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    Home » Instant Pot » Creamy Beef and Shells in the Instant Pot

    Creamy Beef and Shells in the Instant Pot

    Published on Apr 22, 2020 Modified: Aug 12, 2020 by Alexandria Drzazgowski.

    Jump to Recipe

    This Creamy Beef and Shells in the Instant Pot is a perfect 20 minute dinner. The pasta is cooked in a tomato and cream sauce that mixes deliciously with the beef in the recipe! It is thickened up with parmesan cheese and ready to serve so quickly. You’re going to love it! 

    Overhead view of pasta with parsley sauce and burlap
    YouTube video

    Matt’s mom makes a dish that his family has loved forever. They call “One Pot Pasta”. It’s basically shell pasta with beef in a creamy tomato sauce. And they call it one pot because… you guessed it… it comes together in one pot!

    I’ve been loving my Instant Pot recently, so I decided to take the concept of their favorite meal and transform it into an Instant Pot recipe!

    The perks of cooking pasta in the Instant Pot is that I just feel like the pasta is so much more flavorful than it is when simply cooking on the stove. The pasta cooks in the chicken broth and tomato sauce, which makes it infinitely more scrumptious. 

    Plus, I can throw it all together in a pot and not have to worry about continuing to check my pasta to figure out if it’s done. 

    creamy beef and shells in the Instant Pot
    Jump to:
    • What Ingredients are in this Instant Pot Recipe for Creamy Beef and Shells? 
    • How to Make Creamy Beef and Shells
    • What if I Don’t Have Shells? 
    • Can I Use Marinara Sauce Instead of Tomato Sauce? 
    • What Kind of Meat Should I Use to Make this Dish?
    • Can I Freeze my Creamy Beef and Shells? 
    • Creamy Beef and Shells in the Instant Pot

    What Ingredients are in this Instant Pot Recipe for Creamy Beef and Shells? 

    Onion
    Ground beef
    Tomato sauce, canned 
    Chicken stock 
    Medium Shell Pasta 
    Italian seasoning
    Salt 
    Heavy Whipping Cream
    Parmesan cheese

    [adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”zNqtIupx” upload-date=”2021-05-04T19:59:53.000Z” name=”Creamy Beef and Shells” description=”This Creamy Beef and Shells in the Instant Pot is a perfect 20 minute dinner. The pasta is cooked in a tomato and cream sauce that mixes deliciously with the beef in the recipe! It is thickened up with parmesan cheese and ready to serve so quickly. You’re going to love it! ” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]

    How to Make Creamy Beef and Shells

    Turn your Instant Pot to the saute function. Add some olive oil to the Instant Pot and saute the onions until translucent and soft. 

    Add the beef into the pot. Break apart the meat with a wooden spoon and allow it to brown completely.

    Once the meat is browned, add the chicken stock into the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. This is an important step as you don’t want to cause a burn notice effect later. 

    Add the tomato sauce into the pot, then the shells, then the italian seasoning, then salt to taste in that order. 

    Set Instant Pot to manual for 5 minutes. Once the pasta finishes cooking, do an instant Release. Open the lid to the Instant Pot and add in the cream and the parmesan cheese. Stir to combine. Enjoy! 

    two bowls of pasta

    What if I Don’t Have Shells? 

    If you don’t have shells, have no fear! You can use any type of pasta of similar size. This includes mostaccioli, larger shells, or anything else of the variety.

    If your pasta is similar in size, do not change the cooking time. If the substitute pasta is larger than medium shells, you may need to increase cooking time by a minute. 

    Can I Use Marinara Sauce Instead of Tomato Sauce? 

    Yes! If you’d like, you can use marinara sauce instead of tomato sauce. In fact, I use this combination in my Instant Pot Pasta with Palomino Sauce, and it is a delicious combination! 

    I like plain tomato sauce more in this pasta recipe because the Italian seasoning flavors it up nicely. However, feel free to use whatever recipe you’d like. 

    spoonful of creamy beef and shells

    What Kind of Meat Should I Use to Make this Dish?

     My recommendation is 80% lean ground beef. I’ve found that this combination gives a wonderful flavor to the meat that can’t be beat! 

    If you don’t eat red meat but still want to make this dish, feel free to substitute ground chicken or ground turkey instead. The result will be fairly similar and definitely delicious! 

    Can I Freeze my Creamy Beef and Shells? 

    Absolutely! If you’d like to freeze your Creamy Beef and Shells, simply spoon the pasta into a freezer safe container. You can store the pasta in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

    If you liked this recipe, make sure to take a photo and share it on Instagram or Facebook and tag @TheForeignFork. For more recipes like this, check out the other Instant Pot Pasta recipes I have on my site: 

    • Instant Pot Pasta with Palomino Sauce
    • Creamy Mac and Cheese in the Instant Pot 
    Creamy Beef and Shells Pinterest Image
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    Bowl of creamy beef and shells

    Creamy Beef and Shells in the Instant Pot

    This Creamy Beef and Shells in the Instant Pot is a perfect 20 minute dinner. The pasta is cooked in a tomato and cream sauce that mixes delicious with the beef in the recipe! It is thickened up with parmesan cheese and ready to serve so quickly. You’re going to love it!
    4.75 from 27 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course, pasta
    Cuisine: Instant pot, pasta
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Pressure Building: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 582kcal
    Author: Alexandria Drzazgowski

