Instant Pot Fiesta Beef Casserole–ground beef, brown rice, beans and Rotel make up this easy and delicious weeknight meal. Don’t forget your favorite toppings to bring it to the next level!

Instant Pot Fiesta Beef Casserole
Any type of Mexican dish is a hit with the family and this one was no exception. This dish is easy for any level of cook to make. A layer of beefy rice is topped with a creamy sauce of beans, tomatoes and green chiles. When you add cheese and sour cream to the top it brings it to a 5 star level.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Lean ground beef–or ground turkey
- Diced onions–or 2 Tbsp dry minced onions
- Salt and pepper
- Brown rice–you can also use another type of rice, see notes for how
- Chicken broth–or beef broth
- Black beans–or pinto beans, kidney beans
- Cream of chicken soup–or cream of mushroom soup or 4 ounces of cream cheese
- Rotel–or 1 cup of Pace Picante sauce
- Diced green chiles
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Toppings: shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese, diced avocado, sour cream and tortilla chips
The Basic Steps
- Brown the beef using the saute “more” setting.
- Deglaze the pot.
- Place a tall trivet* into the pot. This will keep the pot-in-pot dish up and above the rice.
- In a pot-in-pot dish (I used a 7 inch by 3 inch cake pan*) add the beans, cream of chicken soup, Rotel, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, garlic power and onion powder. Stir well. Place the dish on top of the trivet.
- Pressure cook.
- Scoop the beef rice onto a plate. Ladle a generous portion of the bean mixture over the top. Top with cheese, sour cream, avocados and tortilla chips. Enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Can I use another type of rice? Yes you can. See the green chart below to see how much liquid you need per cup of rice and change the cooking times accordingly.
- Can I just cook it all together instead of doing the pot-in-pot method? I haven’t tried this method but I think it would work. Do step 1 and 2. Then dump the beans evenly over the rice. Dump in the rotel evenly. Sprinkle in the the seasonings. Then scoop the cream of chicken soup over the top. Do not stir. Pressure cook for 22 minutes with a 10 minute natural pressure release (brown rice).
- Serve with shredded lettuce, dice tomatoes or pico, sliced avocados, tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream.
- To make this gluten-free use 4 ounces of cream cheese instead of cream of chicken soup.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in an 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 brown rice are Salsa Rice and Brown Rice Pilaf With Chicken Sausage.
- Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.


More Instant Pot Ground Beef Recipes…
Instant Pot Cowboy Spaghetti
Easy spaghetti recipe with bacon, ground beef, Rotel, barbecue sauce and cheese. A hearty pasta dish that comes together quickly with the help of your Instant Pot.
Acapulco Delight
Acapulco Delight is a layered casserole with seasoned ground beef, rice, refried beans, sour cream, olives and cheese. Your Instant Pot helps get this recipe going in the shortest time possible!
Instant Pot Cowboy Stew
A hearty stew with smoked sausage, ground beef, bacon, corn and beans. You can make this in the Instant Pot or the slow cooker.
NYC Chopped Cheese Sandwich
Browned ground beef with melty cheese and caramelized onions served on a toasted bun and topped with mayo, ketchup, lettuce and tomatoes. An Instant Pot version of the NYC chopped cheese sandwich.
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 Fiesta Beef Casserole
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 47 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Ground beef, brown rice, beans and Rotel make up this easy and delicious weeknight meal. Don’t forget your favorite toppings to bring it to the next level!
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced onions or 2 Tbsp dry minced onions
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups brown rice
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth or beef broth
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup
- 1 (1o oz) can Rotel
- 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Toppings: shredded cheddar, diced avocado, sour cream and tortilla chips
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the ground beef and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown the beef for about 5 minutes. Lightly salt and pepper the beef.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Sprinkle in the rice.
- Place a tall trivet* into the pot.
- In a pot-in-pot dish (I used a 7 inch by 3 inch cake pan*) add the beans, cream of chicken soup, Rotel, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, garlic power and onion powder. Stir well. Place the dish on top of the trivet.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 22 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Carefully remove the pot-in-pot dish and set aside. Move the trivet out of the pot. Stir the rice.
- Scoop the beef rice onto a plate. Ladle a generous portion of the bean mixture over the top. Top with cheese, sour cream, avocados and tortilla chips. Enjoy!
- Category: Beef
- 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.
I followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious! It also makes a ton of food! Lots of leftovers. I’m wondering why Pot-in-Pot? Could all those ingredients just be put on top of the rice/beef mixture? I stirred them in when I served the meal anyway? Would it work and would any time adjustments need to be made?
★★★★★
Yes you could do it that way. I would dump and not stir the ingredients on top of the rice so that you don’t get the burn error message. Same cooking time!
Thanks, Karen. That’s how I figured I could do it. Just one update to my review. As I said, its makes a ton of food. I ate it three nights and put the rest in two freezer containers. It reheats very well in the microwave!
★★★★★
Loved it. I did cut the cumin and chili powder down to 2 tsp each. I used a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes and a small drained can of green chiles. It made 4 generous servings for my husband and me, for 2 dinners. Topped it with 1/2 of a sliced avocado each, shredded cheddar, and sour cream. Also did the Pot in pot with converted white rice and 3 cups water with Better than Beef bouillon. Delicious, Filling and satisfying. A definite repeat.
★★★★★
Love the pot in pot rice idea!! Two birds with one stone 🙂
I would like to do this in my crockpot…will the rice get mushy?
Honestly I’ve had mixed results in the crockpot with rice. So it could either be mushy, crunchy or perfect! Depends on the slow cooker!
If I use white rice would I change the cook time in the instant pot?
Yes you can. Karen has a chart above the recipe in the notes/tips area of the instructions. It’s green and it’s an instant pot rice cooking times cheat sheet. High pressure, 8 minutes, short grain and 3 minutes long grain. The liquid changes too. More for white rice than brown. so for 2 cups of white rice it looks like you’ll need 3 cups of broth. Same release method. If you long press on the cheat sheet you can save it.
★★★★★
yep! Jason is right! Thanks Jason.
Thank you for all your amazing recipes Karen. Your hard work is very appreciated!
I would love to make this recipe but i do not know what “Rotel” is. I’m from Toronto and can’t see it anywhere in our grocery stores.
Thank you
Hi Bruna, it is diced tomatoes with green chiles