Name: Instant Pot Crispy Cowboy Casserole
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 pound lean ground beef (or turkey); ¼ cup minced dried onion; 1 Tbsp Better than Bouillon Beef Base; ½ tsp smoked paprika; 1 ½ cups water; 1 cup converted or long grain white rice; 1 (15 oz) can beans of your choice, drained (pinto or kidney beans are good options); 1 (15 oz) can of corn, drained; 1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes (I used mild); 2 tsp garlic powder; 1 cup Pace’s picante sauce (I used mild); ½ cup shredded monterey jack cheese; ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese; 3 ounces french fried onions

Instant Pot Crispy Cowboy Casserole

One bite into this dinner Skyler said, “this is like insanely good!” That’s a high compliment! This rice and ground beef dish is super easy and you can use it to clean out your pantry too. My family gobbled this dinner up and all gave me compliments. That’s a good feeling!

This dinner will freeze well so if you’re only serving a couple of people you can use it for future lunches or dinners. Freeze in individual portions for a quick and easy “tv dinner.” The french fried onions will be soggy upon reheating so you may want to add a few fresh crispy onions to the top of your reheated dinner.

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

Lean ground beef—or turkey

Minced dried onion–or you can use 1 cup fresh diced onions and sauté them while you’re browning the ground beef

Better than Bouillon Beef Base

Smoked paprika

Salt and pepper

Water

Converted or long grain white rice–I used converted (parboiled) rice. I like to buy this in the bulk section at Winco or it can be found with the other types of rice in the orange Ben’s box. It is not minute rice.

Beans of your choice–pinto or kidney beans are good options

Can of corn–or a cup and a half of frozen corn

Rotel tomatoes—these are diced tomatoes with green chiles. I used mild. You can also use a can of diced tomatoes and a can of green chiles.

Garlic powder

Pace’s picante sauce–I used mild

Monterey jack cheese–I shredded mine off the block

Sharp cheddar cheese–I shredded mine off the block

French fried onions

Steps

Brown the meat: Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Brown for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease.

Season the meat: Stir in the onion, Better than Bouillon and smoked paprika to coat the meat. Lightly salt and pepper the meat.

Deglaze the pot: Pour in the water and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off saute setting.

Strategically add in ingredients: Sprinkle in the rice. Dump the beans, corn, Rotel and garlic powder on top, do not stir. This will prevent the burn error message.

Pressure cook: 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 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.

Finish if off: Stir well. Stir in the picante sauce and half of cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and finally the fried onions. Place an air fryer lid on top and air fry for 2 minutes at 375 degrees. (If you don’t have an air fryer lid you can scrape the mixture into a baking dish and bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 375 degrees).

Serve: Scoop onto plates and serve.

Notes/Tips

Cowboy casserole tastes great served with a side salad, green beans or another vegetable of your choice and a hunk of cornbread with honey butter.

I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo Crisp*. If you don’t have an air fryer lid you can let the cheese melt on it’s own using the keep warm setting or place the casserole in the oven for a few minutes.

Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

This recipe can be gluten-free if you don’t use french fried onions or find a gluten-free replacement.

You can omit the cheese if you’d like it to be dairy free.

Other recipes you can make with monterey jack cheese are Instant Pot Monterey Chicken and Instant Pot Queso Chicken.

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