Deceivingly Delicious Casserole–ground beef, pasta and three cheese casserole that is better than it looks!
Deceivingly Delicious Casserole
My husband said to me after eating a bite, “this is deceivingly delicious!” I told him there was a secret ingredient in it that gave it some extra zing. The ingredient? Diced green chiles. I know, it seemed weird to add them into a pasta/Italian type of dish but it gives the dish extra flavor and I think you’ll really love it.
This dish starts with a beefy tomato sauce with orzo pasta and it is layered with a creamy, cheesy mixture of cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese. Finally the dish is topped with parmesan cheese. I went to bed last night with a few portions of the dish left and woke up this morning with the empty dish in the sink. I guess someone got hungry last night! Too bad, I was hoping to eat the leftovers for lunch today.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Lean ground beef–I used 93/7 beef. You can also use ground turkey.
- Dried onion–or 1 cup fresh diced onion
- Kosher salt
- Garlic powder–or granulated garlic
- Black pepper
- Beef broth–or water and Better than Bouillon beef base
- Orzo–or egg noodles
- Tomato sauce–or marinara sauce
- Cottage cheese–or ricotta cheese
- Cream cheese–room temperature
- Sour cream–or plain yogurt
- Diced green chiles
- Parmesan cheese
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onion, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Brown for about 5 minutes.
Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
Evenly sprinkle in the orzo.
Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 1 minute.
Meanwhile, in a bowl mix together the cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream and the green chiles. (I used this whisk*).
When time is up let pot sit for 3 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
Stir in the tomato sauce. It may be runny and the orzo might not be totally cooked…that’s okay!
In a 9×9 or 9×13 inch baking dish add half of the orzo beef mixture. Spoon the cottage cheese mixture over the top. Spread as best as you can.
Pour the rest of the orzo mixture over the top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Add the cheese on top and bake for 5 more minutes.
Let sit for 5 minutes and then serve.
Notes/Tips
- Serve with a green salad and garlic bread.
- 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.
- Other recipes you can make with orzo are At the Lake Casserole and Welcome Home Soup.
- Can I make this with another type of pasta? Yes. Try making this with egg noodles (1 minute pressure cook time). You can also make this any other short cut pasta. If you use another type of pasta you may need to adjust the cooking time. Here is the formula: look at the back of the box of pasta and see how many minutes it says to boil the pasta. If it’s 10 minutes you divide that number by 2 (=5) and then subtract 2 minutes. So you would pressure cook for 3 minutes.
- Try swapping out the parmesan and using mozzarella or cheddar instead.
- Garnish with green onions if you’re a fan.
More Instant Pot Beef and Pasta Recipes…
Company Beef Casserole
A creamy baked spaghetti with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Perfect for serving to guests!
Indiana Casserole
Instant Pot noodle casserole with tomatoes, mushrooms, ground beef, corn and cheese.
Kodiak Casserole
Egg noodles with ground beef, cheese and a few other interesting ingredients makes a saucy, hearty pasta dish. An easy Instant Pot recipe.
California Casserole
Penne pasta with tomatoes, spinach, corn, mushrooms, peppers, cheese and more! Make it fast in one pot, your Instant Pot.
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.
Deceivingly Delicious Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Ground beef, pasta and three cheese casserole that is better than it looks!
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 Tbsp dried onion
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups beef broth
- 8 ounces uncooked orzo
- 2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 4 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
Instant Pot and Oven:
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onion, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Brown for about 5 minutes.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Evenly sprinkle in the orzo.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 1 minute.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl mix together the cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream and the green chiles. (I used this whisk*).
- When time is up let pot sit for 3 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir in the tomato sauce.
- In a 9×9 or 9×13 inch baking dish add half of the orzo beef mixture. Spoon the cottage cheese mixture over the top. Spread as best as you can. Pour the rest of the orzo mixture over the top.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Add the cheese on top and bake for 5 more minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes and then serve.
Stove and Oven:
- Cook orzo until al dente according to package directions. Drain, rinse and set aside (you don’t need broth for stove version).
- Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onion, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Brown for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato sauce and the orzo. Turn stove to low and let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl mix together the cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream and the green chiles. (I used this whisk*).
- In a 9×9 or 9×13 inch baking dish add half of the orzo beef mixture. Spoon the cottage cheese mixture over the top. Spread as best as you can. Pour the rest of the orzo mixture over the top.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Add the cheese on top and bake for 5 more minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes and then serve.
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot and Oven
*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.
I have been enjoying your recipes for both the Slow Cooker and the Instant Pot for a few years now. I like every recipe I have tried, but Deceivingly Delicious Casserole takes the cake! I literally thought it couldn’t be THAT good, and it truly IS THAT good, so it earned its name! Thank you so much for all the recipes and insights you share!
By the way, I have made this dish several times and substituted condensed tomato soup for tomato sauce and grated Parmesan for shredded, and it worked like a charm!
Yay! So happy you have loved it! And tomato soup is great 🙂
I made this substituting ground turkey for the beef and egg noodles for the orzo (it was just what I had). I would just call it delicious and not deceivingly delicious 😋! it was reminiscent of lasagna. very easy and I would definitely make again, I loved the green chilies!
Yes! It’s the green chiles…makes it so yummy 🙂
I don’t have an insta pot. what are the directions for the slow. cooler?
there a stove top recipe if ya read it
This looks and sounds amazing what would your recommendation be as a substitute for the tomato sauce or marinara?
I don’t know! I’d be apprehensive to try anything different as it is a big part of the flavor profile
Darn that’s too bad all of your recipes look and sound absolutely amazing but with having a strict diet and not being able to eat pork or tomatoes of any kind along with other things is kinda depressing not being able to try them for myself
Hello Darcy. I haven’t tried this recipe yet. Have you considered a carrot and beet puree or garlic olive oil sauce instead of the tomato sauce? I think both of these could be a wonderful replacement for the tomato sauce.