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. Sauté an onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and spices, then add Italian sausage. Stir in the ziti, water, and crushed tomatoes, then pressure cook for 4 minutes with a quick release. Stir in some ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan, pour into a baking dish, top with a little more mozzarella, and bake until bubbly. Enjoy!
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I think of Baked Ziti as sloppy lasagna. It's like an Italian take on sloppy Joes - Sloppy Giuseppe.
Ahem. Sorry. Where was I? Oh, right, sloppy lasagna. Baked ziti has all the main ingredients of lasagna - pasta, meat, tomato sauce, cheese - but instead of careful layering, we're dumping it all in a baking dish. Sure, you don't get the wonderful layers of flavor you get in lasagna. But on a busy weeknight, with the help of a pressure cooker, you can have baked ziti on the table in about an hour.
And, with a pressure cooker, it's even easier. I cook the pasta and the sauce together in the pressure cooker, making this into a one-pot, one-baking-dish recipe.
I finish my baked ziti in the oven. It is "baked" ziti, after all, and I want the melting and browning I get from baking. (Also, I like serving it in squares cut from the pan, instead of scooping it out of the pot in big hunks.) But, if you want to skip the baking steps and serve straight from the pressure cooker pot (LIKE AN ANIMAL), see the "no baking" section below.
Ingredients and Substitutions for Baked Ziti
Pasta types
Any small tube pasta will work in this recipe - I use ziti because it's in the name, but penne and rigatoni are easy substitutes, and macaroni would work too.
I use whole wheat pasta in this recipe all the time, and it works great. (In part because it's easier to find 12-ounce boxes of whole wheat pasta - 1 pound of pasta is too much to fit in a 3-quart baking dish, and saving 4 ounces of pasta for later takes up space in my pantry). I've heard that gluten-free pastas work, but I have not tried them myself.
All the different types of pasta cook in the same amount of time, as long as they're about the same size - small tubes. (For example, my grocery store sells 12-ounce boxes of whole wheat penne pasta, which I use in this recipe exactly as written.)
Sauce options
We're making a sausage sauce with this baked ziti; if you want a vegetarian version, skip the sausage. There are enough tomatoes in the pot to make it a tomato sauce.
Meat options
I like using Italian sausage for the extra flavor it adds, but any ground meat will work in this recipe. Ground beef, ground pork, and ground turkey have all worked for me. (I often use meatloaf mix - a mix of ground beef and ground pork - when it's on sale at the grocery store.) Add any other ground meat when you would add the sausage. If you use unseasoned meat, sprinkle it with ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt and ½ teaspoon of extra Italian seasoning after adding it to the pot.
Cheese options
I use the traditional mix of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan in this recipe; regular fat or low-fat are both fine. (I usually get low-moisture part-skim shredded mozzarella and regular fat ricotta).
If you want to be extra healthy, you can substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta, but it will be lumpier, and the stronger cottage cheese flavor will be noticeable. (If you like that flavor, it's fine.)
Pecorino Romano is a good substitute for Parmesan, though it has a sharper flavor because it is made from sheep's milk.
Broth vs water
For extra-rich ziti, substitute broth (preferably homemade chicken broth) for the water. If you use store-bought broth, get a low-sodium variety, and skip the ¾ teaspoon of fine sea salt added with the water and pasta.
How to Make Instant Pot Baked Ziti
Sauté the aromatics and cook the sausage
Sauté the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and Italian spices in olive oil until the onion softens. Stir in the sausage and cook until it loses its pink color.
Add the ziti and tomatoes to the pot
Stir in the ziti, 3 cups of water, and crushed tomatoes
Pressure cook for 4 minutes with a quick release
Stir in the cheese
Stir in the ricotta, half of the mozzarella, and the parmesan.
