Name: Instant Pot Cheeseburger Pasta
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 4 min
Total time: 29 min
Yield: 10 servings
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; 1/4 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

Instant Pot Cheeseburger Pasta

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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!

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overhead shot of cheeseburger macaroni and cheese in white orange striped bowl with blue and white towel with fork to left

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!