Get the cheesy, slow-cooked flavor found in a traditional Baked Ziti right out of your pressure cooker! In only 25 minutes, you could be enjoying this delicious Italian dinner without all the wait time or work.
I just made this Baked Ziti recipe yesterday and the leftovers and photos are haunting me! This recipe was so so good that I needed to bump it to the top of my ‘new recipes to share’ list.
Baked Ziti Perfection
I have a bit of an obsession with pasta + sauce + cheese. Spaghetti, Lasagna, Manicotti, Cannelloni, you name it, I love it. However, I typically don’t eat these kinds of meals very frequently because of how long they take to make. Baked Ziti included. But, ya’ll I found the cheat sheet, the magic sauce, the silver bullet. And that cheat sheet is called my pressure cooker. I was super skeptical about cooking pasta IN the sauce IN the pressure cooker because I thought the only outcome would be mush.
I was wrong. DEAD wrong.
Baked Ziti in the Pressure Cooker?
Not only did I not get mush, but the sauce tasted slow cooked, the pasta was cooked to al dente, it wasn’t watery or soupy in the least, and I stirred in plenty of fresh mozzarella to take this into heavenly realms. Oh, and did I mention it was ready in 25 minutes?
I’m concerned for the future size of my pants because I could make this every night for dinner with little to no effort and not get sick of it. Maybe I was an Italian in a former life?
Anyways, I know lots of you don’t even own a pressure cooker but never fear! Directions for making this on the stove are also included below. It obviously takes a little longer to make on the stove, but still equally delicious.
And because I couldn’t narrow down the picture selection situation, I’ve included plenty of photographic evidence hereby proving the cheesy, creamy, amazingness this dinner was. Try not to drool too much on your keyboard.
Scroll down for the printable recipe, friends! Have a great weekend! xo
Love Baked Ziti? Try these other pasta recipes!
- Crockpot Italian Chicken Pasta
- Parmesan & Garlic Linguine Pasta
- Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
- Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
- Browned Butter Alfredo Pasta
Pressure Cooker Baked Ziti
Get the cheesy, slow-cooked flavor found in a traditional Baked Ziti right out of your pressure cooker! In only 25 minutes, you could be enjoying this delicious Italian dinner without all the wait time or work.
Ingredients
- 1.25 lbs. Sweet Italian Sausage
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1-14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1-25 oz. jar marinara sauce
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 lb. dried ziti pasta
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella drained and cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
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Brown Italian Sausage in pressure cooker using the Brown/Saute function, breaking apart as it cooks. Drain if needed.
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Add in olive oil, onion and garlic and saute until mostly tender, about 3 minutes.
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Stir in diced tomatoes, marinara sauce, water, basil, oregano, bay leaves, salt, pepper and dried pasta. Stir well. Ensure all the pasta is immersed in liquid (you don't want any pasta sticking out of the top so it doesn't cook.)
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Add the lid, lock in place, ensure pressure valve is not releasing pressure and switch cooking functions to 'Beans/Chili', 'high pressure' and cook for 5 minutes.
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Once the timer chimes, release pressure immediately, stir and taste to ensure seasonings are good. Adjust as needed. Stir in cheeses and serve hot.
Recipe Notes
STOVETOP DIRECTIONS: In a large pot, brown sausage, breaking apart as it cooks. Drain if needed. Replace back in pan. Add in olive oil, onion and garlic and saute until mostly tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes, marinara sauce, 1 cup of water (a reduced amount from the ingredients listed), basil, oregano, bay leaves, salt, pepper. Stir well. Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes. Toss sauce with cooked ziti. Stir in cheeses and serve.
Katherine K says
January 27, 2018 at 5:34 pmI’m making this right now, minus the sausage – I’m cooking some chicken thighs sous vide to add once it’s all done. Easiest dinner ever with minimal cleanup! Love it!
Jas says
January 29, 2018 at 11:05 amWhat size instapot do you have? We tried this last night and we must have a smaller one as i had to remove some liquid and didnt use an entire pound of pasta.. Just wondered. 🙂
Lauren says
January 29, 2018 at 7:34 pmI have a 6 quart Crockpot brand pressure cooker.
Lori in North Dakota says
January 29, 2018 at 4:39 pmMade this tonight! My family loved it!
