Instant Pot Cheeseburger Pasta is a quick weeknight dinner that comes together easily in the Instant Pot. An easy dinner that the kids will love to eat that is packed with cheesy goodness. You can also add a little veggie to the meal for extra nutrition. My Instant Pot Pineapple Upside Down Cake would be a perfect way to follow-up this quick dinner!
Note that this recipe was recently updated in May 2019 with new pictures and content.
What is cheeseburger pasta?
The wonderful invention of boxed macaroni and cheese was introduced by Kraft foods in 1937. In 1971, in response to a meat shortage and escalating meat prices Betty Crocker introduced 'Helping Hand' later to popularly become known as Hamburger Helper. Originally introduced with beef, this was followed a year later by Tuna Helper. Rated as one of top five fad foods of the 1970's this dry meal kit was perfect for people who had little cooking skills or limited time to prepare dinner that went a really long way. If you'd like to read more about this popular meal-kit option that exists today in many different flavors head over to Food Processing.
Prepare the cheeseburger pasta
Dice one onion, and turn the Instant Pot on to the saute function. This would be a good time to add some veggies like mushrooms to the pasta if you like. Add the onions to the pot with some olive oil with the sliced mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. If you don't like mushrooms you can always substitute with another vegetable. If you use frozen just be sure to add them in at the same time as the beef broth below.
Add the ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, and cook until no longer pink.
Drain off excess grease. Add the cream cheese, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, hot sauce, and pasta. Any pasta with a max cook time of ten minutes should work for this recipe. Seal the Instant Pot, and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes then do a quick release (slowly - mind the pasta as you might have some extra liquid try to come out when releasing the pressure so you can release in short bursts if needed). Add the Colby Jack and Velveeta cheese with the unsalted butter to pot, set to saute to melt. Serve immediately, or store leftovers in an airtight container for up to one week.
If you enjoyed this Instant Pot Cheeseburger Mushroom Pasta you may like Instant Pot No Fail Buffalo Chicken Meatballs, Instant Pot Quick Easy Shrimp Scampi, or Mom's Rainy Day Slow Cooker Navy Bean Soup!
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 onion diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 2 tbsp garlic minced
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 16 ounces Cavatappi pasta or any 10-minute cook pasta
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ tsp seasoned salt
- 2 4 ounces packets of Velveeta cheese
- 2 cups Colby Jack cheese shredded
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 4 cups unsalted beef broth
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Dice onion, and slice mushrooms. Mushrooms can be substituted for another vegetable if you like. If using frozen vegetables then add with beef broth below. Turn on Instant Pot to saute function, add olive oil to pot for cooking. Add the onion and mushrooms then cook for three minutes.
- Add garlic, cook for thirty seconds then add beef. Add seasoned salt, and salt/pepper to taste. Cook until no longer pink.
- Add beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, pasta, cream cheese, and hot sauce to Instant Pot. Close and seal lid. Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes, and then do a quick release according to the manufacturers instructions. I recommend since it is pasta, to release in short bursts.
- Add Velveeta cheese, Colby Jack Cheese, and unsalted butter, then stir until melted and combined. Serve immediately, or store leftovers in an airtight container for up to one week.ÂÂ