Dolly Parton’s 5-Layer Dinner in the Instant Pot

Dolly Parton’s 5-Layer Casserole is perfect for anyone who loves meat and potatoes. This hearty bowl will satisfy your belly and is also budget-friendly.

Dolly Parton’s 5 Layer Dinner is true southern comfort food–made easy in your pressure cooker!

white bowl filled with Dolly Parton's 5-Layer Dinner that was cooked in the Instant Pot

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World-renowned performer, songwriter, and business woman Dolly Parton is legendary. And in Nashville, TN, where I live, she’s a well-loved icon for all things classy, southern, and smart.

We even have a restaurant in our city, called White Limozeen, that pays homage to all things Dolly.

So when I came across a recipe attributed to Dolly on the Chindeep site, I knew I had to try it.

It was simple enough, with just a few ingredients, but the original recipe calls for a cook time of two hours.

I wanted to speed things up a bit (okay, a lot!), so I tweaked the recipe and made it in the Instant Pot. It worked great!

Now, I don’t know if Dolly ever actually made this recipe herself, but I do know that it’s a simple, hearty meal!

More Instant Pot Meals To Help You Survive the 9 to 5 Grind:

Dolly Parton's 5 Layer Dinner served in a white bowl in front of an Instant Pot pressure cooker

Instant Pot Dolly Parton’s Casserole Makes Dinner Easy

Whether you’re working 9 to 5 or not, the sentiment in Dolly Parton’s famous song is the same; we are all busy, and there are never enough hours in the day.

When my to-do list is long and I’ve got a full day of work ahead of me, I often turn to my Instant Pot for quick and easy meals.

Dolly Parton’s 5-Layer dinner is loaded with potatoes, onions, beef and tomatoes. It’s simple and straightforward but also hearty and filling.

It seems like just the kind of recipe that Dolly would serve as she gathered with friends and family.

That’s why it’s on my list of the best Instant Pot recipes using ground beef!

How to Make Dolly Parton’s 5-Layer Dinner

It’s really easy to make this Dolly Parton recipe in a fraction of the time when you use the Instant Pot.

Although I found another Instant Pot version of the casserole that uses the pot-in-pot method of cooking, I personally wanted to cook the ingredients at once in the main insert pot because it’s a lot faster that way.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

  • Ground beef
  • Onion
  • Russet Potatoes
  • Green Bell Pepper
  • Diced Tomatoes
  • Montreal Steak Seasoning
  • Ground Thyme
  • Beef Broth
  • Cornstarch + Water (optional)
  • Shredded Mozzarella (optional)
Instant Pot Dolly Parton casserole helping in a white bowl atop a blue and white checkered napkin

How to Make It:

(Full printable recipe is available below)

Brown the Meat and Add the Potatoes. First, you’ll brown the meat and onions. Drain the grease and set aside while you layer the bottom of the Instant Pot with sliced potatoes and a bit of Montreal Steak seasoning.

Collage image showing ground beef and onions being browned in the Instant Pot and layered with sliced russet potatoes, then sprinkled with seasoning.

Add the Layers and Cook. Next, you’ll create your 5 layers by adding beef and onion, tomatoes and green pepper. Season and pour over the beef broth before sealing and cooking. There’s no need to stir anything just yet.

green peppers, tomatoes, ground beef, and onions in the Instant Pot, with beef broth being poured into the pot.

Serve. Last, you’ll scoop the 5-Layer Casserole into bowls and top with a but of Mozzarella cheese before serving.

Pressure cooker potatoes, ground beef, peppers, and onions topped with cheese in a white bowl

Notes and Adaptations:

  • If you don’t have Montreal steak seasoning on hand, you can use any steak seasoning or simply add plenty of salt and pepper.
  • Forgot to thaw out your hamburger? Simply cook the frozen ground beef in the Instant Pot, then proceed with the recipe.
Instant Pot ground beef and potatoes casserole topped with cheese

Recommended Equipment:

Yield: 6 Servings

Dolly Parton's 5-Layer Dinner in the Instant Pot

white bowl of Dolly Parton's 5 layer dinner casserole

Dolly Parton's 5 Layer Dinner is the perfect southern "meat and potatoes" comfort food--cooked in the Instant Pot!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes
Additional Time 15 minutes
Total Time 24 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, sliced into strips
  • 2 large russet potatoes, sliced
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded, cored, and chopped
  • 15-oz can diced tomatoes
  • 2 tsp Montreal steak seasoning, divided
  • 1/4 tsp ground thyme
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • optional: 1 TBSP cornstarch + 1 TBSP water
  • optional: shredded mozzarella for serving

Instructions

  1. Add ground beef and sliced onions to the insert pot of the Instant Pot. Using the Saute function, cook until beef is browned, breaking it apart with a spoon or spatula as it cooks.
  2. Once beef is browned, drain excess grease and set aside.
  3. Add sliced potatoes to the bottom of the insert pot. Sprinkle potatoes with 1 tsp of Montreal steak seasoning.
  4. Top potatoes with beef and onions. Add tomatoes and peppers on top of the beef. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp steak seasoning plus the ground thyme.
  5. Pour in the beef broth. Close the lid and set vent to the sealed position.
  6. Select a cook time of 4 minutes at high pressure. Once the cook time is complete, perform a quick release of pressure.
  7. After the pressure has released and the valve has dropped, carefully remove the lid.
  8. If desired, add slurry of cornstarch and water to thicken the liquid to a gravy-like consistency.
  9. Serve, topped with shredded mozzarella if desired.

Notes

  • If you don't have Montreal steak seasoning on hand, you can use any steak seasoning or simply add plenty of salt and pepper.

Recipe adapted from Chin Deep

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 378Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 499mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 28g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.

Want more delicious recipe ideas?

Check out even more mealtime inspiration on my Pinterest boards!

white bowl filled with Dolly Parton's casserole of beef, potatoes, peppers, and tomatoes.

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4 Comments

  1. Jamie Jarvis says:

    Hooray for taking the time to convert a tried and true 2 hours in the oven recipe for the electric pressure cooker! I think I will put some mushrooms in mine and maybe some fresh green beans.
    Thanks for a great conversion.

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      You’re so welcome, Jamie! Your additions sound delicious–I could eat green beans in just about anything, haha! Thanks for sharing. 🙂

  2. Love this..but how do I use the recipe in my crockpot? Can I cook within 2hours?

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Kat! I haven’t tried it in the Crockpot yet, so I’m not sure about the cook time. You could brown the ground beef before adding it to the slow cooker, but I’m guessing it would take closer to 4 hours for the potatoes to soften completely. Sorry I can’t say for sure!

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