Amanda says
January 29, 2018 at 5:40 pmI haven’t been able to get this out of my head since I saw it so I stopped for ingredients on my way home tonight! I did try to make it “healthier” (ha!) with ground turkey and part-skim cheese, and I used rigatoni, petite cut tomatoes, and my own sauce because I had them. But even with my subs it was still delicious! So easy, too. I did have to cook it for 2 extra minutes to get the pasta al dente (and melt the cheese) – maybe rigatoni is thicker than ziti? Anyway, the baby loved it, too, so it’s going on my keep list 🙂 I wanted to say thanks, too – I see a lot of pressure cooker recipes that say “cook for 5 minutes” but don’t tell you what setting to use or how to vent. Your instructions are clear and precise, which is SO helpful. So, again, thanks!
Deb says
January 30, 2018 at 6:09 amI made the baked ziti last night. I’m new to the whole ‘pressure cooker’ way of cooking so I was skeptical. Just wanted you to know my picky husband was totally impressed and loved it, so did I. This is a keeper! Thanks, Lauren.
Deb Showalter says
January 30, 2018 at 10:29 amLauren this dish is AMAZING!!! Made it last night for my whole family, and everyone loved it so much. Just finished the leftovers for lunch today, it reheats just beautifully. The first words that came out of their mouths after that first bite was “This is another one of Lauren’s, isn’t it?” Please have more pressure cooker recipes coming, I got the Crock Pot multi pot for Christmas and I need HELP!
Karen says
January 31, 2018 at 6:06 pmThis was SO good! My 6-year-old ate three bowls of it!
Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow. 🙂
Yvonny says
January 31, 2018 at 8:36 pmMade this tonight for the hubby and I, we loved it! Was super easy and fast. Great recipe!! I love finding recipes to use with my instant pot! Thank you!
Cindy Grey says
February 3, 2018 at 5:19 pmThis is a winner! I liked that the pasta was actually al dente, not mushy like I expected. Thanks so much for sharing this with us.
Cindy Grey
Erin says
February 6, 2018 at 12:03 pmHi Lauren – Just had to leave a comment that this was absolutely delicious! We all enjoyed it last night and I’m about to enjoy leftovers for lunch. Keep ’em coming! 🙂
Samantha says
February 9, 2018 at 4:45 pmI made this and it was totally delicious! Before my pressure cooker started counting down though, I got a ‘burn’ message. I released the pressure, stirred it a lot, scraping the bottom until it was smooth and then restarted it. I got a ‘burn’ message again. This time when I released the pressure and stirred it, I tasted a noodle and it was cooked perfectly so I didn’t restart it and just added the cheese and served it. As I said, it was fabulous! Any idea what I could have done differently? I followed recipe very closely. More water?
Lauren says
February 9, 2018 at 6:27 pmPossibly. What kind of pressure cooker do you have? Some are more sensitive than others.
Samantha says
February 10, 2018 at 10:55 amI have a 6qt. Instant Pot. I have never used the bean setting before. It was weird, even though it said burn, it kept working. When I have seen the burn message before, while using the manual setting, it turns itself off. Anyway, it worked out fine since the pasta was perfectly cooked. My whole family loved it, which is a tall order! Thank you!!
Tanya says
June 11, 2018 at 4:20 pmI had the exact same experience with my 8qt instant pot. Two burn messages but perfectly cooked noodles so I added the cheese & we enjoyed a delicious meal.
Debbie says
February 12, 2018 at 9:47 pmThis is such a great recipe-it came out perfect! Super cheesy and delish. Hubby loved it too!
Stephanie says
February 12, 2018 at 9:55 pmI’m going to have to try this! Especially since pasta is my kids favorite meal. I’ve been scared to try pasta in the pressure cooker but I trust you that it won’t be mushy 🙂
Candice says
February 12, 2018 at 9:58 pmOne day I will get an Instapot, but for now I will make it the slow way. Look at the cheese!! Get in ma belly.
Valeri Koelln says
February 12, 2018 at 10:11 pmThis has been on my “I want to make list” since you posted it a few weeks ago. I am finally going to the store tomorrow and getting everything that I forgot the last time I went!
Tamara H. says
February 12, 2018 at 10:44 pmThis is on my to-make list, for sure! Thanks for sharing such doable and family friendly recipes.❤️
Charlyn Josey says
February 13, 2018 at 12:29 amI am definetly making this!!!
Charlyn Josey says
February 13, 2018 at 12:30 amThis looks so good. I am for sure making this!!
Shawn Palmer says
February 13, 2018 at 3:04 amThis was soooo good!!
Kathryn Johnson says
February 13, 2018 at 3:10 amThis is on my list to try for sure! 😋
Carol says
February 13, 2018 at 4:02 amThis looks amazing ! I cant wait to make it !