    Equipment

    • Pressure Cooker
    • Wooden Spoon

    Ingredients

    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 1 lb ground beef, 80% lean
    • 1 ½ cups chicken broth
    • 1 ½ cups tomato sauce, canned
    • 8 oz shell pasta
    • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
    • ½ tsp salt, or more to taste
    • ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
    • 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

    Instructions

    • Turn your Instant Pot to the sauté function. Add some olive oil to the Instant Pot and saute the onions until translucent and soft.
    • Add the beef into the pot. Break apart the meat with a wooden spoon and allow it to brown completely.
    • Once the meat is browned, add the chicken stock into the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. This is an important step as you don’t want to cause a burn notice effect later.
    • Add the tomato sauce into the pot, then the shells, then the Italian seasoning, then salt to taste in that order.
    • Set Instant Pot to HIGH for 5 minutes. Once the pasta is done cooking, do an instant Release. Open the lid to the Instant Pot and add in the cream and the parmesan cheese. Stir to combine.
    • Allow the pasta to sit for about 10 minutes before serving to let the sauce thicken. Then serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    Recipe copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only. 
    Recipe was made using an 8 qt pot.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 582kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 1066mg | Potassium: 621mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 994IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 274mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @TheForeignFork or tag #TheForeignFork!

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    Beef Recipes Instant Pot Pasta Recipes Under 30 Minute Dinner

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    Comments

    1. Mary says

      December 20, 2021 at 7:13 am

      1 star
      I followed to the letter. There’s not enough liquid so it cooked off before it ever came to pressure. Now I have a mess soaking in the sink.

      Reply
      • The Foreign Fork says

        December 23, 2021 at 2:50 pm

        Hi Mary. So sorry that you had that experience with this recipe! 3 cups of liquid is generally more than enough to bring a pot to pressure, and I’ve never heard of that problem before with this recipe…. so I’m wondering if perhaps the Instant Pot seal was off or something along those lines? Hope you were able to find a good dinner despite the mess! <3

        Reply
    2. Kerri says

      December 03, 2021 at 10:41 pm

      My shells were not fully cooked after 5 minutes. Was I supposed to stir to make sure they were fully submerged prior to sealing pot for pressure cook?

      Reply
      • The Foreign Fork says

        December 03, 2021 at 10:43 pm

        You want to make sure that they’re completely submerged in water! I don’t stir it, but I do lightly press the noodles so that they become submerged. If they’re not cooked to your liking, you can always put the lid back on and cook them for another minute or two:)

        Reply
    3. Amber Lynn says

      October 19, 2021 at 11:42 pm

      5 stars
      I love this recipe! I’m very picky and this has made it into my weekly rotation!

      Reply
      • The Foreign Fork says

        October 20, 2021 at 1:17 am

        Aw yay! So glad you like it Amber 🙂 Thank you for the review!

        Reply
    4. Brooke says

      October 03, 2021 at 4:20 pm

      Have you ever doubled the recipe? Wondering if I should adjust the cooking time.

      Reply
      • The Foreign Fork says

        October 03, 2021 at 6:36 pm

        Hey! I have. You do not need to adjust the time 🙂 Enjoy!

        Reply
    5. PJ says

      September 20, 2021 at 6:41 pm

      What can I substitute the tomato sauce with?

      Reply
      • The Foreign Fork says

        September 21, 2021 at 1:16 pm

        Hi PJ. You could do a different pasta sauce (vodka sauce, alfredo, etc). Someone in a comment thread once also recommended gravy, but I have never tried that! If you do sub something, let me know what you think.

        Reply
    6. Frank Huber says

      September 19, 2021 at 4:20 pm

      Can you use beef stock instead of chicken stock?

      Reply
      • The Foreign Fork says

        September 19, 2021 at 7:06 pm

        Absolutely!

        Reply
    7. Tanya says

      August 17, 2021 at 10:08 pm

      Wondering how to create this in a crockpot instead 🤔 Any ideas?

      Reply
      • The Foreign Fork says

        August 18, 2021 at 1:34 am

        Hi Tanya,
        I’m so sorry, I actually have only used my crockpot a couple of times, and I don’t want to give recommendations I haven’t tried before! I’m hoping someone else coming to the comments will have suggestions for you 🙂

        Reply
    8. Nicola says

      July 30, 2021 at 4:22 am

      I have a small instapot. Should I divide the recipe in 1/2? Thank you.

      Reply
      • The Foreign Fork says

        July 30, 2021 at 2:27 pm

        What size is your Instant Pot Nicola? This should work on a 6 or 8 quart. I have never tried it on a 3 quart, but as long as it doesn’t come past the no-fill line it should be fine 🙂

        Reply
    9. Sue Elleker says

      July 09, 2021 at 11:20 am

      I do something similar, with the addition of button mushrooms, which I love!

      Reply
      • The Foreign Fork says

        July 09, 2021 at 3:27 pm

        Mmm im a big fan of mushrooms, that sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing 🙂 XX Alexandria

        Reply
    10. Chloe G says

      June 28, 2021 at 10:59 pm

      How would you recommend adjusting the recipe to cook the pasta separately? I find that pasta in the IP is too gummy, and I would like to try it separate! I typically use Banza pasta for reference

      Reply
      • The Foreign Fork says

        July 01, 2021 at 8:59 pm

        Hi Chloe, thank you so much for asking. I have never experimented with cooking the pasta separately, so I am wary of giving advice on it. If you do try it, please let me know what you try and how it turns out!

        Reply
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