Make this family-friendly pasta dish in minutes! Everyone will love this Instant Pot pizza pasta recipe.
The best thing about this recipe is that it’s so easy to make ahead. It literally takes no time at all. Save this recipe for those crazy-busy days when you are tempted to just grab food at the drive-through, this is even faster than that!
Family-Friendly One Pot Meal
Hearty, flavorful, and customizable- my kids can’t get enough of it! An instant pot pepperoni pizza pasta is the ultimate kid-friendly food. They will gobble it up and it makes me happy cause it’s filled with nutritious ingredients.
How To Make It Keto-Friendly
Since this uses conventional noodles, this should be reserved as a cheat day meal. If you want to make it keto-friendly, you can do that by swapping the noodles for zucchini noodles or “zoodles.”
You also want to use a sugar-free pizza sauce. I like to just buy a keto-friendly marinara sauce, it’s easier to find and tastes great!
Try this keto pizza in a bowl for a keto-friendly Italian recipe.
Similar: Broccoli Chicken Pasta Casserole
Instant Pot Or Crock Pot
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can make this on the stove or in a crockpot. I love my Instant Pot! It saves me so much time cooking, I’ve never seen anything cook things nearly as fast as this does.
Honestly, take my advice and invest in an Instant Pot. You won’t look back!
How To Make It In A Crockpot
This recipe actually cooks pretty quickly in the slow cooker too. Here’s how to modify this recipe if you want to make it in your crockpot.
- Cook the pasta on the stove, according to the package instructions.
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet on the stove. Drain the grease.
- Add all the ingredients to your slow cooker and cook on low for 2-3 hours.
Honestly, if I am going to use anything besides my Instant Pot, I prefer to just make it on the stove, since it’s not really any less work in the slow cooker.
How To Make It On The Stove
It’s so easy to make this on the stove. The steps are the same as in the crockpot. The only difference is that instead of putting everything together in the crockpot, you heat them in a large pot on the stove.
Heat it on low heat for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Change Up Instant Pot Pizza Pasta
There are lots of ways you can change this basic recipe and make it taste completely different from week to week. Here are a few ways I’ve changed it:
- Use Different Types of Pasta – my favorite is rigatoni, but my kids are fascinated by the unique shape of bowties and pinwheels! You can even use the pasta that comes in the Disney or nickelodeon inspired Kraft mac n’ cheese boxes.
- Make A Supreme Pizza – Toss in sausage, mushrooms, peppers and onions for a mock supreme pie.
- Use Different Cheese – You probably know by now that I love to try all sorts of cheeses in a single recipe. Pepper jack is my favorite for family dinner meals like this one!
What To Serve With Instant Pot Pizza Pasta
This recipe tastes amazing with keto garlic bread. Put a simple chopped garden salad on the table and you have a complete meal!
Similar: Easy BLT Pasta Recipe
Easy Family Meal Idea
What makes reinventing American dishes so special to me is everyone will enjoy it, but few will have tried it before! The family pizza night ideas we’ve come up with normally mean spending a lot of money and not letting our creative juices flow. Grab your board games and get ready for lots of fun, and quality time.
How To Store Leftover Pasta
I like to keep in mind how to store my leftover food since the little ones certainly won’t finish it in one night. Transfer your instant pot pizza pasta to an airtight container to maximize its lasting power (3-5 days).
Below are the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. Exact measurements are located within the recipe card below.
Ingredients:
Ground chuck
Small onion
Salt
Pepperoni, chopped
Elbow macaroni
Water
Prepared pizza sauce
Shredded Italian cheese blend
Instructions:
1. Using the saute mode, heat the electric pressure cooker until hot.Add the ground beef and onion, cooking until the beef is browned and crumbled. Drain well. Deglaze the bottom of the pot by adding the water and scraping with a flat wooden spoon. Cancel the saute mode.
2. Return the beef to the pressure cooker and stir in salt, pepperoni, and elbow macaroni. Top with pizza sauce. Do not stir.
3. Place the lid on the electric pressure cooker and set the valve to sealing. Set the pressure cooker to manual or pressure cook for 6 minutes. Quick release the pressure when the cook cycle is complete.
4. Stir 2 cups of cheese into the pasta. Top with remaining cheese and pepperoni. Place the lid over the pressure cooker just until the cheese melts.
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INSTANT POT PIZZA PASTA RECIPE
Make this family-friendly pasta dish in minutes! Everyone will love this Instant Pot pizza pasta recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chuck
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 (6 ounce) package sliced pepperoni, chopped (with a few slices reserved for garnish)
- 1 (16 ounce) box elbow macaroni
- 6 cups water
- 2 (14 ounce) jar prepared pizza sauce
- 3 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
Instructions
-
Using the saute mode, heat the electric pressure cooker until hot.Add the ground beef and onion, cooking until the beef is browned and crumbled. Drain well. Deglaze the bottom of the pot by adding the water and scraping with a flat wooden spoon. Cancel the saute mode.
-
Return the beef to the pressure cooker and stir in salt, pepperoni, and elbow macaroni. Top with pizza sauce. Do not stir.
-
Place the lid on the electric pressure cooker and set the valve to sealing. Set the pressure cooker to manual or pressure cook for 6 minutes. Quick release the pressure when the cook cycle is complete.
-
Stir 2 cups of cheese into the pasta. Top with remaining cheese and pepperoni. Place the lid over the pressure cooker just until the cheese melts.
Recipe Notes
Calories: 480
The nutritional information for this recipe is calculated as a courtesy and is an approximate only. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipes on this site.
More Family Dinner Ideas
If you have an Instant Pot, here are some more family dinner ideas you can make in it.