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
- 1-2 jalapeños diced
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 pound pasta we used pasta shells
- 2 tablespoon taco seasoning mix love trader joe’s
- 2-1/2 cup salsa
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth or water or half and half
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese grated
- 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese grated
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Video
Notes
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 Variation
This versatile recipe is easy to make vegetarian:- 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
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!