Classic Macaroni and Tomatoes is something I remember from my childhood. My mom would make it when she forgot about dinner and needed something fast. I do the same thing now or I even occasionally make it for lunch. I, however, have something my mother didn’t have that makes it even easier for me to throw together…an Instant Pot. Instant Pot Macaroni and Tomatoes is a simple, pantry-staple, dish that will save you on many a, “Oh crap, it’s dinner time.” kinda nights.
When we have Instant Pot Macaroni and Tomatoes for dinner I usually make some cheese bread to go with it. Nothing fancy, just some sliced cheese on bread that I put under the broiler for a minute or two. The kids really enjoy this meal and it’s a win in my book, because it literally takes about 2 minutes to throw everything in the Instant Pot and then once it comes to pressure it only takes 4 minutes to cook. So fast and Easy!
It amazing how much more I have utilized my Instant Pot since having a 5th baby. I just love how fast it can cook things and I really love how well it does with pasta. Here are more of our favorite Instant Pot dinners.
Instant Pot Dinners:
- Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
- Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
- Instant Pot Lentils with Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
- Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta with Asparagus and Mushrooms
- Instant Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
I like to use medium shells or regular macaroni when I make this simple dinner recipe. You can use any kind of pasta, but I find that those two types work best and make it seem more authentic like when my mom used to make it. You can also use crushed tomatoes in place of the diced tomatoes, in fact you can even use a can of whole tomatoes it you want to. My mom used our home canned tomatoes which were whole. They would break up into smaller pieces as it was stirred together.
How to Make INstant Pot Macaroni and Tomatoes
In the picture it shows half of the butter going in before it cooks and half of it going in after. That really isn’t necessary…you can put it all in at the beginning…the noodles need the fat from the butter so they don’t clump together, and it cuts off a good 20 seconds of prep time to just throw it all in at the beginning. 🙂
I hope you enjoy this recipe and that it can save you on busy nights or just be something you make to remember the good ol’ days.
More nostalgic recipes
- 1 16 ounce package of uncooked pasta (I prefer regular macaroni or medium shells)
- 1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes (you can use petite diced, regular diced, whole..whatever you prefer)
- 4 tbsp butter or margarine
- 1 tbsp chicken bullion (or 3 cubes...if you use cubes you need to dissolve them in hot water before adding. Use part of the water that goes in the recipe to do that.)
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- ½ tsp brown sugar
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- 4 cups of water
- Place all ingredients into your instant pot. Stir and then pat the noodles down with the spoon to try and cover them as best as possible with the liquid.
- Put lid on and set to 4 minutes at high pressure.
- When instant pot finishes cooking, do a quick release.
- Remove lid and stir. Serve immediately. We like to serve this meal with cheese toast.
- Enjoy!
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Very delicious. I make it once a week. I added diced onions and it was superb.
Thank you Tammie! I love hearing this and I can’t wait to try adding onions when I make it next time.
Loved it! Super filling and sooo fast!
Awesome! so glad you liked it!