Instant Pot Cheesy Pasta:

1 pound lean ground beef (can substitute chicken, turkey, pork, or sausage if preferred)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 package penne or large noodle pasta

1 bell pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

1 tomato, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 jars marinara sauce

1 cup red wine

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

16 oz. cottage cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions for Instant Pot Cheesy Pasta:

Turn your Instant Pot to “Saute” and add the ground meat, stirring occasionally to cook until no longer pink, approximately 5 minutes. Add in the bell pepper, onions, and garlic and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until vegetables begin to become tender.

Turn off the Instant Pot and mix in tomatoes, seasonings, marinara sauce, and wine, then set it to “Manual” and adjust to 15 minutes. Add the lid and set to seal.

Once cooking is completed, manually release pressure and mix in pasta and cheeses. Replace the lid and set to seal. Manually set to 5 more minutes. Once completed the second cooking cycle, allow to naturally release pressure.

Stir and serve. You may also top with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan.

This Instant Pot Cheesy Pasta Casserole is an option that your whole family will absolutely love. While you have a 3-step cooking process, the overall time is still fairly fast compared to other recipes. Plus the richness you get in these flavors from pressure cooking makes it taste like you made a homemade sauce that simmered for hours. You never have to admit it was a semi-homemade pasta dish using jar sauce as a base!

Happy Cooking!

Josie

Instant Pot Cheesy Pasta Casserole

Total Time: 45 mins
Yield: 8 1x

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

1 pound lean ground beef (can substitute chicken, turkey, pork, or sausage if preferred)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 package penne or large noodle pasta
1 bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 jars marinara sauce
1 cup red wine
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
16 oz. cottage cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Turn Instant Pot to Saute and add ground meat stirring occasionally to cook until no longer pink, approximately 5 minutes.
Add in bell pepper, onions, and garlic and cook for additional 2-3 minutes or until vegetables begin to become tender.
Turn off Instant Pot and mix in tomatoes, seasonings, marinara sauce, and wine.
Turn Instant Pot to Manual and adjust to 15 minutes.
Add lid and set to seal.
Once completed cooking, manually release pressure and mix in pasta and cheeses.
Replace lid and set to seal. Manually set to 5 minutes.
Once completed the second cooking cycle, allow to naturally release pressure.
Stir and serve.

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Category: One Pot Meals, Pasta
Method: Pressure Cooker
Cuisine: American