Instant Pot Easy Breezy Casserole–a dump and go chicken, vegetable and pasta dish with a creamy sauce.
Instant Pot Easy Breezy Casserole
The name of this dish comes from the fact that it’s just so simple and fast to make! I love easy dump and go recipes that are one pot meals and this definitely fit the bill! With protein, carbs and vegetables all in one dish it’s a winning weeknight dinner! The sauce is super tasty with the cream cheese and ranch dressing mix…it’s just a tasty combination.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon*
- Chopped, cooked chicken–like rotisserie chicken. Or you can make a batch of my Instant Pot Seasoned Shredded Chicken
- Uncooked elbow macaroni–you can also use another type of pasta like bowties, penne, rotini, etc.
- Minced dry onion
- Dry ranch dressing mix–I like the Hidden Valley brand and buy the big container at Costco
- Cream cheese–or Neufchatel
- Bag frozen California blend vegetables–or another type of frozen vegetables that you enjoy
- Sour cream–or plain yogurt
- Milk–to thin out as needed
- Garlic salt
Steps
- Dump ingredients into the pot: Pour broth into Instant Pot. Add in the chicken and sprinkle in the pasta. Sprinkle in the onions and ranch dressing mix. Add in the cream cheese. Don’t stir (to 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 4 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for 5 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Cook the vegetables according the the package directions. I chose to cook mine in the microwave. The reason I didn’t pressure cook the vegetables in with the pasta is because they will get overdone. Another idea is to place the vegetables in a pot-in-pot dish on top of the pasta.
- Finish it off: Stir the vegetables and sour cream into the Instant Pot. Stir in a little milk to thin out the mixture, if needed. Add garlic salt to taste.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with garlic toast and a side salad.
- 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 the other half of the cream cheese brick are Instant Pot Jalapeno Popper Chicken and Instant Pot Creamy Sloppy Joes.
- Other recipes you can make with ranch dressing mix are Instant Pot Mashed Ranch Cauliflower and Instant Pot Magic Beef.
5 More Instant Pot Pasta Chicken Recipes…
Costco Casserole (Instant Pot)
A super fast and easy dump and go Instant Pot recipe that uses the meat from a Costco rotisserie chicken. With noodles, chicken, cheese, ranch dressing mix and bacon it has tons of flavor and is a family favorite.
Instant Pot Chicken Ranch Mac & Cheese
Pasta with white cheddar, crumbled bacon and tender rotisserie chicken. A one pot meal that is a family favorite!
Instant Pot Asian Garlic Noodles
Chicken, garlic, mushrooms, spaghetti noodles and cabbage in a savory sauce. An easy way to have restaurant quality Asian noodles at home!
Instant Pot Monterey Spaghetti
Creamy chicken spaghetti with lots of flavor from Monterey jack cheese, seasonings and french-fried onions. This recipe is going to instantly be a family favorite!
Instant Pot Cheesecake Factory Da Vinci Pasta
Mushroom and chicken penne pasta with a tangy and creamy sauce.
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.
Instant Pot Easy Breezy Casserole
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Description
A dump and go chicken, vegetable and pasta dish with a creamy sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (like rotisserie chicken)
- 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni (about 2 cups)
- 1 Tbsp minced dry onion
- 3 Tbsp dry ranch dressing mix
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 (12 oz) bag frozen California blend vegetables
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Milk, to thin out as needed
- Garlic salt, to taste
Instructions
- Pour broth into Instant Pot. Add in the chicken and sprinkle in the pasta. Sprinkle in the onions and ranch dressing mix. Add in the cream cheese. 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 the pot sit for 5 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Cook the vegetables according the the package directions.
- Stir the vegetables and sour cream into the Instant Pot. Stir in a little milk to thin out the mixture, if needed. Add garlic salt to taste.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Category: Chicken
- Method: 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.
Hi, I’m wondering what I can substitute for the cream cheese? thank you
Perhaps you could stir in a half cup of sour cream after pressure cooking time is up?
I thought this solid recipe produced a tasty casserole. My daughter said she wanted a casserole with pasta (I used whole wheat), veggies, and cheese. Voila’ this worked and we thought it was really good. I don’t know exactly what the recipe tastes like as I didn’t have any cream cheese and I made this on our “meatless Monday” night so I didn’t use chicken. I used a combo of soft white cheese, mozzerella, and cheddar for the cheese. I used some plant based sausage instead of chicken and veggie Better Than Bouillion instead of chicken broth. I used carrots, grean beans, onion, garlic, and celery as my veggies. This recipe is highly adaptable to your own tastes. I did follow the rest of the directions as stated in the recipe. 4 minutes of pressure cooking with 5 minutes of natural release before the quick release made perfectly cooked pasta!
★★★★★
Yes! I love how adaptable it is! Thanks for the 5 stars 🙂
How would this be prepared to bake in the oven and for how long and at what temperature? Thank you
I would cook the pasta on the stovetop according to package directions.
Add the rest of the ingredients (no broth needed) in with the drained pasta and stir well. Spoon the mixture into a baking dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
I have frozen shredded cooked chicken, can I use that?
If so should I increase the time and by how much.
Thanks
You can keep the same cooking time and just break it up afterwards…should work great