Best Instant Pot Baked Ziti

instant pot baked ziti with mozzarella cheese on serving spon

5 from 2 votes

Instant Pot Baked Ziti with sausage, ricotta cheese mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce is an easy Instant Pot pasta recipe the whole family will love. Cook ziti in the pressure cooker, then bake it in the oven for a delicious cheesy pasta bake!

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian American

Servings:

Author: Dee

Cost: $10

Equipment

1 Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
1 pound Italian Sausage removed from casings
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
pinch red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic minced
16 oz ziti pasta
3 cups water
32 oz pasta sauce
15 oz diced tomatoes undrained
15 oz ricotta cheese whole milk
3 cups shredded mozzarella
dried parsley flakes optional
salt and pepper, to taste, if desired

Instructions

Hit SAUTE on Instant Pot, and when it reads Hot, add the olive oil and onion
Cook onion until soft, then add the Italian sausage, and cook until no longer pink
Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Don't allow it to brown
Turn pot off, then deglaze bottom of pot with a little water if needed to remove any browned bits
Add uncooked ziti over sausage
Add water over pasta
Add marinara sauce and diced tomatoes, but DO NOT STIR
Place lid on Instant Pot, make sure valve is set to sealing, and hit PRESSURE COOk for 4 minutes
Pot will take a few minutes to reach pressure, then will cook for 4 minutes. When pot beeps, move valve to venting to do a quick release or gradual quick pressure release by slowly turning valve if too much water is spraying out of pot
When pin drops, carefully remove lid. Stir pasta and sauce together. Add half of the ricotta and 1 cup of mozzarella, and stir
Preheat oven to 350 degrees f
Place half of ziti mixture in a greased casserole dish
Top with rest of ricotta, and stir gently until just blended
Top with remaining mozzarella and dried parsley flakes
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until pasta is bubbling and cheese is melted
Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving

Notes

Baked ziti was made in 8 quart Instant Pot. You can make it in 6 quart using same ingredient amounts.

If you don't want to bake ziti, add all of the cheese to the ziti right after pressure cooking, and serve.

Add salt and pepper, to taste, if desired before serving

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