Can I substitute cottage cheese for ricotta?

Yes. The cottage cheese holds together more - there will be lumps of cheese, instead of a smooth sauce - and the cottage cheese taste is noticeable. But it works fine in this recipe as written.

Can I make this vegetarian or vegan?

Vegetarian is easy, as long as you're OK with dairy - skip the sausage for a vegetarian baked ziti. Vegan is harder because of all the cheese. I've never tried vegan cheeses, and I'm skeptical they'll melt like regular cheese. But if you have a brand of vegan cheese you trust that makes ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan, they should work in this recipe.

How to get a cheesy crust without baking?

Don’t feel like using the oven? Skip the “pour the entire pot into a baking dish” step, and sprinkle the remaining 8 ounces of mozzarella over the top of the pot. Put the pot liner back in the pressure cooker base over “keep warm” (or the stovetop pot back on the stove), and put a non-pressure lid on the pot. (Or, close but don’t lock the lid.) Let it sit until the cheese on top melts, about 10 minutes, then serve straight from the pressure cooker pot. It won't be a baked crust, but the layer of melted cheese on top is a nice touch.

Want to double this recipe? Use an 8-quart pressure cooker, double all the ingredients, and you can make a second baking dish to freeze for later. Halve the recipe, and it will fit in a 9-inch square baking dish.

Instant Pot Baked Ziti Recipe

Name: Instant Pot Baked Ziti Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 large onion, diced; 1 rib celery, diced; 1 large carrot, peeled and diced; 3 cloves garlic, crushed; 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1 teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1 pound bulk Italian sausage; 12 ounces ziti pasta; 3 cups water; 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes; ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt; 8 ounces shredded mozzarella; 15 ounces ricotta cheese (1 tub); 6 ounces grated parmesan; 8 ounces shredded mozzarella; Minced fresh parsley, basil, or rosemary (optional, for garnishing)

Description

Instant Pot Baked Ziti. The Instant Pot makes baked ziti easy - pressure cook the sauce and the noodles together, then bake it in one dish.

Ingredients

Scale

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
12 ounces ziti pasta
3 cups water
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
8 ounces shredded mozzarella
15 ounces ricotta cheese (1 tub)
6 ounces grated parmesan
8 ounces shredded mozzarella
Minced fresh parsley, basil, or rosemary (optional, for garnishing)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Sauté the aromatics: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in an Instant Pot set to sauté mode - high until the oil is shimmering. (medium-high heat for a stovetop PC). Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the Italian Seasoning, and the crushed red pepper flakes. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.
Cook the sausage: Add the Italian sausage to the pot. Cook, stirring often and breaking up the sausage until it just loses its pink color, about 5 minutes.
Start the oven: While the sausage is cooking, set the oven to 350°F to start preheating.
Pasta, water, and tomatoes into the pot: Stir in the the ziti pasta, 3 cups of water, and the crushed tomatoes. Stir in the ¾ teaspoon of salt. Poke down any pieces of ziti sticking up out of the water – if they’re not submerged, they might not cook.
Pressure cook on high for 4 minutes with a quick pressure release: Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 4 minutes in an Instant Pot, other electric PC, or stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot). Quick release the pressure in the pot.
Mix in the cheeses: Carefully open the lid – away from you, please, the steam in the pot is boiling hot! Lift the pot liner out of the pot and set on a heat proof surface (or take the stovetop pressure cooker off the stove). Stir in the 8 ounces shredded mozzarella, the ricotta, and the grated parmesan, and keep stirring until the ricotta is evenly spread throughout the pasta. Pour the entire pot of ziti into a 3-quart (13-inch by 9-inch) baking dish, and then sprinkle the remaining 8 ounces of mozzarella over the top.
Bake the ziti: Put the baking dish in the oven and bake until the cheese melts and starts to brown at the edges, about 20 minutes.
Serve: Let the baked ziti stand for about 5 minutes to cool down, then (optional) sprinkle with the minced fresh herbs and serve.

Equipment

3-quart baking dish

Buy Now →

6-Quart Pressure Cooker

Buy Now →

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Category: Weeknight Dinner
Method: Pressure Cooker
Cuisine: Italian-American

Would you like to save this recipe?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Nutrition

Serving Size: A square of baked ziti
Calories: 514
Sugar: 5.8 g
Sodium: 1078.2 mg
Fat: 29.6 g
Carbohydrates: 33.4 g
Fiber: 2.8 g
Protein: 28.8 g
Cholesterol: 81.6 mg