Unbelievably tasty, spicy, cheesy and perfectly cooked Spicy Taco Pasta in the Instant Pot! We love this easy one pot spicy taco pasta with ground chicken, onions, jalapeños, cilantro and cheese that has all our favorite Mexican flavors packed in it.
Here is what it took for my 2 boys to make this SPICY taco pasta:
- A relaxed and laid-back summer evening
- A Bag of pasta shells
- A pound of ground chicken
- Taco Seasoning Mix
- Favorite Cheeses
Tips
Here are my tips for a perfectly cooked Instant Pot Spicy Taco Pasta:
- Add enough water/broth/sauce so that most of the pasta is under the liquids
- For a well cooked pasta, pressure cook pasta for half the time on the pasta box
- For Al dente pasta, pressure cook for half the time on the pasta box minus 1 minute
- Always add cheese after the pasta is done pressure cooking
- Quick releasing after pressure cooking will avoid overcooking the pasta
Vegetarian
How to make vegetarian Spicy Taco Pasta?
- Substitute ground chicken with soy granules or a can of rinsed and drained black beans and a cup of frozen corn or diced mushrooms or zucchini
- Stir in diced red/green/yellow/mixed peppers after the pressure cooking cycle is complete
Process
Step by Step Instant Pot Spicy Taco Pasta Recipe:
Step 1: Turn Instant Pot to Sauté mode and heat oil. Add onions and jalapeños. Sauté for 2-3 mins.Add ground chicken. Break chicken which the spatula. Add taco seasoning and mix everything together.
Step 2: Add salsa, 4 cups chicken broth and pasta. Mix well and with the spatula push the pasta under the liquids. Make sure most of the pasta is under liquids for the pasta to cook well.
Step 3: Close Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Cook on Manual/Pressure cook (Hi) for 3 mins. Note – cook time for the pasta shells we used was 7 minutes.
Quick release and open Instant Pot. Stir in the cheeses and garnish with cilantro. Enjoy hot!
I rarely catch my two boys together cooking in the kitchen with me. But when that happens we create the most fun memories and a delicious meal!
Here are boys together cooking and recording the footage:
So proud to have this new recipe that the boys cooked in addition to the buffalo chicken chili and citrusy lentil soup!
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Instant Pot Spicy Taco Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 to 2 jalapeños diced
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 pound pasta we used pasta shells
- 2 tablespoon taco seasoning mix love trader joe’s
- 2.5 cup salsa
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese grated
- 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese grated
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to sauté mode and heat oil. Add onions and jalapeños. Sauté for 2-3 mins.
- Add ground chicken. Break chicken with the spatula. Add taco seasoning and mix everything together.
- Add salsa, chicken broth and pasta. Mix well and with the spatula push the pasta under the liquids. Make sure most of the pasta is under liquids for the pasta to cook well.
- Close Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Pressure cook for 3 mins. Note: Cook time for the pasta shells we used was 7 minutes.
- Quick release and open Instant Pot. Stir in the cheeses and garnish with cilantro.
Video
Notes
- Add enough water/broth/sauce so that most of the pasta is under the liquids
- For well-cooked pasta, pressure cook pasta for half the time on the pasta box
- For Al dente pasta, pressure cook for half the time on the pasta box minus 1 minute
- Always add the cheese after the pasta is done pressure cooking
- Quick releasing after pressure cooking will avoid overcooking the pasta
Vegetarian Variation
This versatile recipe is easy to make vegetarian:- Substitute ground chicken with a can of rinsed and drained black beans and a cup of frozen corn or diced mushrooms or zucchini. I also like to add a cup of diced peppers for a pop of color.
Nutrition
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Umme abdullah says
If I want to reduce the pasta quantity to half and keep the rest of the recipe same, how much water/broth do you recommend I add?
Archana says
Just enough water/broth so most of the pasta is under liquids
MK says
Loved this meal!! Accidentally added a little too much liquid, but saute’d a bit after quick release and used a slotted spoon for serving. It wasn’t noticeable. We used more onion and added two bell peppers at the beginning, and added a can of kidney beans right after the pasta (we used macaroni, no issues: same cooking time as suggested here) for some extra fiber. Everything cooked together so well! This dish will definitely become a mainstay in my household. I did need to add some more salt for taste, since we had so many things to soak up the flavor.
Archana says
Thank you!
Gayatri says
This looks so great! If using soy granules, when do you add those?
Thank you!
Archana says
I would add them after sautéing onions
Jessica says
Absolutely love this recipe! Both the vegetarian and meaty versions are complete hits with my family. Easy, delicious, and quick to prepare. It’s a perfect weeknight meal or something to prep on the weekend and reheat throughout the week!
Nan says
I tried your recipe and the taste was very good. Thank You. Only problem was I got the ‘burn’ warning twice in my IP and i had to empty the contents to another bowl . Then washed the IP vessel and tried again. Had the same problem. After my second try the pasta was cooked. What did I do wrong? This happened another time with my mac and cheese too but it was not your recipe. It happened only with my pasta dishes and now I am hesitant cook pasta dishes in IP.
Archana says
Layer over salsa or tomato sauce on top. Do not mix in. This will resolve the burn problem with newer instant pots
Meena says
Made the vegetarian version (using black beans, mushrooms and bell peppers) for my family a few days ago and it was amazing! Followed your directions to a T, including making sure to layer the salsa over the mixed pasta and broth to prevent burning issues. IMO, adding in the bell peppers in raw at the end of cooking heightens this dish so much that I recommend trying it out even if you’re sticking to the chicken version. The residual heat is enough to cook them slightly, but still retain their crunchiness, which complements the cheesy pasta SO WELL. Thank you so much Archana for another hit 🙂
Bindi says
Hi.. what kind of salsa do u use ? Want to clarify salsa plus Taco seasoning and tomato sauce?
Archana says
Any red tomato salsa works. I usually use trader joe’s or whole foods brand