Instant Pot Picky Child Casserole–cheesy pasta with smoked sausage, a flavorful sauce and beans. Kids and adults will both love this dinner!
Instant Pot Picky Child Casserole
This recipe is a spin-off of a dinner I remember eating at times as a child. I loved it so much! It was a box of mac and cheese with cut up hot dogs in it. Haha! Did you eat this dinner when you were growing up? Today’s recipe is a delicious homemade version of that dinner from when I was a kid. Instead of using boxed mac we make homemade and instead of hot dogs we use smoked sausage. Then there’s the addition of a homemade sloppy joe sauce that just gives a little variety and acidity to the dish. I really loved this dinner and it was one of those dishes that I just kept sneaking more bites of. My family scraped the pot clean and were sad when it was gone. If you have an inner picky child that you need to feed today try this recipe out! I think you’ll love it.
Related: Kids’ Most Requested Instant Pot Dinners
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Olive oil
- Smoked sausage–or hot dogs or kielbasa
- Onions
- Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
- Elbow macaroni–or rotini or shells
- Kidney beans–or pinto beans. You can also leave the beans out.
- Ketchup–I like Heinz
- Worcestershire
- Chili powder
- Yellow mustard–or dijon
- Cheddar cheese–I like to use medium or sharp
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the oil and swirl it around. Add in the sausage and brown for about 3 minutes. Add in the onions and fry for about 3 more minutes.
Pour in the broth and scrape the bottom of the pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
Sprinkle in the macaroni.
Dump in the kidney beans. In a small bowl stir together the ketchup, worcestershire, chili powder and mustard. Dump the mixture into the pot.
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 cheese until melty.
Serve and enjoy with a side of crispy tater tots.
Notes/Tips
- Serve with raw veggies and dip. We love carrots, celery, snap peas and bell peppers.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- I love using my air fryer* to cook the tater tots. They come out perfectly crispy every time!
- 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 macaroni noodles are Instant Pot Working Mom’s Soup and Instant Pot Breakfast Mac And Cheese.
More Instant Pot Kids Favorites…
Instant Pot Million Dollar Spaghetti
Spaghetti but a whole lot better. A ground beef sauce is served with spaghetti noodles and then cream cheese is stirred in for an ultimate creamy dinner. Kids and adults love this spaghetti!
“My Kids Favorite Casserole”
Cheesy pasta, smoked sausage and vegetables make an easy one pot meal that kids love! Make it in your Instant Pot in just a few minutes. Pin this recipe for later! “My Kids Favorite Casserole” Instant Pot Recipe I came across a recipe called “My Kids Favorite Casserole” as I was perusing the internet. I
Instant Pot Alphabet Soup
A grown-up, homemade version of your favorite childhood soup. This soup only has a handful of ingredients and is perfect on a chilly day.
Instant Pot Big Mac Sloppy Joes
An easy, dump and go recipe for a sloppy joe dinner with such amazing flavor thanks to homemade McDonald’s Big Mac Secret Sauce. You might want to double this recipe!
Instant Pot 3-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese
Creamy, cheese mac and cheese with toasted panko breadcrumbs on top.
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 Picky Child Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 24 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
Cheesy pasta with smoked sausage, a flavorful sauce and beans. Kids and adults will both love this dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 (12 oz) package smoked sausage, cut into quarter inch slices
- 1 cup diced onions
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup (4 ounces) uncooked elbow macaroni
- 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 Tbsp worcestershire
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 Tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Tater tots, cooked until crispy (optional)
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the oil and swirl it around. Add in the sausage and brown for about 3 minutes. Add in the onions and fry for about 3 more minutes.
- Pour in the broth and scrape the bottom of the pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Sprinkle in the macaroni. Dump in the kidney beans. In a small bowl stir together the ketchup, worcestershire, chili powder and mustard. Dump the mixture into the pot.
- 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 cheese until melty. Serve and enjoy with a side of crispy tater tots.
- Category: Pasta
- 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.
This had a very odd taste to it. I was wondering how these flavors were going to come together for this dish and they didn’t come together well. All 3 of my kids tried one bite and wouldn’t touch it again. I ate it because I made it, but it was not a good dish.
I’m sorry I’m not rating your recipe because I m looking for ideas for to substitute the smoked sausage. Kids will only eat mild, sweet Italian sausage. I buy the links not the ground. Would using Italian sausages effect the cook time? Other meat suggestions? Thank you.
I think that would work just fine…is the meat cooked already? If not I would brown it first.
Karen; I love all your recipes …. My kids and grand kids came over for a visit … they saw the picture of the tater tots in the “picky child’s casserole” and couldn’t get past the tater tots that must now go with the casserole, . so we had to go to the grocery store for the tots (and some ice cream). We all love tater tots.
Jim Bob.
you are a great grandpa Jim Bob!!! ice cream and tots…what more could they want?!
interesting combination. really good flavor
Definitely make again. should have doubled it, went really fast
ours went too fast also!
Karen when I see picky child I think of my brother. There was a time when we were children when all he would eat were mustard sandwiches. I was embarrassed as I was afraid everyone would think that’s all we could afford to feed him. At our family doctor’s office once my mom said to the doc, “all Mark will eat are mustard sandwiches” hoping the doc would tell Mark he needed to eat better. But instead the doc said “Good isn’t it Mark?” Fortunately he outgrew the pickiness as an adult.
Oh I am laughing right now reading this! The doctor’s response cracks me up!