Amazing Instant Pot Creamy “Baked” Ziti
Save weeknight dinner with this SUPER easy Instant Pot baked ziti recipe. It is creamy, saucy, cheesy, and so incredibly delicious! (Pro tip: you don’t have to use ziti! Any type of tube pasta will work.)
Well, this Instant Pot “baked” ziti is straight up incredible. Life altering, really, if you are like me and are constantly searching for ways to make weeknight dinners manageable and stress-free.
I think I’ve made this pasta at least six times in the last several weeks…in large part to get it totally perfected before posting the recipe, but also because it is so ridiculously easy. I’m finding I keep turning to it as a weeknight dinner solution when the night is busy and my coping skills are low.
Bonus: it’s simple enough my kids can whip it up while I’m running everyone to where they need to be. Pretty much the most awesome thing ever.
The success of this Instant Pot spaghetti last year gave me the confidence to keep trying pasta in the pressure cooker. Which is a wonderful thing, because this “baked” ziti recipe (which clearly isn’t baked, but we’re going to pretend we’re “baking it under pressure” because the name sounds better) is phenomenal.
Like, it’s definitely one of those recipes that could stand alone for proof of why owning the Instant Pot is worth it.
Dump and go recipe
If you haven’t experienced the feeling of throwing dry pasta into the Instant Pot, walking away, and coming back a few minutes later to a saucy, creamy, delicious pasta situation…well, I’m not sure you’ve really lived.
It’s an amazing feeling. And this recipe gives you exactly that. Layer everything in the Instant Pot (you don’t even want to stir until it’s done cooking) and you’re good to go.
Substitutions: Pasta, cream, tomatoes
Over the last few weeks, I’ve used ziti, penne, and rigatoni pasta in different batches – all have worked great! The larger pastas (like rigatoni) don’t hold their tube shape as well after cooking like penne pasta does, but we’re all so busy slurping up this creamy baked ziti goodness that we don’t care.
The red sauce is simply a can of crushed tomatoes (with some dried herbs sprinkled on top). No crushed tomatoes? No worries. I’ve subbed in a can of diced tomatoes blended up with 2 tablespoons tomato paste. And…it’s amazing.
I love how adaptable this recipe has been as I’ve tested and tested and tested it out.
The recipe calls for cream which I know will freak some of you out and have you looking for a lightened up sub immediately. Never fear! Check out the notes of the recipe below for some substitution ideas (that I actually tested and that actually worked).
I will say, though, using at least part cream (or all cream, go big or go home, right?) adds an amazing silky creaminess that is totally worth it.
How to figure out how long to cook pasta in the instant pot
Pasta cooks pretty darn fast in the Instant Pot. Most tube pastas will cook in 5 minutes or less.
But different brands of pasta may have slightly different cooking times listed on the package, and that may make a difference in how long you should cook it in the Instant Pot.
My rule of thumb for pressure cooker pasta is to take the al dente cooking time on the pasta package, cut it in half and subtract two minutes (thanks to Marci at Tidbits and Jill at This Old Gal for teaching me this tip!). So for a pasta that cooks to al dente in boiling water in 12 minutes, the Instant Pot cooking time would be 4 minutes.
A quick note about the burn warning
You might be worried about adding cream/milk to the Instant Pot because of the dreaded burn warning. I have an older model 6-quart Instant Pot and have never gotten the burn warning. But I’ve heard that the burn warning happens much more often with the newer Instant Pot models (the ones that have the button that reads “pressure cook” rather than “manual” to start high pressure cooking time).
Adding the broth to the Instant Pot as the first ingredient is important to avoid this burn warning so that the cream and pasta don’t scorch on the bottom of the pot. And as the recipe instructions state: don’t stir while adding ingredients; layer them in the order given in the recipe.
If you do get the burn warning, hit cancel, open the lid, and use a spoon or spatula to dig across the bottom of the pot in case an ingredient is stuck overcooking there.
My kids preference is to add ground beef or sausage to this dish but it’s equally delicious as a meatless meal, in my opinion.
To add meat, just cook the meat of your choice in the Instant Pot, drain the grease, and then start in on the recipe. Make sure after adding the broth that you scrape up the bottom of the pot to get up any golden spots from cooking the meat (and avoid the burn warning on the Instant Pot). Otherwise, you can just proceed with the recipe as normal. Mmmm, so good!
And for observant eyes, that easy, cheesy, no-knead focaccia bread recipe in the photos is coming soon, promise!
