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Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni is a comfort food meal that tastes great! It reminds me of the “Cheeseburger Helper” we had growing up! This pressure cooker cheeseburger macaroni is creamy, cheesy, and delicious! A great weeknight Instant Pot pasta dinner!
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni
I suppose you could call this “nostalgia in a bowl.” This kind of creamy, cheesy pasta brings me right back to twilight games of Red Rover and Kick the Can! Any minute mom will yell for us to come and eat!
On really busy days we got to eat the “Helper” style quick dinner. Mom was a great cook, but you know how sometimes you just want something easy, and decide to make the boxed stuff? As busy kids sometimes mom did for a quick dinner! It was one of the first things I got to make by myself.
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni is fresher, and I think it tastes better. Also, you can control how much salt, cheese, etc. that goes in.
The steps to make this Instant Pot one-pot pasta meal are simple:
How to Make Cheeseburger Macaroni in the Instant Pot
- Brown the hamburger and onion on the Sauté setting.
- Add the garlic and spices.
- Add the broth or water.
- Add the macaroni.
- Pressure cook it.
- Add the shredded cheese.
- Stir in a little milk.
- Serve hot.
Make this tasty pressure cooker macaroni dinner for the family, and it will soon become a favorite! Adjust the recipe as will work for your family’s taste.
You can use ground turkey or ground beef to make this recipe.
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Watch the Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni Video
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef or Ground Turkey (93% lean)
- 1 Onion, chopped (or 3/4 tsp Onion Powder)
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced (or 1 tsp Garlic Powder)
- ¾ tsp Seasoned Salt
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)
- ½ tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Hot Sauce (optional)
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard (or 2 - 3 tsp dry mustard powder)
- 3 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth (or Water)
- 12 oz Small Macaroni (3 cups) uncooked
To Finish
- 2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese (fresh shredded)
- 1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese (fresh shredded)
- ¼ - ⅔ cup Milk
Garnish
- Fresh Chopped Parsley
- Dollop of Sour Cream
Instructions
- Turn on the pot's Sauté setting. When it is hot, add the ground beef and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender, translucent, and the meat is browned.
- Add garlic. Stir.
- Add all of the spices after browning the meat.
- Add the hot sauce, if using, Dijon, and broth. Stir.
- Put a glass lid, or other lid on to let the broth heat up to almost a simmer. If you have to use the IP's lid, make sure it is on Venting.
- Next, remove glass lid and add the macaroni and make sure it is submerged.
- Close the IP lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position. Then cancel the Sauté setting.
- Press the Pressure Cook (or Manual) button, or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select 4 minutes (or 1/2 the cook time your pasta's package directions indicate). The pot will take a few minutes to come to pressure.
- When the cook cycle is finished, turn the pot off and do a Controlled Quick Release* (explained below) of the pressure.
- *A controlled quick release means you release the steam in short bursts, then longer bursts, until you can be sure none of the sauce spews out of the vent with the steam from the intense pressure. Then fully open the vent and let it go.
- When the pin in the lid drops down, remove the lid and stir the pasta.
- Stir in the cheeses and then add as much milk as you want to make it as saucy as you like.
- Add optional garnish and serve hot.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
RESOURCES TO MAKE Instapot Cheeseburger Macaroni and more
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Pin This Recipe
I’ve made this several times now, and it is always a hit with my family. Super easy, and fast without sacrificing flavor! Thank you!
Would I change anything if I use whole wheat pasta?
The general rule of thumb is to pressure cook for half the time the package instructions indicate. I have not tried this recipe with whole wheat pasta yet.