Amazing Instant Pot Baked Ziti

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In only 25 minutes, you could be enjoying this delicious Instant Pot Baked Ziti 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 in the Instant Pot?

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.

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 about 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.

Main Ingredients Needed

Here’s everything you’ll need to make perfect Baked Ziti in a pressure cooker or on the stovetop!

• Sweet Italian Sausage – if you are vegetarian, simply leave this part out for a meatless baked ziti. The sweet Italian sausage brings so much flavor to this recipe.
• Olive Oil, Onion, and Garlic – all sauteed together for a great base.
• Diced Tomatoes – canned and ready to go! Easy right?
• Marinara Sauce – buy store-bought or use a homemade version.
• Water – the amount depends on whether you are using the stovetop or pressure cooker method.
• Dried Oregano, Bay Leaves, and Dried Basil – all the seasonings for a tasty Italian dish.
• Salt and Pepper – to taste.
• Ziti Pasta – you could also swap this out for penne if you can’t find ziti pasta.
• Mozzarella and Parmesan – double the cheese for twice the flavors! Yum!

How to Make Baked Ziti

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.

Stovetop Directions

1. In a large pot, brown sausage, breaking apart as it cooks. Drain if needed. Replace back in the pan.
2. Add in olive oil, onion, and garlic and saute until mostly tender, about 3 minutes.
3. 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.
4. Toss sauce with cooked ziti. Stir in cheeses and serve.

Baked Ziti Leftovers

Any leftovers you have can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days! Simply reheat in the microwave, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Side Dishes

There are classic side dishes that go with any pasta dinner. Those are breadsticks and salad, so good. Here are a couple of my favorites that go with baked ziti!

• Craigo’s Breadsticks
• Caprese Salad with Garlic Balsamic Dressing
• Oven Roasted Asparagus Recipe
• Cheesy Garlic Bread Pull-Apart Rolls

Love Baked Ziti? Try these other pasta recipes!

• Baked Rigatoni Pasta
• Brown Butter Alfredo Baked Ravioli
• Skinny Baked Spaghetti
• Italian Herb Baked Cheesy Tortellini

If you loved this Baked Ziti recipe you’ll love these other baked pasta recipes.

The printable recipe card is below, make sure to save it because it’s a good one. Enjoy friends!

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4.99 from 55 votes

Instant Pot Baked Ziti

In only 25 minutes, you could be enjoying this delicious Instant Pot Baked Ziti without all the wait time or work.

servings 4 large servings

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Ingredients

• ▢ 1.25 lbs Sweet Italian Sausage
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 medium onion diced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 14.5 oz diced tomatoes 1 can
• ▢ 25 oz marinara sauce 1 jar
• ▢ 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

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pressure Cooker Directions

• Brown Italian Sausage in pressure cooker using the Brown/Saute function, breaking apart as it cooks. Drain if needed.
• Add in olive oil, onion, and garlic and saute until mostly tender, about 3 minutes. 
• 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.)
• 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.
• Once the timer chimes, release pressure immediately, stir, and taste to ensure seasonings are good. Adjust as needed. Stir in cheeses and serve hot.

Stovetop Directions

• In a large pot, brown sausage, breaking apart as it cooks. Drain if needed. Replace back in the 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 796kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 68g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Cholesterol: 164mg | Sodium: 1640mg | Potassium: 503mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 522IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 479mg | Iron: 3mg

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Instant Pot Baked Ziti