Alisha s says
February 13, 2018 at 4:19 amThis looks really good! Wish I had a pressure cooker!
Janet says
February 13, 2018 at 4:31 amBest meal I’ve made in a long time and the easiest!
Christie says
February 13, 2018 at 4:42 amThis is fabulous
Lindsay says
February 13, 2018 at 5:10 amWe recently got an instant pot and I’ve been overwhelmed with ideas for things to make in it… which leads to making nothing. Whoops! This looks like a delicious place to start… I love some baked ziti 🙂
Catherine Smith says
February 13, 2018 at 5:39 amI absolutely cannot wait to try this!!!! Pressure cooker pasta is so fabulous! Great photo!
Saralyn Buck says
February 13, 2018 at 5:53 amI got an instant pot about 4 months ago and I absolutely love it. My hubby and kids love anything pasta based, so I’ll be trying this next. Thanks for the great recipe!
Alycia says
February 13, 2018 at 5:53 amI can’t wait to try to make this.
Katie S. says
February 13, 2018 at 5:54 amThis looks amazing and I need more recipes for my pressure cooker!!! Thank you for testing this one out, comfort pasta FTW!
Sharidan Dillon says
February 13, 2018 at 6:07 amThis looks so good!
Serena says
February 13, 2018 at 6:08 amI would love to try this, it looks so yummy! But…first I need to get one a pressure cooker! I almost got one last Christmas and now I’m totally regretting not getting it!
Jennifer Hoffman says
February 13, 2018 at 6:18 amI so want to try and make this! I love pasta and this looks amazing!! Thank you for posting a pressure cooker recipe!
Emily G says
February 13, 2018 at 7:11 amI just ordered an instant pot so I’m looking forward to even more pressure cooker recipes. Can’t wait to try this one!
Cyndie says
February 13, 2018 at 7:40 amCheese, pasta and sauce…what could go wrong. I’ll be making this soon!
Melissa Kramer says
February 13, 2018 at 7:49 amMy husband absolutely LOVES pasta so this is on our menu this week!
suemobes says
February 13, 2018 at 9:59 amI’m new to the pressure cooker and this is going to be the next meal I try. It’s looks awesome. Thank you for this recipe.
Michelle Meyer says
February 13, 2018 at 10:24 amMade this for my family and we all loved it!
Meari says
February 13, 2018 at 10:42 amThis looks so good!
Jessica says
February 13, 2018 at 10:58 amLove the pressure cooker recipes, keep them coming!
Krista says
February 13, 2018 at 11:22 amThis looks delicious and the perfect recipe to try out one of my Christmas presents on!
Aimee Henry says
February 13, 2018 at 11:39 amJust recently started using our pressure cooker for meals when I came across this recipe, it was amazing and the kids approved which is always a major bonus! Thank you for making my dinners so much easier 😊
Kathleen says
February 13, 2018 at 11:40 amPlanning on making this next week- I’ve never used our instapot before. Fingers crossed!
Emily says
February 13, 2018 at 11:47 amI’ve been too scared to use my instant pot until you posted this recipe! I made it last week and we were all BIG fans!! So easy, cheesy, and delicious! Thanks, Lauren, for helping me get over my fear of the pressure cooker by placing a carb-load recipe before my face!!
Amy Fleming says
February 13, 2018 at 12:27 pmI made this the other night and O. M. Goodness! It was delicious and easy……..YES PLEASE! Thanks for a great new edition to our dinner rotation!
Tammy says
February 13, 2018 at 12:35 pmI have a pressure cooker, but gave been hesitant to try cooking pasta in it, afraid it will be too well done or gummy or something like that. You’ve inspired me to try with this recipe!!
Emily Lant says
February 13, 2018 at 12:58 pmWe have a pressure cooker and don’t use it nearly enough. I’ve actually never used it myself as it scares me! I know they are made pretty safe these days, and this looks like the perfect recipe for me to get my feet wet with it 😊 Thanks for sharing!
Jen Ward says
February 13, 2018 at 12:58 pmI made this and it was sooo yummy! Thank you for continuing to create yummy recipes, especially Instant Pot ones!
Meghan P. says
February 13, 2018 at 1:02 pmMade this for dinner last night, and it was a total winner! Even the picky 9 yr old who won’t really eat anything these days loved it and asked for it to become a regular meal. And bonus….the kids argued over who got to take the leftovers in their lunch today! Win!
Heather Poulsen says
February 13, 2018 at 1:10 pmI really want to try this recipe! It just looks so yummy! Thank you for sharing your cute family with us; I really enjoy “This week at the Brennans”.