I honestly didn’t think I could love my Instant Pot any more than I do, but this baked ziti recipe has proven that all sorts of wrong. Made with so many of my already-stocked pantry staples, I wonder how many times I can serve this in a row without getting complaints?
What to Serve With This
One Year Ago: Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
Two Years Ago: Make-Ahead Refrigerator Bran Muffins
Three Years Ago: Chili Lime Tacos with Mango Salsa {Grill or Instant Pot}
Four Years Ago: Simple and Delicious Sour Cream Muffins
Five Years Ago: Skillet Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta with Broccoli
Amazing Instant Pot Creamy “Baked” Ziti
Ingredients
- 2 cups broth, I use low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups cream (see note)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 16 ounces uncooked ziti pasta or other tube-shaped pasta
- 15- ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
- ½ to 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 6-quart Instant Pot with nonstick cooking spray. Pour in the broth and cream and add the salt, pepper and garlic.
- Add the pasta; don’t stir, but if it’s mounded in the center, arrange into an even layer. Pour the crushed tomatoes evenly over the pasta and sprinkle the oregano and basil over the top. Don’t stir.
- Secure the lid of the Instant Pot, set the valve to seal, and select “manual” or “pressure cook” and dial up or down to the minutes needed –> take the cooking time on the pasta package directions, cut it in half and subtract two more minutes. So for pasta that cooks to al dente in 12 minutes, the IP cooking time would be 4 minutes (add an extra minute if you like your pasta super soft).
- Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quick release the remaining pressure.
- Add the Parmesan cheese and stir thoroughly (it's ok if there are some darker, cooked spots on the bottom of the pot/bottom layer of pasta). Serve the ziti immediately with chopped, fresh basil, and additional Parmesan, if desired.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
I have a question about making a half recipe in the InstantPot. It’s just my husband and me. Would the timing change? I have the standard InstantPot. Thank you.
Hi Barbara, timing should stay the same even for a half recipe.
I’m pretty sure this recipe was almost entirely responsible for my added Covid pounds during quarantine! I couldn’t help myself…it’s SO good I couldn’t stop making it!
This is a favorite for sure!! I do a shortcut and use pizza sauce instead of the tomatoes and seasonings. I even made it for band camp a few years ago and fed 80 hungry teenagers. It was the hit of the week. I will throw in pepperoni and mozzarella at the end to further the pizza flavors. So yummy! All of the moms helping me out that week were asking for the recipe! Great recipe Mel!!
Can i use the same recipe but stove top and bake it?
You could definitely try (haven’t tried it myself so I can’t say for sure).
Looking forward to trying this! I have a 3 Qt pot so do I need to simply halve the recipe or will many of your recipes work in a smaller pot? Thanks!
I haven’t made this in a 3-quart instant pot and don’t want you to run into trouble if it’s too much, so it’d be safest to halve the recipe for that size of IP.
Such an easy meal. My teen boys in particular loved it after a day on the slopes. My daughter went back for seconds and she never does that with pasta. I halved it but kept the same amount of tomatoes and it was delicious. I topped mine with red pepper flakes. Served with garlic toast.
Made this with half milk and half cream, chicken sausage, and added frozen spinach at the end for a boost of nutrition. So yummy I am going to keep this in a regular rotation! Thank you Mel!
Everyone loved it! Followed the directions exactly. We did the pressure cooking for 5 minutes and the pasta was perfect We added some grilled chicken my daughter whipped up on the stove while this was coming up to pressure and cooking. Thanks for another great recipe!!
Absolutely delicious. So incredibly simple. I kept telling my husband “don’t stir that pot behind me.” So he looked in the pot before I closed the lid and he said with big eyes “that is a whole lot of trust!” Then when we opened it up roughly 20 minutes later, we both were in shock. It looks amazing, smells amazing and tastes amazing. Definitely doesn’t taste as simple and fast as it is. After we both gushed about how good it was, he said “so what else does Mel have for us to try?!”
simply the best! so glad i found this recipe. deliciously creamy every time!
Hi Mel,
I have loved making your instant pot baked ziti. I’m supposed to be gluten and dairy free, so I sub with gluten free penne and canned full fat coconut milk for the cream (and just cheat on a little Parmesan lol)… I wondered though if you have a stove top version? I’ll be traveling shortly to help some family and they don’t have an instant pot. I’d like to make a few tried and tested meals while I’m there and was hoping to somehow figure out how to do this stove top, since it’s always a hit and so simple.
Any thoughts/suggestions?
