Instant Pot Grieving Heart Casserole

Instant Pot Grieving Heart Casserole–a comforting casserole with chicken, pasta, spinach, a creamy sauce and french-fried onions.

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Instant Pot Grieving Heart Casserole

Losing a loved one is never easy, and during this difficult time, it can be hard to find the energy to cook and prepare meals. That’s why bringing a casserole or dinner to someone who has recently experienced a loss is a thoughtful gesture that can bring comfort and ease during this challenging time.

Casseroles are a popular choice for these situations because they are easy to prepare, transport, and reheat. They can be customized to suit different dietary needs, preferences, and tastes.

Today’s recipe is a fantastic pasta dish that has the best creamy sauce and the crispy onions on the top complete the dish. The pepper jack cheese gives the pasta some zippy flavor. It’s anything but boring. Plus it’s easy to make in the Instant Pot and take in a 9×13 inch pan to a friend that’s having a hard day. It freezes well for another day too. You may want to make half for today and save half for another day.

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
• Cavatappi pasta–or penne or bowtie pasta
• Spinach–fresh or frozen. You don’t need to thaw the frozen.
• Cream cheese
• Chopped, cooked chicken–I use rotisserie chicken
• Sour cream
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Egg
• Shredded parmesan cheese
• Shredded pepper jack cheese–or monterey jack cheese
• French-fried onions–like the kind you put on green bean casserole.

Steps

Pour broth into Instant Pot. Dump in the pasta, cream cheese, chicken and spinach. 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 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.

In a bowl stir together the sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, egg and parmesan until smooth and creamy. Stir the mixture into the pot.

Stir in the pepper jack cheese.

And half of the onions. 

Sprinkle the remaining onions on top. Serve and enjoy! (If I’m giving this away then I put it in a 9×13 inch pan. Then I bake the top so it gets a little browned…about 5 minutes at 350 degrees).

Notes/Tips

• This recipe makes a full 9×13 inch pan. If you’d like you can easily halve the recipe by cutting all ingredients in half and keeping the cooking time the same. 
• If I’m giving this casserole away then I put it in a 9×13 inch pan. Then I bake the top so it gets a little browned…about 5 minutes at 350 degrees. I cover it tightly with foil with the instructions to “keep in the oven on the warm setting until ready to eat.”
• Consider bringing disposable containers* or dishes that they can easily throw away.
• Serve with a side of vegetables like broccoli, asparagus or green beans. You can also serve it with garlic bread, if desired.
• I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in an 8 quart pot. Halve the recipe if using a 3 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.

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More Casseroles for Grieving Families…

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. 

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*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.