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Pressure Cooker Baked Ziti

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4.97 from 33 votes

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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.

Pressure Cooker Baked Ziti

I just made this 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.

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. 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.

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

Pressure Cooker Baked Ziti

Pressure Cooker Baked Ziti

Pressure Cooker Baked Ziti

Pressure Cooker Baked Ziti

4.97 from 33 votes
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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.

Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 large servings
Author Lauren Brennan

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

  1. Brown Italian Sausage in pressure cooker using the Brown/Saute function, breaking apart as it cooks. Drain if needed.
  2. Add in olive oil, onion and garlic and saute until mostly tender, about 3 minutes. 
  3. 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.)
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katherine K says


    I’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!

    Reply

  2. Jas says

    What 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. 🙂

    Reply

  4. Amanda says


    I 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!

    Reply

  5. Deb says


    I 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.

    Reply

  6. Deb Showalter says


    Lauren 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!

    Reply

  8. Yvonny says

    Made 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!

    Reply

  9. Cindy Grey says


    This 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

    Reply

  10. Erin says

    Hi 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! 🙂

    Reply

  11. Samantha says


    I 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?

    Reply

      • Samantha says

        I 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!!

        Reply

        • Tanya says

          I 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.

          Reply

  13. Stephanie says

    I’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 🙂

    Reply

  15. Valeri Koelln says

    This 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!

    Reply

  25. Lindsay says

    We 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 🙂

    Reply

  27. Saralyn Buck says


    I 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!

    Reply

  29. Katie S. says

    This looks amazing and I need more recipes for my pressure cooker!!! Thank you for testing this one out, comfort pasta FTW!

    Reply

  31. Serena says

    I 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!

    Reply

  32. Jennifer Hoffman says


    I so want to try and make this! I love pasta and this looks amazing!! Thank you for posting a pressure cooker recipe!

    Reply

  33. Emily G says

    I just ordered an instant pot so I’m looking forward to even more pressure cooker recipes. Can’t wait to try this one!

    Reply

  36. suemobes says

    I’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.

    Reply

  41. Aimee Henry says


    Just 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 😊

    Reply

  43. Emily says

    I’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!!

    Reply

  44. Amy Fleming says

    I 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!

    Reply

  45. Tammy says

    I 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!!

    Reply

  46. Emily Lant says


    We 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!

    Reply

  48. Meghan P. says


    Made 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!

    Reply

  49. Heather Poulsen says


    I 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”.

    Reply

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