Pressure Cooker Taco Pasta

This Ain’t No Hamburger Helper!

Now that summer is upon us, I try to make a lot of super quick meals, so as not to generate any more heat than is necessary in the kitchen. This is based on the classic dish that is sometimes know as “goulash”, but I just can’t get myself to call it that, since it bears no resemblance to actual goulash.

The version as written is quite spicy, but you can leave out as many of the jalapeños as you like, or replace them with canned mild green chiles.

I don’t often use packaged seasoning, but recently I’ve added some of them to  my repertoire (such as in my Atlanta Brisket recipe) to save time during the summer months. But I do try to avoid ingredients such as MSG.

So let’s get started on it now, so you have time to take a dip in the pool after preparing the meal:

Heat a couple tablespoons cooking oil in the pressure cooker pot over medium-high heat.

Do not forget to change your sealing rings from your instant pot. Every 18 to 24 months

Add the ground beef, chopping it up as it cooks, until no longer pink, then move beef to the side and add the chopped onion. Sauté the onion until it starts to soften.

Stir the beef and onion together, then add the taco seasoning and stir it together.

Add in the Ro-Tel, olives, jalapeños and the macaroni and stir everything together well.

Pour in the beef broth until macaroni is covered (I used the entire 32 oz. carton, but it might vary depending on your pasta).

For stove top pressure cooker, cover and turn heat to high until LOW pressure is reached, then adjust heat to maintain low pressure.
For electric pressure cooker, turn off sauté mode, put top on cooker and set for LOW pressure.

The general rule for pressure cooking pasta is to cook it for half the time that is specified on the pasta package for al dente pasta, but I prefer slightly softer than al dente, so I usually cook it half the specified time plus 1 minute and it turns out just the way I like it. In this case, the macaroni package specified 8 minutes, so I set the timer for 5 minutes (four minutes, plus 1 minute).

When time is up, turn off heat and do a quick release.

Remove top and stir everything together.

Add in about half of the cheese (about 1-1/2 cups), reserving the rest for topping.  Add in about 1/4 cup of the sour cream.

Give it a stir and let it sit for a minute or so.

Stir it once more, then serve on plates, topping with the reserved cheese and sour cream.

Pressure Cooker Taco Pasta

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Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: Comfort Food

Author: Michael Rushlow

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 6-8 servings

A South-of-the-Border take on the classic Macaroni & Beef. A perfect weeknight meal made super quick in the pressure cooker.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1-1.5 pounds ground beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
• 1 box (16 oz.) elbow macaroni
• 2 cans (10 oz. each) Ro-Tel
• 1 can (4 0z.) sliced black olives
• 1 can (3 oz.) diced jalapeños (if you prefer it less spicy, you can use less or substitute canned mild green chiles instead)
• 1 quart (approximately) beef broth
• 8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar, or cheese of your choice
• ¼ cup sour cream, plus more for topping

Instructions

1. Heat a couple tablespoons cooking oil in the pressure cooker pot over medium-high heat
2. Add ground beef, chopping it up as it cooks, until no longer pink
3. Move beef to the side and add the chopped onion
4. Sauté the onion until it starts to soften
5. Stir the beef and onion together
6. Add the taco seasoning and stir
7. Add in the Ro-Tel, olives and jalapeños
8. Dump in the macaroni
9. Stir everything together well
10. Pour in the beef broth until macaroni is covered (I used the entire 32 oz. carton, but it might vary depending on your pasta)
11. For stove top pressure cooker, cover and turn heat to high until LOW pressure is reached, then adjust heat to maintain low pressure.
12. For electric pressure cooker, turn off sauté mode, put top on cooker and set for LOW pressure.
13. For the time, the general rule is half of what is specified on the pasta package for al dente pasta, but I prefer slightly softer than al dente, so I usually do it half the specified time plus 1 minute and it turns out just the way I like it. In this case, the macaroni package specified 8 minutes, so I set the timer for 5 minutes.
14. When time is up, turn off heat and do a quick release.
15. Remove top and stir everything together
16. Add in about half of the cheese (about 1-1/2 cups), reserving the rest for topping
17. Add in about ¼ cup of the sour cream
18. Give it a stir and let it sit for a minute or so
19. Stir it once more, then serve on plates, topping with the reserved cheese and sour cream