Instant Pot Cattle Drive Casserole–-a hearty taco-seasoned ground beef and crescent roll casserole that will keep you full and ready to work all day long!
Instant Pot Cattle Drive Casserole
Oh my goodness this meal was so flavorful and filling! It definitely hit the spot! I think you’re going to love the layers of ground beef, rice, picante sauce, sour cream, green chiles and unrolled crescent rolls. The name cattle drive casserole is quite the name! Whether you’ve been on a cattle drive or not, the point of this chock-full dish is that it could sustain you during a cattle drive, if you went on one!
What do I need to make Instant Pot cattle drive casserole?
- ground beef or ground turkey
- taco seasoning or you can make homemade
- water
- converted rice or long grained white rice
- Pace’s Picante Sauce or you can use jarred salsa
- sour cream or plain yogurt
- mayonnaise or miracle whip
- mild green chiles
- A (8 oz) small tube of Pillsbury original crescent rolls or store brand
- shredded cheddar cheese or another favorite cheese of your choice
- Your Instant Pot*
- An air fryer lid* (if you have one! If not you can use your oven)
How do I make Instant Pot cattle drive casserole?
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting on “more”. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up*. If there is excess grease, drain it off. I used 90% lean ground beef so I didn’t drain any grease. Stir in 1 Tbsp of taco seasoning. Taste test and add more seasoning to taste. Different taco seasonings have different potency levels. I bought some taco seasoning in the bulk bins at Winco and it was so potent! But the McCormick’s brand doesn’t seem very strong.
- Pour in the water and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot. Sprinkle in the rice, don’t stir. Spoon picante sauce over the top of the rice. Don’t stir. This will help prevent the burn message.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Turn off Instant Pot.
- In a bowl stir together the sour cream, mayo and green chiles.
- Spoon the mixture evenly over the top of the Instant Pot contents.
- Open the package of crescent rolls and unroll them. Lay the dough flat over the top of sour cream mixture. Some portions of the dough will overlap but mostly it should be in one layer.
- Place air fryer lid on the top of Instant Pot liner. Cook for 8-9 minutes at 325° F, or until rolls are browned on top and cooked through. Sprinkle the cheese on the top and then use air fryer lid for 1 more minute to melt the cheese. If you don’t have an air fryer lid you can bake the crescent rolls separately in the oven according to directions on package. (If you use your oven, scoop the beef mixture over the top of the cooked crescent rolls and sprinkle each serving with a little cheese).
- Scoop onto plates and serve. Nom nom nom!
More Recipes You’ll Like…
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Instant Pot Cattle Drive Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
A hearty taco-seasoned ground beef and biscuit casserole that will keep you full and ready to work all day long!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1–3 Tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup converted rice or long grained white rice
- 1/2 cup Pace’s Picante Sauce (mild or medium)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 (4 oz) can mild green chiles
- 1 (8 oz) small tube of Pillsbury original crescent rolls
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. If there is excess grease, drain it off. Sprinkle in 1 Tbsp of taco seasoning. Taste test and add more seasoning to taste. Different taco seasonings have different potency levels.
- Pour in the water and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot. Sprinkle in the rice, don’t stir. Spoon picante sauce over the top of the rice.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Turn off Instant Pot.
- In a bowl stir together the sour cream, mayo and green chiles.
- Spoon the mixture evenly over the top of the Instant Pot contents.
- Open the package of crescent rolls and unroll them to lay the dough flat over the top of sour cream mixture. Some portions of the dough will overlap but mostly it should be in one layer.
- Place air fryer lid on the top of Instant Pot liner. Cook for 8-9 minutes at 325° F, or until rolls are browned on top and cooked through. Sprinkle the cheese on the top and then use air fryer lid for 1 more minute to melt the cheese. If you don’t have an air fryer lid you can bake the crescent rolls separately in the oven according to directions on package.
- Scoop onto plates and serve.
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot/Air fryer lid
*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.
What is the best way to drain grease from the instant pot? Thanks!
This is how I do it: Grease draining tip: Tilt the Instant Pot to one side while holding the ground meat against the other side with a wooden spoon. This should make most of the grease pool on the tilted side. Lower the Instant Pot down, the meat should stay to its side and the grease on the other. Place a couple paper towels into the grease and use the spoon to sop up the grease. Discard the paper towels.
Hi Karen,
Could this recipe be made without the mayonnaise?
Sure, just double the sour cream instead of adding mayo
Can I use instant minute rice instead, and a can of rotel with green chilies instead of the separate green chilies?
★★★★
Sure you could try that. I think the instant rice would only need a 1 minute pressure cook time with a 5 minute NPR.
How do you turn instant pot to 325°
Hi Carmen, it’s not the Instant Pot that is turned to 325 but the air fryer lid attachment that can be used on top of an Instant Pot. If you don’t have an air fryer lid you can bake the crescent rolls separately in the oven according to directions on package and then place them on top of the contents in the pressure cooker after the food has cooked.
I have an air fryer, but it doesn’t have a lid. It has a drawer you pull out. So, I made the crescents in the oven according to the directions. Not sure if the next step is to just open up the IP & spread the sour cream & chile mixture on top, then add the cheese. Then spoon the whole thing on a plate & top with rolls? Or put cheese on rolls & let it melt?
Yes that’s how I would do it! “open up the IP & spread the sour cream & chile mixture on top, then add the cheese. Then spoon the whole thing on a plate & top with rolls”
I’m going to convert this recipe to stovetop and oven use only. The recipe sounds amazing. I’ll also need to double the amounts. I’ll prepare the taco meat in a skillet. And use a glass casserole dish to layer everything else in the oven.
Cool! Let me know how it goes!
Id like to avoid the whole process of using the oven (don’t alhavevan air fryer lid…)
Can I use a lodge Dutch oven lid instead?
I’m not familiar with the dutch oven lid. Is it just a lid? You’ll need a way to cook the crescent rolls.
Hi, I am unfamiliar with what “converted” rice is…
It’s also called parboiled rice and the most common brand is Uncle Ben’s in the orange box. Parboiled rice has been processed in its husk by soaking, steaming, and drying. As a result, all the nutrients from the husk are absorbed into the grain before it’s removed. The starch content alters in the process, making cooked parboiled rice less sticky than regular white rice. The rice kernels aren’t clumpy and glued together instead they are more separated. I found a bag of parboiled rice at Walmart next to the normal long grain white rice.