Instant Pot Drive Thru Casserole

Instant Pot Drive Thru Casserole–Skip the drive thru! Make this instead. You’ll still get that savory, cheesy, late-night-taco-inspired flavor you’re craving with this easy Instant Pot dinner.

Pin this recipe for later!

Instant Pot Drive Thru Casserole

Instant Pot Drive Thru Casserole is a mouthwatering meal that is perfect for summertime! If you’re busy and you’re tempted to go through a taco drive-thru for dinner force the wheel home and make this easy and satisfying dish instead.

This dish features a base of seasoned ground beef or turkey, cooked until browned and infused with a tantalizing blend of spices such as cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and oregano. The meat forms a hearty foundation, adding depth and richness to the dish.

Another essential element is the addition of pinto beans which contribute an earthy flavor. The beans also boost the nutrition by adding fiber and protein to the dish.

We have found a new favorite tortilla chip in our household and I suggest you try them! It’s the Don Julio Lightly Seasoned Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips. They are so tasty alone and tasty with meals like this one.

In addition you can get creative with lots of toppings. The toppings I recommend are shredded cheese, crisp lettuce, diced tomatoes (or pico), sour cream and diced avocado.

This meal is a combination of savory meat, crisp lettuce, melted cheese, and satisfyingly crunchy chips which make it a crowd favorite that is sure to leave everyone wanting seconds.

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• Lean ground beef–I used 90/10. You can also use ground turkey.
• Onion–yellow or white
• Chili powder
• Cumin
• Dried oregano
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Garlic powder
• Smoked paprika
• Beef broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
• Pinto beans–or black or kidney beans
• Salsa–or picante sauce
• Corn meal–used as a thickener, can also be left out
• Tortilla chips–or Fritos
• Iceberg lettuce–or Romaine lettuce
• Shredded cheddar cheese–or another cheese like colby jack, monterey jack or mexican blend
• Tomatoes
• Avocado
• Sour cream
• Pickled jalapenos–I buy the tamed variety found by the pickles

Steps

Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up.

Add in the onions, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.

Brown for about 5 minutes. 

Pour in the beef broth and scrape the bottom of the pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.

Dump in the beans. Dump the salsa on top of the beans. Sprinkle the corn meal on top of the salsa. Don’t stir.

Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.

Stir well. 

On each plate layer the following: tortilla chips, meat mixture, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, sour cream and jalapenos. Eat and enjoy!

Notes/Tips

• This was an all in one pot type of meal for us. If you’d like to serve it with something consider a slice of cornbread and honey butter and some cut up fresh fruit like watermelon.
• I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• This is an easy recipe to double so you can have extra taco meat for another day! It’s perfect for burritos, tacos, taco salad, nachos, etc.
• Other recipes you can make with cornmeal are cornbread, Instant Pot Corn Dog Casserole and Instant Pot Dr Pepper Chili.
• Get creative with what toppings you use. Some additional options are olives, cilantro, guacamole, pico de gallo, chopped red onion, chopped green onion, hot sauce and lime wedges.
• Instead of serving this over tortilla chips you can serve this over hot cooked rice, tortillas or just a bed of lettuce.
• This recipe can be gluten free if you use gluten free tortilla chips.

More Instant Pot Taco Inspired Recipes…

Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for. 

Pin this recipe for later!

Print

Pin this recipe for later!

*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.