Instant Pot “In Case I Die” Casserole

Instant Pot “In Case I Die” Casserole is a tex mex casserole that makes enough for 2 pans…one for now and one to freeze for later. With a few pantry friendly ingredients and a couple fresh items you can make this for dinner tonight.

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Instant Pot “In Case I Die” Casserole

I’m sure you’re wondering about the title of this recipe! Do you ever think to yourself “I need to make a document that contains all the information my family would need to know in case I die”? There are so many things that us moms do for our families we sometimes wonder what they would do without us. For example, how could they find their shoes that are sitting in the entryway or the milk that is right in front of their faces without us? 😂 One of my blogger friends has a physical file folder that is entitled “in case I die” that tells her husband what to do with her blog in case she dies.

My friend Eden makes all sorts of casseroles and saves half for now and half for later (which she freezes). She calls the casseroles in her freezer “death casseroles.” I asked her the story behind the death casseroles and she said, “Ha ha. The story is really just whenever I’d make any extra casseroles and freeze them, I would let Scott know I made one and it’s in the freezer for him in case I die…so he wouldn’t starve 🙂
He started calling them the death casseroles. The casseroles are nothing specific, just ones he could pop in the oven because he doesn’t cook…at all!”

With all jokes aside, these kinds of casserole recipes truly come in handy on those busy days when you don’t feel like cooking or you are too busy to cook. They are also perfect if you’re giving one away to a friend. One for your family, one for their family. This particular casserole has ground beef, rice, enchilada sauce, beans and cheese. It tastes great topped with diced tomatoes, cilantro and sour cream.

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Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• Lean ground beef (I used 80/20)–or ground turkey
• Diced onion–or 2 Tbsp dehydrated onion flakes
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Chili powder
• Cumin
• Garlic powder
• Beef broth–or water and Better than Bouillon beef base
• Long grain white rice–or converted rice (or 1 1/2 cups brown rice)
• Tomato paste
• Ranch style beans with jalapenos–or try using Bush’s Chili Beans
• Red enchilada sauce–I used mild. You can also use green enchilada sauce.
• Colby Jack cheese–or another type of cheese like cheddar, monterey jack, mozzarella, pepper jack
• Cherry tomatoes–or roma tomatoes
• Cilantro
• Sour cream and salsa–for topping

Steps

1. Brown the ground beef: Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and onion. Use a spoon to break up the meat. Brown for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease.
2. Season the beef: Stir in the salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin and garlic powder. 
3. Deglaze the pot: Pour in the broth and scrape the bottom of the pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off sauté setting.
4. Layer in ingredients: Sprinkle in the rice. Add in the tomato paste, beans and enchilada sauce, don’t stir.
5. 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 for white rice or 25 minutes for brown rice. When time is up let the pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
6. Get cheesy: Stir well. Spread the mixture into a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Alternately, you can just sprinkle the cheese into the pot and let it melt on the “keep warm” setting. 
7. Garnish and serve: Sprinkle the tomatoes and cilantro on top and serve topped with sour cream and a little salsa. This makes a good filling for tortillas or with Fritos or tortilla chips. 

Freezing and Baking Instructions

This recipe makes a good freezer meal for later. You can eat half now and save half for later in a square baking dish. Spread the cooked mixture into a baking dish and cover tightly with plastic wrap and then foil. Label and freeze. When ready to cook, thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking. Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove the plastic wrap and foil and replace the foil. Bake, covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle cheese on top and bake an additional 10 minutes. Serve topped with tomatoes and cilantro.

Variation Ideas

• Try topping with sliced olives.
• Try using V8 juice in the place of broth.
• Try making this meatless! Add in 2 cans of beans instead of 1 and leave out the ground beef. Use 2 Tbsp dried onion in the place of the fresh onion. No sautéing steps necessary!
• Instead of a can of enchilada sauce try using a cup of Pace Picante sauce.
• Instead of using a can of ranch style beans try using a can of pinto or black beans or chili beans.
• Try adding in a can of diced tomatoes or Rotel.
• Try using pasta instead of rice. Orzo or elbow macaroni are good options. Use 8 ounces of pasta (half a box) in the place of rice and use 2 cups of broth.
• Try serving the rice mixture as a filling for burritos. Roll up the mixture in soft tortillas and enjoy now or wrap in foil and freeze for later.

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More Freezer Meal Recipe Ideas…

• Instant Pot Celebration Casserole
• Inflation Navigation Casserole
• Instant Pot Honey Sesame Chicken
• Instant Pot Friendship Casserole
• 3 Dump And Go Instant Pot Freezer Meals
• 16 Freezable Slow Cooker Dinners (With Instructions To Make Ahead, Freeze, And Then Cook)

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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.