This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Instant Pot Creamy Beef and Shells is a super delicious pasta recipe. Made with simple ingredients, this is a fabulous one-pot meal! This pressure cooker creamy beef and shells recipe is a favorite!
Instant Pot Creamy Beef and Shells
Today’s recipe is all about comfort food! Pasta surely falls into that category, and this pressure cooker shells and beef recipe is amazing! Creamy and satisfying!
Cooking pasta in the Instant Pot® is super easy, and very convenient. There is no pot of boiling water to deal with (also no draining), and you can toss everything into the pressure cooker and let it do its magic!
Can I use a different ground meat?
Absolutely! I often use ground turkey in place of the beef. When I do that I use a good low sodium chicken broth in place of the beef broth.
You can also use ground chicken. I would use a bit of olive oil to brown the ground turkey or chicken.
What can I use in place of marinara sauce?
If you can, use marinara sauce. However, if you can’t, then use tomato sauce and 2 Tbsp tomato paste. You will also want to increase your seasonings a bit.
What if I don’t have the medium shell pasta?
The 2 most important things about cooking pasta in the Instant Pot is to go by the weight, and cook according to size/heartiness of the pasta.
You can use the same weight (12 oz) of elbow macaroni, but it is a less hearty pasta so you will only cook it for 4 minutes instead of 5.
The general rule-of-thumb for pasta cook times is to cook for half of the time that the box instructions say to. If it says cook for 9 minutes on the stove, cook for 4 or 5 in the pressure cooker.
Can I make Instant Pot Creamy Beef and Shells without meat?
Yes! In that case you will just add the onion, then layer the pasta, broth, seasonings, and marinara sauce. Then cook per the instructions.
Follow with the cream and parmesan.
Instant Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Instant Pot Loaded Taco Pasta
Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Instant Pot Cajun Pasta
25+ Instant Pot Pasta Recipes
Pin This Instant Pot Creamy Beef and Shells Recipe
If you make this yummy pressure cooker shells and beef recipe, please leave me a comment below and let me know how you liked it!
Instant Pot Creamy Beef and Shells
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs Ground Beef
- 1 sm Onion, diced
- ¼ - ½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes (optional, for some heat)
- 3 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
- 3 cups Beef Broth, low sodium (or 3 tsp beef bouillon and 3 cups water)
- 1 (12 oz) box Medium Shell Pasta*
- 1 (24 oz) jar Marinara Sauce
To Finish
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Turn on the Sauté setting. Then add the ground beef. Cook, breaking up the meat, until about halfway done. Then add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion turns translucent..
- Add the red pepper flakes (if using), Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir well.
- Pour in the broth and stir.
- Add the pasta in an even layer. Don't stir it. Gently press the pasta into the liquid.
- Pour the marinara sauce over the pasta, covering it all. Don't stir it.
- Turn off the Sauté setting. Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
- Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select 5 minutes. High Pressure. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
- When the cook cycle has finished, turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to Quick Release the steam/pressure.
- When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid.
- Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Let the pasta sit for a few minutes to cool a little and thicken.
- Serve hot!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
RESOURCES TO MAKE Instant Pot Creamy Beef and Shells recipe and more
This post contains Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
So creamy and delicious! I followed the recipe almost exactly except I used rigatoni (my store didn’t have a box of shells) and used a tomato basil pasta sauce (I was in a rush and couldn’t find marinara). It was so yummy! Definitely adding this to my regular rotation.
This recipe was so delish! I recommend going on the high end for the red pepper flakes, sometimes I put in a tad more. It doesn’t make it super hot or anything but I like the tiny kick flavor it gives. I love regular spaghetti or rigatoni with meat sauce but I really love this one too as it changes things up a bit!
My boys and husband loved this dish. It is now in our regular rotation. Thanks for this easy and budget friendly meal 😊
Sandy, I made this other night and I just have to comment on it. it was outstanding! I only had 1 lb. of hamburger, but I agree with your directions, it definitely needs 1 and 1/2 pounds to make it right! It was great the first night and even better the next day! A keeper in our house! Thank you!
That’s great, Mike! Thank you for your review!
This is a favorite in my house with substitutions (we have gluten and dairy allergies).
I use ground turkey instead of beef due to preference. The I use gluten free elbows (reduce 1 minute from cooking time so it’s not mush). I use coconut cream to the consistency that we like.
Hi! This was absolutely delicious. Mine wasnt as thick as pictured but it wasn’t exactly soupy either but I would say it was more runny if that makes sense lol. Any ideas what I could have done wrong for next time? All I had was a half pound of chopped meat,… could that be why? I followed everything else the same way. I was thinking maybe too much broth but recipe called for 3 cups.
Sometimes the pasta to broth ratio is a little off. Having the full amount of meat helps as well. I’d recommend adding just a bit more pasta next time, or weighing it if you have a food scale. Also letting it sit for just a few minutes before serving helps the pasta absorb more broth, and it will thicken a bit as it cools.
Soooo good! Thank you. ❤️
This recipe turned out great! I only had a pound of ground beef and a jar of pasta sauce vs. Marinara so I just eased up on the seasonings a little bit and it turned out great and it was very easy. I will make this again, thank you!
After trying your instant pot clam chowder (fantastic btw), I just knew I had to try another recipe of yours. This recipe did not disappoint! My 4 year old loved it and my husband, who rarely goes for seconds, even asked for more!
I thought I had beef broth, but I didn’t. So I replaced it with chicken broth and crossed my fingers. It turned out just fine and I can’t wait to try it with beef broth next time. Also, I like some veggies in my pasta so I mixed in some chopped/cooked red bell peppers and mushrooms at the end.
We loved it! Even our kids liked it! This is a keeper!