Transfer to a baking dish, top with more cheese, bake, and serve
Pour into a 3-quart baking dish, then top with the remaining mozzarella. Bake in a 350°F oven until the cheese on top is melted and bubbling, about 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Tips for Perfect Pasta from The Instant Pot
Use a ratio of 1 cup of water to 4 ounces of pasta
Three cups of water are just enough to cook 12 ounces of pasta. No draining is necessary; the pasta will absorb the water. If you use 1 pound of pasta (16 ounces), increase the water to 4 cups. (And get a bigger baking dish, because 12 ounces of pasta fills a 3-quart Pyrex baking dish - 16 ounces will overflow it).
Spitting Starch
Sometimes, when I quick release the pressure, the pot starts spitting starch everywhere. (It only happens occasionally, but it's messy when it does happen.) I close the pressure valve when it starts spitting starch. Then, I let the pot sit for a few minutes (3-5 minutes) for the pressure to come down naturally, then try to release the pressure again. (There will be a little spitting starch at first.) Usually, that is enough to stop the starch from spitting, but if not, I'll repeat the process, letting the pot sit, then trying again until I get all the pressure released.
Also, if this happens, make sure to clean and rinse the pressure valve and pressure lid after cooking to remove any starch.
Make Ahead Baked Ziti
Want to freeze the baked ziti and reheat later? Make the baked ziti in the Instant Pot, and stop after the "mix in the cheese" step, once the ziti is poured into the baking dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap, then with aluminum foil, and freeze. To reheat, remove from the freezer, remove the foil and plastic wrap, discard the plastic wrap, and re-cover the dish with foil. Reheat in a 350°F oven until bubbling in the center, about 90 minutes for a 3-quart baking dish.
Storing and Reheating
Leftover baked ziti freezes beautifully - I store leftovers in 2-cup containers for microwave-sized lunch servings. (In my 1000-watt microwave, it takes about 5 minutes to reheat 2 cups of baked ziti.)
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Instant Pot Baked Ziti Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 3 quart pan of Baked Ziti 1x
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
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 rib celery, diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning
- ¼ 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)
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 ½ 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.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian-American
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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
What to Serve with Baked Ziti
Baked ziti is a one-pot meat-and-starch dish, so I serve it with a green vegetable (like my Instant Pot Kale with Garlic and Lemon) and a salad (here's my easy Caesar Salad dressing). I also serve it with bread on the side - my kids love it with garlic bread.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
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.
Related Posts
Pressure Cooker Penne with Sausage and Peppers
Pressure Cooker Italian Meat Sauce
Instant Pot Bucatini all'Amatriciana
Pressure Cooker Pasta and Bean Soup (Pasta E Fagioli)
Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe
Pressure Cooker Tomato Sauce
Instant Pot Marcella Hazan Tomato Sauce
Instant Pot Arrabbiata Sauce
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.
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Cathy says
I’ve made this several times with great success but tonight I realized I don’t have ricotta cheese. any ideas for substitutes? Still good without it. I have the other cheeses and will use them. Thanks for being a great resource for pressure cooker recipes!
Tom says
Very good. I used a hearty Marinara sauce so I left out most of the seasonings in the recipe (did add some salt and crushed pepper and sprinkled an Italian blend with Mozzarella topping). Used about 3/4 lb mild Italian sausage. Carefully weighed the pasta, used the 3 cups water and followed cooking times. Highly recommend taking the time to bake. Gotta love this very cheesy ziti!
Patricia says
Hi. Will I have to lower the minutes for 10 qt XL if I am only making half of their baked ziti recipe
Mike Vrobel says
Nope. Same cooking time.
Robbie says
Can I use pasta sauce instead of crushed tomatoes and water?
Mike Vrobel says
Instead of tomatoes, yes - but I think you will need the water or the pressure cooker will scorch the bottom before it comes up to pressure.
Shannon says
Great recipe! Did everything but the sausage. Came out great and took no time. I would definitely take the 20 mins to finish in the oven. Thank you!
Pat says
You're the best! What a great idea for making a tasty dish without jarred sauce! Can't wait to try this ?
Lynn says
Thanks for adding at what point you can freeze. With only two of us, I’ll freeze some and serve some.
Gk says
Love this idea, thank you!!!