Instant Pot Jalapeño Popper Pasta
Instant Pot Jalapeño Popper Pasta is extra creamy and cheesy with a touch of spiciness from the jalapeños. A perfect one-pot, hearty and delicious 30-minute dinner.
We love making easy and delicious pasta in the Instant Pot, like our popular Instant Pot Philly Cheesesteak Pasta, Cheesy Instant Pot Taco Pasta, and the cheesy Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni.
Instant Pot Jalapeño Popper Pasta
Jalapeño Popper Pasta is one of my latest pressure cooker pasta creations. I have been on a kick lately cooking pasta in my Instant Pot and creating easy one-pot meals. I rely a lot on these types of recipes during the busy work week. Making an Instant Pot Jalapeño Popper Pasta was a no brainer to me as we love everything “jalapeño popper’ related.
The dish turned out to be creamy, cheesy, hearty, with the right amount of heat from the jalapeños. Easy to make in the Instant Pot, and the best part is that you don’t have to cook the pasta separately. Minimum dishes to clean and a delicious dinner to eat. Cheese, bacon, pasta and jalapeños, it can’t get much better than this!
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Instant Pot Jalapeño Pasta Recipe Tips:
- Use quality meat because a good meat centered meal starts with quality meat. Preferably use organic beef for this meal.
- Look for fresh meat that has a bright color, and about 15-20% fat content. Due to higher fat content, the meat gets great flavor and tenderness.
- Browning the beef is essential because it will lock in the flavors.
- You don’t have to pre-cook the pasta for this recipe. Add the uncooked pasta to the pot and 5 minutes on HP will give you al-dente pasta, and 6 minutes will result in more well-cooked pasta.
- This dish can be made with any ground meat: chicken, turkey or pork, the cooking time will still be the same if you use the same amount of ingredients.
- Red pepper flakes can be added for a spicier kick.
- I added cheddar cheese, you can provolone or mozzarella cheese as well.
- Serve the pasta topped with bacon and jalapeños.
- Instant Pot – I have the 6 quarts one. It makes weeknight meals so much easier.
How to store it?
Prior to storing, let the dish completely cool. Then, transfer it to an air-tight container and store it for up to 4 days. Reheat prior to serving.
Instant Pot Jalapeño Popper Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces hardwood smoked bacon diced
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 jalapeños seedless and veins removed, diced
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese divided into chunks
- 8 oz large shell pasta
- 2 cups shredded cheddar
Garnish:
- 2 jalapeños
- Parsley
Instructions
Bacon:
- You can use already cooked bacon or you can cook your own.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven. Line 1 baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Lay the bacon on the baking sheet in a single layer.
- Bake until the bacon is deep golden-brown and crispy, 15 to 20 minutes. Begin checking around 12 minutes to monitor how quickly the bacon is cooking.
- Remove from oven and set aside.
Pasta:
- Set Instant Pot to Saute.
- Once the IP is hot add the oil and wait for it to start simmering.
- Add the ground beef, let it cook without moving for about 1 minute, to get a nice sear on it. After that, break it up using a wooden spoon as it cooks.
- Once the ground beef has browned, add chopped onion, minced garlic, diced jalapeños, salt and pepper stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add broth and scrape well the bottom of the pot to remove any bits of beef that stuck to it.
- Add butter and cream cheese. Stir to combine.
- Add pasta and stir to combine.
- Cover and seal the lid. Make sure the valve points to Sealed. Change setting to manual and adjust time to 5 minutes on High Pressure.
- Once Instant Pot beeps to show that it's done, do a quick release, by changing the position of the valve to Vent. Carefully remove cover and stir.
- Turn off the Instant Pot. Remove the lid and stir the pasta.
- Top with shredded cheese, put the lid back on but don't seal. Allow a minute or two for the cheese to start melting. Stir to combine.
- Serve topped with bacon, jalapeños and chopped parsley.
Nutrition
