Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese with Ham and Peas is a simple dump-and-go mac and cheese recipe that’s made entirely in the Instant Pot. Plus, there’s no need to make a separate sauce.
One of the best things about the Instant Pot is that you can make delicious, easy one-pot meals. This Instant Pot macaroni and cheese with ham and peas is a super easy, super tasty dinner that’s ready in less than 30 minutes.
This mac and cheese is also a great way to repurpose leftover ham into a new meal. Add a simple green salad, and you have a quick dinner that’s perfect for weeknights!
How to make Instant Pot macaroni and cheese with ham and peas
Add pasta to the inner pot of the pressure cooker. Add enough water cover pasta by 1 inch. Depending on the shape of the pasta, it usually takes 3-5 cups of water.
Lock lid in place, and turn pressure release valve to SEALING. Cook on MANUAL/HIGH pressure for 4 minutes.
Carefully turn pressure release valve to VENTING. Unlock lid, and drain pasta.
Return pasta to inner pot.
Add milk, salt, pepper, and dry mustard and stir to combine. Press CANCEL.
Stir in cheese, and continue stirring until cheese has melted and is combined.
Stir in diced ham and frozen peas until combined.
Tips
- Pasta: I like to use cavatappi. If you use another type of pasta, you may find that you need to adjust the cooking time.
- Evaporated milk: You can use regular, low-fat, or fat-free.
- Mustard: If you don’t have dry mustard, Dijon mustard makes a good substitute. I use about a teaspoon or so if I’m using Dijon mustard.
- Cheese: I’ve used a number of combinations of cheeses. Feel free to use the types of shredded cheese that you like.
- Peas: I don’t thaw the peas before using. I recommend checking for chunks of ice before adding the peas so that you don’t end up with watery mac and cheese.
More Instant Pot pasta recipes!
More Instant Pot pasta recipes!- Instant Pot Pizza Pasta
- Instant Pot Peanut Noodles
- Instant Pot Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Instant Pot Beef and Shells
If you’ve tried this Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Ham and Peas recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!
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Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Ham and Peas
Equipment
- Instant Pot/Electric Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 16 ounces dry shaped pasta
- 3-5 cups water
- 12 ounce can evaporated milk
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- Salt and pepper
- 8 ounces shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
- 8 ounces shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1 ½ cups cooked diced ham
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Add pasta to the inner pot of the pressure cooker.
- Add enough water cover pasta by 1 inch. Depending on the shape of the pasta, it usually takes 3-5 cups of water.
- Lock lid in place, and turn pressure release valve to SEALING.
- Cook on MANUAL/HIGH pressure for 4 minutes.
- Carefully turn pressure release valve to VENTING.
- Unlock lid, and drain pasta.
- Return pasta to inner pot.
- Add milk, salt, pepper, and dry mustard and stir to combine.
- Press CANCEL.
- Stir in cheese, and continue stirring until cheese has melted and is combined.
- Stir in diced ham and frozen peas until combined.
Notes
- Pasta: I like to use cavatappi. If you use another type of pasta, you may find that you need to adjust the cooking time.
- Evaporated milk: You can use regular, low-fat, or fat-free.
- Mustard: If you don't have dry mustard, Dijon mustard makes a good substitute. I use about a teaspoon or so if I'm using Dijon mustard.
- Cheese: I've used a number of combinations of cheeses. Feel free to use the types of shredded cheese that you like.
- Peas: I don't thaw the peas before using. I recommend checking for chunks of ice before adding the peas so that you don't end up with watery mac and cheese.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
This mac and cheese is better than other recipes because it has ham and peas. This is a very good recipe. Thank you.
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
Easy, and satisfying. I used regular milk when my can of evaporated milk turned out to be sweetened condensed milk! I added a bit of the pasta water with the warmed milk before adding to the cooked pasta.
Only thing is that the time to pressure cook the pasta was probably as long as if I’d done it on my stove top. However, I’m trying to use my pressure cooker (ninja foodi) as much as I can to make the purchase worthwhile 🙂
Made in ninja foodi on hi pressure for 6 minutes so noodles wouldn’t be over cooked. They weren’t!