I haven’t tried a stovetop version but here’s a comment from someone who has:
Delicious! I made it on the stovetop as I don’t have an instapot and it was perfect. I followed the recipe and let it cook covered on the stove for 15 or so minutes and stirred half way through. I did add a little more broth near the end. You just need to monitor it. I added 1/2 cup shredded parmesan at the end. Yum!
Very easy with ingredients I already have on hand. All my family loved it- even my picky 7 year old. Thanks Mel!
Delicious!!!
I’ve made this twice now and it’s a hit for my kids and husband. I cook up mild Italian sausage and add it in as well. I did this recipe 1.5x when we had guests over and it worked well!
SOOOOOO delicious! I’ve made it multiple time and everyone loves it. Super easy in the instapot. Very flavorful! Love it!
Thanks, Kelley (and thanks for all the reviews you’ve left recently on recipes!)
This is a new family favorite! All of my kids eat this up! We even have made this recipe while camping the day before a mountain bike race for my boys. It was so perfect and easy to just dump everything in. Dinner was ready in a flash after a long day of traveling and prerides. Thank you!
This is delicious! Made this for supper and didn’t want to stop eating it. I added some chicken I had. It was cooked so I just stirred it in before serving. Can’t wait to share this recipe. I needed a quick meal. And this did not disappoint. I would be fine with no meat in it. I sprayed my instant pot and followed directions. It was perfect. Thank you, Mel. I can always count on you. I
Has anyone froze this and if yes, how did it come out?
This recipe is a favorite! Have you tried this recipe on the stovetop rather than the Instant Pot? If so, how did you alter it? I’d like to make this for girls camp this summer!
I haven’t tried it that way, sorry!
I have yet to make this where the burn notice hasn’t gone one. I’ve sprayed the bottom and followed all the directions.
Hi Randy, I’m sorry to hear that. What make/model of pressure cooker are you using, out of curiosity?
I’ve had this same problem! I’ve never made pasta in my instant pot without the burn sign coming on. I have a 6 quart Instant pot duo Evo plus and an 8 quart instant pot IP-DUO. Idk what I’m doing wrong!
i made this and the focaccia bread tonight and they were both a hit for my family! My kids were saying this is now my favorite dish! I loved how easy is was to make! Thank You so much for the recipe!
This is my go to recipe when I’m not in the mood to cook but don’t want take out. My whole family loves it. I add mild Italian turkey sausage to it and it make an already delicious dish extra tasty.
Can you double this in an 8 quart instantpot? Love this recipe!!
Yes, you can.
Umm maybe I’m not too smart. What kind of cream!? Like sour cream, heavy cream? Half and half. Just want to make sure.
Whipping cream or heavy whipping cream.
With such a simple ingredient list, I wasn’t expecting the stellar results– this was definitely greater than the sum of its parts! I already plan to make it again… I suspect the heavy cream is largely responsible for the amazing taste, but I’m going to try it with half & half and see how that goes, too. If cream is the winner, then heavy cream it shall be!
My niece said this is one of the best pasta dishes she’s ever eaten in her life. That’s VERY high praise!
Came out perfectly! I used half and half instead of cream, and added in meatballs. So easy!
I just made this and loved it so much. Thank you.
I’m so excited to try this! But I can’t use cream because of the high-fat content (finicky pancreas). But I can eat low-fat sour cream, Greek yogurt, or cream cheese. I saw that some people tried these. Do you have any recommendation as to which low-fat option might work best?
Hmmm, I’m honestly not sure as I haven’t made any of those subs. I think maybe trying a combination of yogurt and cream cheese?
Another delicious recipe!! I was out of cream, so I used 1 c sour cream and 1c milk. It turned out really tasty! I added ground beef and onions. The whole family loved it, and it was so easy. Thanks so much!!
This has become a staple at our house. I love how easy and fast and delicious it is! I have been making it with Banza chickpea rotini (from Costco) and fat free 1/2 and 1/2 with good results.
I’ve used…
Cream cheese instead of 1/2 of cream
Fresh tomatoes instead of can
Bow tie pasta
Add Italian sausage
Super good!!
How much cream cheese did you use? And did you just cube it and put it in same as the cream?
We had a surprise visit from the in-laws, and I whipped this up never having made it before. It turned out perfectly and everyone loved it. This meal will go into the regular dinner rotation at our house!
Made this again! It is super easy and a hit. We tend to like things saucier and I only had diced tomatoes, so I added the one can of tomatoes and about 1/2 of jarred spaghetti sauce. It worked great! Thanks!!
I mean a 1/2 cup of sauce!
Oh my, so delicious! Thank you. Made it per recipe directions with beef.
