Instant Pot Sissy Casserole–pasta shells with beef and cheese in a flavorful sauce. SO fast and easy thanks to your Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Sissy Casserole
You know it’s good when your son is eating the leftovers at 8 am straight out of the fridge. “Mom! This is so good!” Haha! This pasta dish has only 8 easy, pantry ingredients. The beef is browned and stirred together with onion soup mix. And the addition of Worcestershire gives it the yummy flavor.
As for the name, I got the original (oven baked) recipe from a recipe on AllRecipes.com and the author gives no explanation for the name of the recipe only that, “This casserole is very filling and a favorite with my family.” I’m wondering if she got the recipe from her sister? I don’t know! My version is a beefed up version of the original and is, of course, made in the Instant Pot. With only one pot to clean up at the end of dinner you’ll be doing the one pot dinner dance! And don’t forget you don’t need to turn on your oven or stove in this hot summer heat! It’s been 102° F here the past few days and for me that’s a no go on the oven being used.
Ingredients you’ll need to make Instant Pot Sissy Casserole
- 1 pound lean ground beef–you can also use ground turkey or pork
- 1 (1 oz) package onion soup mix–I used a packet of Lipton’s beefy onion soup mix. You can also make your own from scratch.
- 1 ¾ cups water or broth–you can use water or chicken, beef or veggie broth
- 8 oz shell pasta–you can also use elbow macaroni noodles or penne
- 2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce–you can also use spaghetti sauce
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce–for umami flavor
- 1 ½ cups frozen corn–to add color and little pops of sweetness. You can also use canned corn or canned cream corn.
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese–for the cheesy casserole goodness
How to make it:
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. When the display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Brown for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease (if there is any) Stir in the onion soup mix to coat the beef well.
- Pour in the water/broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. This will help prevent the burn message. Cancel off the sauté setting.
- Sprinkle in the pasta and gently press to submerge with a spoon. All of the pasta doesn’t need to be submerged. Dump tomato sauce, Worcestershire and corn on top. Don’t stir (again to prevent the burn message).
- 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 the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir well. Sprinkle cheese on top and serve.
More Instant Pot Pasta Recipes…
Instant Pot American Delight Casserole
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Instant Pot Sissy Casserole
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 19 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
Pasta shells with beef and cheese in a flavorful sauce. SO fast and easy thanks to your Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 (1 oz) package onion soup mix
- 1 3/4 cups water or broth
- 8 oz shell pasta
- 2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When the display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Brown for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in the onion soup mix.
- Pour in the water and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Sprinkle in the pasta and gently press to submerge. Dump tomato sauce, Worcestershire and corn on top. 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 the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir well. Sprinkle cheese on top and serve.
Notes
I used a 6 quart pot but you can make this with no changes in the 8 or 3 quart pot as well.
- 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.
Quick, simple and delicious!!!
★★★★★
Thanks for the 5 stars Karin!
Loved the taste of this recipe, It was great! I used canned corn and minced onion, paprika, onion powder, pepper in place of packaged onion soup mix.
★★★★★
Awesome idea! Sounds great Tonna!
Did I see that you have another sight called. Jump rope? What’s that all about?
Oh it’s the place where all the step by step photos are hosted. It’s sort of like Instagram.
How would you change recipe if using whole wheat elbows?
I’d keep it the same. I’d pressure cook for 5 minutes.
Could I substitute crushed or diced tomatoes in place of the tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce? If so how much and what else would I need to add to it
I would use a half jar of spaghetti sauce (about 15 ounces)
Can this be adjusted for a slow cooker?
I have not tried this recipe in the slow cooker. Pasta in the slow cooker can really be hit or miss since each crockpot cooks differently. You could give it a shot. I’d brown the beef then stir everything together in the crockpot (besides the cheese) and cook on high for 2-3 hours.
I had everything this recipe called for on hand. I did use a can of creamed corn as suggested. It was really good and came together quickly. Not a bite left!
★★★★★
Thanks April for the 5 stars! I’m so glad you liked it!
This looks as if it will be very tasty. But I am worried about the sodium content.. The onion soup mix is usually high in sodium and the Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce and cheese as well. My husband has to watch his salt intake. Is it possible to have a breakdown of the sodium content? Thanks so much for your recipes!
Hi Sharon, the nutrition info should be below the recipe card. It is a bit high in sodium. But you could buy the low sodium products that may help.
Sounds good but wondering if this will freeze well without the cheese. I’m a party of one with occasional visits from great grandkids and would like to freeze in individual servings, adding grated cheese when reheating
Yes I think that is a good idea Nancy.
As a person who buys in bulk and transfers pasta into container is it possible to also write how many cups i.e. 8 oz of pasta is I think 2 cups. Thanks for the wonderful recipes.
Or, if you buy in bulk, perhaps you should have a kitchen scale? Should be a must for folks who buy in bulk.
Every pasta is different depending on the size and shape so 8 oz of one pasta might be 2 cups but not of another. I do use a digital kitchen scale and it is one of my most used kitchen tools. They are inexpensive but come in handy for precise measuring.