Sandra’s recipe for pasta in a sour cream and cheese sauce with vegetables and a panko bread crumb topping. Made in your Instant Pot!
Miss Congeniality Casserole
I randomly found a recipe on the internet for Sandra Bullock Stovetop Mac and Cheese and I knew that it would be a great candidate for the Instant Pot. So I changed it up and it turned out so well. I wouldn’t call it a normal mac and cheese recipe since it has sour cream in it, not a ton of cheese and some veggies. My husband and son both loved this dinner and scarfed it down in no time. The wagon wheel pasta was a fun change of pace (I find it in the bulk bins at Winco) and we all loved it. If you’re looking for an easy and delicious dinner try this one out tonight! You may even get voted miss congeniality after you make it because you’ll be suuuuuper popular 😉
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Better than Bouillon Chicken Base–or 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- Water
- Wagon wheel pasta–I find this in the bulk section at Winco. Or macaroni is another type of pasta you can use.
- Frozen vegetables–I used broccoli, carrots and cauliflower
- Sour cream
- Shredded sharp cheddar–shredded off the block, not pre-shredded
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- Panko bread crumbs
Steps
Pour water and Better than Bouillon into Instant Pot. Dump in the pasta.
Place a tall trivet* into the pot. Place an oven safe pan* on top of the trivet pour the vegetables into the pan.
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 move valve to venting and remove the lid. Move the vegetable pan and trivet out of the pot.
Stir sour cream and cheese into the pasta until cheese melts.
Add in the vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste (I added a quarter teaspoon of each).
Sprinkle the panko on top and spray with non stick cooking spray. Use an air fryer lid to crisp up the top. Air fry for 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- If you’d like to add some protein to the meal stir in some rotisserie chicken.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot. I like this Instant Pot when I want to crisp up the top of what I am cooking. If you don’t have an air fryer lid you can do the last crisping step under your oven’s broiler. You can transfer the mixture into a baking dish or you can just pop your stainless steel instant pot liner into the oven.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- This recipe can easily be doubled. Double the ingredients, keep the cooking time the same.
- Another recipe you can make with wagon wheels cowboy 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.
Sandra Bullock Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Total Time: 24 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
Pasta in a sour cream and cheese sauce with vegetables and a panko bread crumb topping.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 2 1/2 tsp Better than Bouillon Chicken Base
- 8 ounces wagon wheel pasta (or macaroni)
- 1 (12 oz) package frozen vegetables (I used broccoli, carrots and cauliflower)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Pour water and Better than Bouillon into Instant Pot. Dump in the pasta.
- Place a tall trivet into the pot. Place an oven safe pan on top of the trivet pour the vegetables into the pan.
- 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 move valve to venting and remove the lid. Move the vegetable pan and trivet out of the pot.
- Stir sour cream and cheese into the pasta until cheese melts. Add in the vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste (I added a quarter teaspoon of each).
- Sprinkle the panko on top and spray with non stick cooking spray. Use an air fryer lid to crisp up the top. Air fry for 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
I used my Duo Crisp 6 quart Instant Pot*. I like this Instant Pot when I want to crisp up the top of what I am cooking. If you don’t have an air fryer lid you can do the last crisping step under your oven’s broiler. You can transfer the mixture into a baking dish or you can just pop your stainless steel instant pot liner into the oven.
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Instant Pot
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An easy Instant Pot recipe for a single serving of the most amazing homemade macaroni and cheese. Perfect if you’re home alone!
Mindy’s Casserole
An easy pasta casserole with cheese, tomatoes, garlic and panko topping. Make it fast in your 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.
Could chicken tenders cut into cubes be added to step 1 with the uncooked pasta,
and then continue on with steps 2-6 as written?
yes that would be great!