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
Pro tips for 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
How to make vegetarian Spicy Taco Pasta?
- Substitute ground chicken with soy granules/can of rinsed and drained black beans/frozen corn/mushrooms/zuchinni
- Stir in diced red/green/yellow/mixed peppers after the pressure cooking cycle is complete.
Step by Step Instant Pot Spicy Taco Pasta Recipe:
- 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.
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 as a consequence!
Here are boys together cooking and recording the footage:
So proud to have this new recipe in addition to the buffalo chicken chili and citrusy lentil soup!
★ Have you tried this recipe? We love your feedback, Please click on the stars in the recipe card below to rate.
- 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
Turn Instant Pot to saute modw 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.
Recipe Video
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Author: Archana
Hey there! I am a techie turned recipe developer, cooking instructor, and food blogger. I love food and enjoy developing easy and healthy recipes for busy lifestyles. I live New Jersey with my husband and two sons.
Oh yum!! This looks very inviting, and so easy 🙂
Thank you Freda! It is simple and delicious
Can we make this without chicken like with veggies
Yes! You can add tofu or veggies like red peppers, green peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, corn etc!
i am confused a bit on the directions – it says…#4: Close Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Cook o Manual(Hi) for 3 mins. but #5 says Note- Cook time for the pasta shells we used was 7 minutes.
So which one should be used – 3 or 7 mins??
BTW, been trying your recipes one by one…so delicious!
Hi Enakshi! So the cook time for the pasta on the pasta box was 7 mins, which is stove top cook time. Since Pasta cooks much faster in Instant Pot, the cook time is shorter. So instead of cooking for 7 mins I cooked it for 3 minutes in the Instant Pot since I like it aldente. Basically IP cook time is cook time on Pasta Box divided by 2 for aldente and add another 1 min for fully cooked pasta. Hope this helps!
Thanks – that clears it up!
You are welcome! Let me know how you like it!
Made this tonight and it was yummy!
My box of pasta was just 375g so reduced the stock to 3cups.
Topped with diced tomatoes, avocado, green onion and cilantro.
Hi Carol! So glad you liked this pasta! It’s now a staple in my home. I love your colorful toppings!!
Never liked pasta..but your preparation is droolicious ?.. will give a try
Awesome! Let me know. I love a good spicy pasta!!
This sounds awesome and I have all the ingredients already. Thinking I may do gluten free pasta as a substitute. Can’t wait to try it!
Thank you! I love trader Joe’s gluten free brown rice pasta!!
Don’t miss it!!. If you have the ingredients so easy to make. Archana thanks for posting this.
Isn’t it so delicious And easy??
Yumm ! Can tou make kids mac and cheese in instant pot. Waiting ?
Hi Ramya! Yes you can make delicious mac n cheese in IP
I am gluten intolerant and have recently started using instant pot and your recipes have been so rewarding. Made a gf version of the taco pasta and DH loved it.
I tried the thai red curry chicken earlier this week and couldn’t believe how easy it was to make and how delicious it turned out. My friends who tasted it were amazed at how close it was to the restaurant flavors.
Planning on trying your Shrimp biryani recipe for lunch today. Can i use the shrimp frozen? Would it make the rice mushy?
Hi Prashati! So nice to get this note from you. I am glad that your family and enjoyed my recipes. You can def use frozen shrimp for the Biryani. It will come out great. Just make sure it does not have too much ice on it.
After seeing your dishes cooked in insta pot I am going to buy it!
You will enjoy the new cooking experience for sure!
Recipe says 2-1/2 cup salsa is that two and a half or 2 half cups. Sorry, not clear.
Hi Lubna, It is two and a half cup. Sorry for the confusion. Let me know if you have any other questions.
How many cups of pasta is this?
Jane, it is 2 and 3/4 cup. 1.1 LB of pasta
thanks, i burnt pasta in my instant pot once. any tips to not burn it? ?
Hi Jane, If you saute any onions garlic, make sure there are no burnt pics or the pot is not scorched. You can always deglaze with some water, And always put enough water so that most of the pasta is under water. Hope this helps and let me know how you like the taco pasta!
This is delicious! I played around with it a bit. I subbed 2-3 cups of sweet bell peppers for half the noodles, used a little less broth and more salsa, and doubled the seasoning. I literally want to wolf down the whole pot!
Hi Liz! Thank you for your lovely comments! I am SO happy you enjoyed this yummy taco pasta. Love your idea of adding lot of veggies, makes it so much healthier! Also you might enjoy the thai red curry recipe I have!
If I use scrambled tofu in place of the chicken, will it get soggy while the pasta is cooking?
Hi Amy, I would add it after the pasta is done cooking.
Hello! Do you need to fully cook the chicken before you add the pasta? Or will the pressure cooking process finish cooking the chicken along with the pasta?
Hi Sheela, you do not have to fully cook the chicken. It will be finished during pressure cooking.
can you add chicken breast instead of minced chicken
Yes, just cut it into small 1 inch cubes so they cook in the short pressure cook time.
will 6 quart be enough if we double the recipe?
I am not sure, sometimes with starchy recipes it’s a good idea to do 2 batches to avoid burning the bottom of the pot.
Will harissa salsa work with this?
Yes although depending I how spicy it is, you may want to reduce the quantity.
made this today on a cold and dull day.. used elbows, half n half harissa and medium salsa from trader joes. One of the best and easiest pastas i’ve made!
Thank you Archana! 🙂
Thank you for your lovely feedback! So glad to know that harissa salsa worked for this recipe.
We loved this recipe! My grocery store was out of ground chicken, so we substituted a pound of lean ground beef and added a can of drained and rinsed kidney beans with the pasta (because we like beans). Definitely going into our regular rotation!
Hi Jen,
Thank you for your lovely feedback. What a good idea to add in beans! So excited to hear that this will be in your regular rotation. My boys love to make and eat this pasta too and
Instant Pot makes it so much easier.
Hi! I was wondering how much is 1 pound of pasta? Meaning 1 pound uncooked or cooked?
Usually a whole box or bag of uncooked pasta
I want to try the vegetarian option, as per your recipe, I should add veggies after the pastas are cooked, how will the veggies get cooked than? Did I miss reading something.
Add veggies along with the pasta
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?
Just enough water/broth so most of the pasta is under liquids