Making pasta dishes in the Instant Pot is so darned easy and convenient. And this recipe for Instant Pot chili mac is perfect for a quick, easy weeknight meal. With under 5 minutes prep, just one pot, and no veggies to cut up, it’s perfect for feeding a hungry crowd on short notice.
You’ve probably read again and again how easy the Instant Pot electric pressure cooker is for making any number of recipes, which is so true. And i’ll be the first to admit, i’m often good and dreaming up elaborate meal plans early in the day, but when work is over and i’m hungry, and the kids are hungry, I just want something quick and fast. That’s when the Instant Pot becomes my best friend!
Easy cleanup – one pot only!
While I love to make pasta dishes, sometimes the thought of using a large pot to boil the pasta, then a colander to drain, then another pan to brown the meat, by the time i’m done cooking i’ve got a sink loaded with dishes to clean. But with the Instant Pot, all the magic happens in one place. With the saute mode we brown the meat, then the pressure cook mode does the rest. No draining, no extra pots or pans – all in one pot!
Just a few simple ingredients
This chili mac recipe is perfect because it’s full of delicious flavors and uses just a few simple ingredients. We start with 1 lb of 85% lean ground beef. I really like 85% lean beef for pressure cooking. It always provides the most flavorful and tender results. With the Instant Pot on saute mode, be brown the beef, which takes about 5 minutes or so. After the meat is browned, we drain the fat and it’s time to layer on the rest of the ingredients – not stir anything together. This is important! We sprinkle our seasonings right on top of the beef. Next we add the macaroni, then 3 ½ cups of water. Once the water is added, we can push down the macaroni to make sure it’s all submerged with some room to spare. Next, we dump a can of tomato sauce and a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies right on top. Again, no stirring. We then secure the lid, set the vent to sealing, and pressure cook on high for 4 minutes. When the 4 minutes are up we do a quick release of the pressure.
Sauce will thicken and then add cheese
When we remove the lid, we use a large spoon and stir everything really well for about a minute. At this point the liquids will begin to thicken. We then add 1 cup of shredded colby jack cheese and stir some more and we’re ready to serve!
Instant Pot Easy Chili Mac
- Total Time: 25 min (total time with pressure cooker)
- Yield: 4-6 servings
Description
A delicious, full flavor chili mac that is easy to make and perfect for a weeknight meal for the whole family.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef (85% lean)
- 2 ½ cups elbow macaroni
- 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 8oz can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- ½ tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
- 3 ½ cups water
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to saute mode and add ground beef and ½ teaspoon of salt. Stir often until all the beef is browned. Should take about 5 minutes. Press cancel and drain fat.
- Sprinkle chili powder, cumin and ½ teaspoon salt on top of the browned meat. Then add macaroni on top (don’t stir). Add 3 ½ cups water and make sure all macaroni is submerged. Add cans of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes right on top in the center. Do not stir!
- Secure lid, make sure vent is set to sealing and pressure cook (“manual” on some Instant Pots) on high for 4 minutes. When timer is complete, quick release the pressure.
- Remove lid and stir contents well. Everything will begin to thicken. Add 1 cup of shredded colby jack cheese and stir it in so it melts into the sauce.
- Serve with additional shredded cheese on top and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 4 min
- Category: Instant Pot
- Method: Pressure cooker
- Cuisine: American
Jesse
Great recipe and super easy to make. After a couple batches I added one small onion, chopped and one diced green bell pepper as well as a half teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Made a great recipe even better especially if you like a little heat in your chili mac.
Holly
Love this recipe! Have tried several similar ones and this is the easiest and tastiest. I use beyond beef crumbles and 2 cans of diced tomatoes instead of the 1 can of sauce. Works perfectly. This is quickly becoming a weekly meal. Thanks so much for giving us a recipe we can look forward to.
★★★★★
Kathy
Will the pasta cook in this amount if time?
RecipeTeacher
Yes it cooks in only a few minutes. You see, during the time the pot is coming to pressure, the pasta is cooking. So while the “cook time” is only 4 minutes, it’s actually cooking longer.
lazy Susan
EZ!!!!! delicious and hearty! Husband and I ate the whole pot in one sitting! ha
★★★★★
Dana
I made this recipe before and LOVED it. Planning on making again today but I want to add a can of chili beans…..at what point can/should I do that? My fear is the pressure cooking process may turn them into mush so I am considering heating them up just a bit and then adding in at the same time as the cheese. Any thoughts on this? Thank you!
★★★★★
RecipeTeacher
Hi Dana. I’ve used canned beans for chili recipes and they’ve been just fine. Give it a go and I think it will work out great.
Daryl Byers
What degree should it cook on in a Ninja Foodie?
★★★★★
RecipeTeacher
Hi Daryl,
Which Ninja Foodie are you using?
Zoey
The most ahhhhmazzzzzzing recipe. Very easy and tasty. Will be adding to our Taco TuEsDaY rotation and game day menu. Thank you for the recipe…….
★★★★★
Linda
This is really good. Next time I will add onions and bell pepper.
Roger
Made this today. Needed a double batch with penni pasta and it turned out fantastic. I like mine a bit spicy, so added a big pinch Cayenne pepper. Will be making this one again.
Mary
Absolutely delicious! I have the small Instant Pot, so I just cut everything in half. There’s enough for tomorrow’s dinner, but I’m thinking the leftovers won’t make it till then! Yum!
★★★★★
RecipeTeacher
Thanks Mary! it’s one of our favorites too. 🙂
Michelle
Can this recipe be doubled in a 6qt instant pot? If so, how would I adjust?
RecipeTeacher
Hi Michelle,
So it will be close but I think so. Double everything but keep the time the same. I think there will be enough room in a 6qt to double.