Gossip Casserole–a quick Instant Pot taco-style beef and rice bowl made with Rice-a-Roni, tomato sauce, and corn, finished with your favorite toppings like cheese, sour cream, and salsa.
Gossip Casserole
These are the days I’m going to miss! My son just finished his junior year of high school. I love having his friends over. We are always breaking out the leftovers and warming them up to feed these hungry teenage boys around our kitchen island. I always have to get the “tea” (gossip) from the kids to find out what is going on in their lives. As we sat around the counter eating this taco-inspired meaty meal we chatted it up and enjoyed the gossip. You should make this recipe because it’s an easy, no-fuss weeknight meal that comes together fast in the Instant Pot with pantry staples, delivers comforting Tex-Mex flavors, and lets everyone customize their own bowl with simple toppings. And there is minimal cleaning up!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Lean ground beef–or ground turkey, ground pork
- Onion
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Water–or stock, broth
- Mexican style Rice-a-Roni
- Tomato sauce
- Frozen sweet corn
- For topping: shredded cheddar, sour cream, diced green onions, salsa
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onions, salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. Brown for 5 minutes.
Pour in the water and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
Sprinkle in the contents of the rice-a-roni box. Then dump the tomato sauce and corn on top. 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 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
Stir well. Scoop onto plates and top with desired toppings.
Notes/Tips
- Serve with shredded lettuce, tomatoes and seasoned black beans/refried beans.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- Layer the rice, tomato sauce, and corn as directed to help everything cook evenly and avoid sticking.
- Add a pinch of cayenne or diced green chilies if you want more heat.
- Set up a topping bar with cheese, sour cream, salsa, green onions, avocado, jalapeños, etc., so everyone can customize.
- Wrap it in a tortilla or serve over nachos the next day.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with frozen corn are Historical Casserole and Bachelor Casserole.
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.
Gossip Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes (plus 5-10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
A quick Instant Pot taco-style beef and rice bowl made with Rice-a-Roni, tomato sauce, and corn, finished with your favorite toppings like cheese, sour cream, and salsa.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup diced onions
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 (6.4 oz) box Mexican style Rice-a-Roni
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn
- For topping: shredded cheddar, sour cream, diced green onions, salsa
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onions, salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. Brown for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the water and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Sprinkle in the contents of the rice-a-roni box. Then dump the tomato sauce and corn on top. 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 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir well. Scoop onto plates and top with desired toppings.
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot
More Instant Pot taco inspired recipes…
Instant Pot Taco Tuesday Casserole
An easy one pot meal of taco seasoned ground beef with rice, roasted garlic enchilada sauce, beans and corn. The casserole is topped with tomatoes, cheese, sour cream and Fritos for a delicious week night meal.
Emily’s Taco Casserole
A super speedy dinner with seasoned ground beef, beans, chips, cheese and tomatoes. Perfect for a busy weeknight!
Instant Pot Walking Tacos
Try walking tacos if you need a quick meal on the go! Tacos are served straight from a bag of Doritos. This is a great meal for family reunions, camps, parties or just a family dinner. Clean up is fast and easy!
Greg’s Taco Lasagna
Layers of tortillas, seasoned ground meat, black beans, refried beans and cheese. A delicious and fun way to enjoy the flavors of tacos!
Taconite Casserole
Beef and pasta with a taco flare made fast in the Instant Pot.
*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.
can this be made in a slow cooker / Crock-Pot thank you in advance
could you make this in a slow cooker instead?
sure you could try that. Here’s how:
Slow Cooker Version:
Ingredients: Same as original.
Instructions:
Brown the beef and onions first. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef with onions, salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder until beef is no longer pink. Drain excess grease if needed.
Transfer to slow cooker. Add the browned meat and onion mixture to your slow cooker.
Add remaining ingredients:
Sprinkle in the contents of the Rice-a-Roni box (including the seasoning packet).
Pour in 1¼ cups water, tomato sauce, and frozen corn. Stir gently to combine.
Cook on LOW for 4–5 hours or HIGH for 2–3 hours, until rice is tender and liquid is mostly absorbed.
Before serving: Give everything a good stir. If it’s a bit watery, you can leave the lid off for the last 15–20 minutes on HIGH to let some of the liquid evaporate.
Serve with toppings: shredded cheddar, sour cream, green onions, salsa—whatever you like.