The man meal is a casserole with beef, gravy, red potatoes, cheese and potato chips. It’s playfully named the “man meal” because it includes the basic food groups–meat and potatoes 😉

Man Meal Instant Pot Recipe
If you’re a meat and potatoes type of person you’ll love this dinner! It has tender bites of beef stew meat, savory gravy, creamy mashed potatoes and crunchy potato chips all baked together. It has lots of flavor and it’s oh so hearty. Your Instant Pot will help to cook your stew meat until tender and your potatoes until they are ready to mash.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Beef stew meat—or chuck roast or rump roast cut into cubes. I like to cut roasts into cubes when they are partially frozen, it’s so much easier.
- Beef broth–or 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon of Better than Bouillon Beef Base
- Kosher salt–or sea salt
- Black pepper–or white pepper
- Italian seasoning–or make your own
- Red potatoes–or Yukon gold potatoes
- Cornstarch–or arrowroot
- Butter
- Cream–or milk
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese–I like to grate it off the block and measure it by weight with a digital scale*
- Lay’s Potato Chips–or another type of potato chip you love
Steps to make meat and potatoes casserole
- Pressure Cook: Cook the stew meat and potatoes in your Instant Pot. The potatoes will go on top of a tall trivet*. You don’t even have to cut the potatoes into cubes. You’ll pressure cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Use a natural pressure release for at least 15 minutes so that the meat can remain tender.
- Thicken Gravy: thicken the gravy with a cornstarch slurry.
- Mash potatoes: Add potatoes to a medium bowl. Mash with a potato masher. Add in the butter, salt and pepper to taste and the cream and stir well.
- Layer ingredients in a casserole dish: Spread the mashed potatoes in a 9×9 inch baking dish. Pour the beef and gravy over the top. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and finally top with crushed potato chips.
- Bake: Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Scoop onto plates and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in an 8 quart pot.
- This recipe is gluten free. Just make sure your beef broth is labeled gluten-free.
- If you want to use your air fryer lid* instead of your oven you can. You’ll layer the ingredients into your Instant Pot liner instead of a baking dish. Place the air fryer lid on top and bake for 5 minutes at 350° F.
- To prep this ahead of time do the pressure cooking step the night before and layer the potatoes, gravy and meat in the baking dish (without the cheese and potato chips). Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight until you are ready to bake. Heat oven to 350° F. Bake with foil for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and add on the cheese and chips and bake for 20 more minutes.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. The potato chip layer will get soggy so you may want to add a fresh layer when you reheat the meal.

More Instant Pot Beef Recipes…
- Instant Pot Swiss Steak
- Instant Pot Honey Garlic Beef
- Instant Pot French Onion Salisbury Steaks
- Instant Pot 3-Ingredient Rump Roast
- Instant Pot Roast Beef Commercial
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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The Man Meal (Instant Pot)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
The man meal is a casserole with beef, gravy, red potatoes, cheese and potato chips.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat (or chuck roast cut into cubes)
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 pounds red potatoes
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch + 3 Tbsp water
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup cream or milk
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 ounces (1 1/2 cups) crushed Lay’s Potato Chips
Instructions
- Add stew meat, broth, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning into Instant Pot.
- Place a tall trivet into the pot. Wash the red potatoes and place them on top of the trivet.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 20 minutes. When time is up let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Turn oven to 350° F. Move potatoes and trivet out of the pot.
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. Stir together cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until smooth. Stir the mixture into the Instant Pot to thicken the gravy. Turn off Instant Pot once gravy has thickened.
- Add potatoes to a medium bowl. Mash with a potato masher. Add in the butter, salt and pepper to taste and the cream. Stir well.
- Spread the mashed potatoes in a 9×9 inch baking dish. Pour the beef and gravy over the top. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and finally top with crushed potato chips. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Scoop onto plates 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.
What the heck is a trivet?
★★★
The little metal rack that usually comes with your instant pot. You can see one here: https://www.amazon.com/Steamer-Handles-Alamic-Electric-Pressure/dp/B07B4TY2R8/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3QB8W50CLGJG8&keywords=trivet+instant+pot&qid=1682972263&sprefix=trivet+instant+pot%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-6
Oh, thank you! Our did not come with one but at least I know what it is now 🙂
Can this be made in a crock pot?
I’m sorry I don’t have a crockpot version for this recipe.