Man Cave Casserole–a flavorful, beefy pasta dish with ham, bacon and cheddar made fast in your Instant Pot.
Man Cave Casserole
My husband and son loved this meaty pasta dish and ate it until it was gone! It is a man favorite. With beef, ham, bacon and cheddar you are set for success 😉 It has lots and lots of meaty flavor. Instead of making buffalo mac and cheese for your next game day try mixing it up and make this dish. I think all the men in your life will love it (let’s be honest…also the women).
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Lean ground beef–I used 93/7
- Onion–yellow or white
- Salt
- Garlic powder
- Dried thyme leaves
- Black pepper
- Beef broth–or water and Better than Bouillon beef base
- Dijon mustard–or spicy brown
- Macaroni–or another short cut pasta, like penne. I used the kind that looks like little lasagna noodles.
- Ham–or smoked sausage
- Milk–or evaporated milk
- Bacon crumbles–or you can fry up some bacon and crumble it
- Sharp cheddar cheese
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onion. Brown for 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Add in a dash of salt. Stir in the garlic powder, thyme and pepper. Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot. Stir in the mustard.
Sprinkle in the macaroni. Dump the ham over the top of the noodles. 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 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
Stir in the milk, bacon and cheese, until it melts and the milk absorbs into the noodles.
Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with a green salad or some garlic green beans.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in an 8 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.
- Other recipes you can make with dijon mustard malibu chicken casserole and Instant Pot Coca Cola Chicken.
- I bought my cool looking pasta in the bulk bins at Winco. Although I do think that a tubular pasta would be wonderful like macaroni or penne.
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.
Man Cave Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 24 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
A flavorful, beefy pasta dish with ham and cheddar made fast in your Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced onion
- Dash of salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 8 ounces macaroni (or another short cut pasta)
- 8 ounces cubed ham
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup bacon crumbles
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onion. Brown for 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease.
- Add in a dash of salt. Stir in the garlic powder, thyme and pepper.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Stir in the mustard. Sprinkle in the macaroni. Dump the ham over the top of the noodles. 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 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir in the milk, bacon and cheese, until it melts and the milk absorbs into the noodles..
- Serve and enjoy!
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot
More Instant Pot recipes with ham…
Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Thinly sliced potatoes and chunks of ham enveloped in a creamy, cheesy sauce.
Instant Pot (Tomato Based) Ham and Bean Soup
A healthy and quick soup recipe that’s full of bright flavor thanks to crushed tomatoes and fresh lemon juice. A perfect way to use up leftover ham.
Instant Pot Cheesy Ham Chowder
A creamy, comforting soup that is chock full of ham, potatoes, carrots and corn. A perfect dinner for a fall or winter evening.
Instant Pot Mother’s Ham Casserole
Ham and potatoes in a creamy, cheesy sauce with a hint of spice from green chiles and pepper jack cheese.
*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.
Can this be adapted to make in a slow cooker?
No, sorry this one isn’t great in the slow cooker!
Made this for my brother & I, we both loved it Had no ham or bacon, so used garbanzo beans/chickpeas. Oregano instead of thyme, need to get to the market! Definitely a keeper to be made again & again.🌞
Glad it all worked out for you!
that was very good and easy. I add a can of green beans. my mother made it that way.my kids are grown so it’s just myself and husband and sometimes I cut recipes in half it works well . I put it in the oven too instead of the instant pot. I don’t have one. Delicious!
Awesome! So glad it worked in the oven!