Instant Pot Creamy Beef and Shells

5 from 11 votes

This creamy beef and shells recipe is a super simple one pot dinner that’s hearty, cheesy, and made easily in the Instant Pot!

Prep Time15

Cook Time13

Total Time28

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy family dinner, homemade hamburger helper

Servings: servings

Calories: 605kcal

Select “saute” and if you have an option to select “high” select that. Wait until hot, then add oil, then the beef. Cook the beef, crumbling as it cooks, for 4-5 minutes, or until fully crumbled and no pink remains. Drain.
To the now empty pot, add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any browned beef bits.
Add garlic and tomato paste, stirring well to combine and cook about 30 seconds.
Return drained beef to the pot, then add Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir well to combine.

Press “cancel”. Add medium shells to pot, do not stir.
Pour in marinara sauce, then top with beef broth and water. Do not stir, just press shells down into the liquid.

Secure lid and make sure the valve is on “sealing”. Press “manual” or “pressure cook” and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.

When the time is up, move the valve to “venting” to perform a quick pressure release. When the pin has dropped, remove the lid.

Add softened cream cheese to a small bowl and remove a ladle or two of the liquid from the pot. Add the ladle to the bowl with the cream cheese and whisk until smooth.
Stir cream cheese mixture into the Instant Pot, then stir in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese.
Stir until smooth and combined, then let sit for a couple of minutes to thicken up.

Serve hot, sprinkled with minced parsley and a pinch of black pepper (if desired).

If find for recipes like this, that use a small amount of tomato paste, the tube is much more convenient than a can.
Prep and cook time does not include the time for the pot to come up to pressure, since this will vary from pot to pot and individual to individual. For reference, my pot usually takes 10-15 minutes to come up to pressure.

You won't need nearly as much beef broth for this version, since the pasta will be cooked separately.
Cook the pasta, according to package directions, in a large pot of salted boiling water. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain and set aside. You can toss it with a bit of oil to prevent it from sticking together too much.
Heat a large skillet over MED HIGH heat until hot. Add oil, then beef, and cook for 4-5 minutes, crumbling as it cooks, until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.
To the empty skillet, add onion and cook 3-4 minutes, until soft. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook another 30 seconds or so.
Return beef to the skillet, then season with Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and red pepper flakes.
Add marinara sauce and 1/2 - 3/4 cup of beef broth. Stir well to combine.
Add softened cream cheese to a small bowl and remove a ladle or two of the liquid from the pan. Add the ladle to the bowl with the cream cheese and whisk until smooth.
Stir in the cream cheese mixture, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese.
Add drained pasta and stir well until evenly mixed. If needed, stir in a bit of extra beef broth or leftover pasta water, until it's the consistency you'd like.