Instant Pot Marry Me Casserole is a savory beef, pasta and cheese dish that is pantry friendly and an all in one pot meal.

Instant Pot Marry Me Casserole
Happy Valentines Day! I hope you have a lovely day with those your love. If you’re looking to please your sweetheart try out this “marry me” casserole. It’s so good you might just get a marriage proposal over it. It’s cozy and comforting and perfect for a night in. Pair the dish with garlic bread and a salad and you have an easy (and totally delicious) meal.
There is so much flavor in this beef, pasta and cheese dish. My family was going crazy over it. It’s a pantry friendly recipe and I had everything on hand to make it. The original recipe has cream of mushroom soup and condensed tomato soup in it. My version has great flavor and no condensed soups.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Lean ground beef–or ground turkey or ground pork
- Dried onion flakes–or 1 cup diced onion
- Garlic salt–or 1 part garlic powder to 3 parts salt
- Italian seasoning–or make your own
- Smoked paprika–worth the buy! So much flavor.
- Black pepper–or white pepper
- Chili powder
- Chicken or beef broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
- Worcestershire sauce
- Elbow macaroni–or another short cut pasta like penne, bowties, small shells etc.
- Tomato sauce–or spaghetti sauce
- Tomato paste
- Frozen sweet corn–or drained canned corn
- Heavy cream–or half and half
- Colby jack cheese–or cheddar
- Mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Brown the beef: 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. Add in the onions, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, pepper and chili powder. Stir to coat the meat well.
- Deglaze: Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking.
- Layer ingredients: Add in the Worcestershire. Sprinkle in the macaroni in an even layer. Use a spoon to gently submerge. Dump in the tomato sauce, tomato paste and corn. Don’t stir (this will help prevent the burn 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 pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Serve: Stir in the cream and cheeses. Serve and enjoy!
Notes:
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- To make this on the stove top: brown the ground beef over medium high heat in a large skillet. Stir in the seasonings, add in the broth, Worcestershire, macaroni, tomato sauce, tomato paste and corn. Cover the skillet and turn heat to low. Simmer for about 25 minutes, or until macaroni is cooked. Stir in the cheeses and serve.
- Pair with garlic toast and salad to round out the meal.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the meal for up to 3 months.

More Instant Pot Beef and Pasta Recipes…
Instant Pot Easy Does It Spaghetti
Instant Pot Tortellini Meatball Soup
Instant Pot Sour Cream Noodle Bake
Instant Pot American Delight Casserole
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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Instant Pot Marry Me Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 24 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
A savory beef, pasta and cheese dish that is pantry friendly and an all in one pot meal.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 cups chicken or beef broth
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
- 2 (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups frozen sweet corn
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- 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. Add in the onions, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, pepper and chili powder. Stir to coat the meat well.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking.
- Add in the Worcestershire. Sprinkle in the macaroni in an even layer. Use a spoon to gently submerge. Dump in the tomato sauce, tomato paste and corn. 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 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir in the cream and cheeses. Serve and 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.
Very good. I had wanted to make this for awhile and so glad to have finally made it.
I doubled it in an 8 quart I.P.
So glad you tried it and liked it Harry!
Yum. So delicious. This is going on my regular rotation.
★★★★★
Thanks for the 5 stars Jane!
This was yummy and simple! My husband and I ate it for several meals. I will definitely make it again!
★★★★★
So glad to hear it!
Definitely a “make again” meal! Was surprisingly tasty (no offense intended, just didn’t expect all the flavours to come together as they did) and 2.5 kids ate it all (always has to be that .5 of a kid…). I did have to make some adjustments for what I had on hand- used a jar of roasted garlic pasta sauce for the canned tomatoes, garlic powder for garlic salt (and salted to taste), and fusilli pasta for elbow macaroni. Only thing I’d change for next time is adding 12 oz of pasta instead of 8 oz. Really good!
★★★★★
Your version sounds amazing!!
I made this dish for my family, and they loved it. Will be added to the make again list. No more packaged version of this meal.
★★★★★
Wahooooo!
Some people like to call this “Goulash”