Hi Mel~ This is our favorite Instant Pot recipe! I didn’t realize I was out of ziti (and all tube shaped) noodles until I was ready to make dinner so I used bow ties. Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out great!
Does this freeze well?
I haven’t tried freezing so I’m not sure – the sauce may get a little grainy after defrosting.
So easy. So creamy. I think it is even better *gasp* than the alfredo? YUMMMMY! My boys quickly downed it and asked how much I thought it would be if we were to buy this at a restaurant (high praise when they think it’s like “fancy restaurant pasta”). I made it with veggie rotini and it was delicious. Thanks again for saving dinner, Mel. Love it! Have texted it to a few friends to try as well! YOU ROCK!!
Can this recipe be halved? It’s my favorite and I find I’m unfortunately cooking for one now.
Yes, it can be halved.
Delicious! So creamy and easy. Who knew pasta in 3 minutes!! I don’t know if I’ll cook it any other way than the instapot now! I had pizza sauce to use up so I used 1 2/3 cup instead of the 15 oz. crushed tomato. Also added beef, sausage and mushrooms. Everything worked perfectly as stated in recipe and comments. Not too saucy. Will be a new go to recipe for sure.
Hey – Has anyone ever tried to 1.5 x’s this recipe to make more of it? Or maybe even doubled it? The IP doesn’t look overly full with the recipe as it stands, so maybe there is room?
Yes, I have done 1.5 recipes in a 6qt. I just received an 8qt. and will be doubling the recipe tonight.
I have a 24oz jar of Vodka sauce in my pantry that I need to use up. I think it could work here. Would you adjust the other ingredients?
Also, I was thinking of making fresh meatballs, baking them (so they don’t fall apart in the sauce) and then placing them on top of the pasta to cook the rest of the way. Has anyone done this with success?
The ziti will be a bit saucier with that amount of jarred pasta sauce, but it’ll probably be delicious! I haven’t made this with meatballs, but sounds like a fun experiment.
Thanks for the reply! I made it last night and reserved a few ounces of the jarred sauce for that reason. I also used just shy of the full amount of cream since the vodka sauce is already creamy. I really enjoyed it and it worked with the meatballs on top. Will try again another time with the original recipe. While I love my instant pot, I never had the desire to try pasta in the instant pot until I saw all the success with this recipe. 🙂
Thanks for the update! Glad it worked out!
If I want to add spinach or veggies when do I do that? Add it at the end or let it cook with the noodles?
If they are quick cooking veggies (like spinach), I would add them at the end and let them heat through. For veggies that need longer cooking time, I’d add them with the pasta.
I have made this recipe more times than I can count as the recipe states and it is sooo good! I am pretty sure I have commented on this recipe already but I had to make it diary free this time so I used a can of full fat coconut milk. It was still Soo good!
Such a simple recipe but so rich in flavor! My husband and I loved it! Every recipe on this site has been a success! This is definitely a keeper!
Great recipie! My family is vegetarian, and enjoys strong flavors. Knowing this, I used veggie broth, and added 1/2 lb. of “Beyond” meatless brats – crumbled and browned. I also added about 1/4 cup of Gorgonzola cheese and a tsp of smoked paprika. Fantastic! Thanks for the great ideas!
Holy cow. This was so dang good! I made it with Barilla’s Gluten-Free Penne (12oz) and kept all other amounts the same. I cooked it for 5 min and it turned out absolutely amazing. We’ll definitely be having this again soon!
Wow! This was so delicious! You are getting me through this pandemic, Mel! Thank you for your inspiring thoughts and delicious recipes! ❤️❤️
Mine said “food burn”, so I hit cancel and checked it, then restarted it. It did burn some of the noodles, but most were ok. It is recommended to only add the broth and noodles when you pressure cook, then add everything else after it’s done. I added browned hamburger and sautéed onion.
Another wonderful recipe, Mel! I didn’t even try it first with company in town…I trust your recipes, Mel, as well as all the comments! LOL With guests it seems we’re always playing cards right before dinner…so I cooked some Italian chicken sausage in the morning and had it ready to go. Dinner was a cinch! I hardly missed any card playing.
I served it with your skillet zucchini, a store-bought baguette, and green salad. Ruby Jewell ice cream sandwiches for dessert…a wonderful summer meal! Didn’t heat up the kitchen and could enjoy time with guests. Thx so much Mel:)
How do you get credit if I buy an insta pot that you recommend?
This is our #1 go to instapot recipe!! But tonight I’m surprisingly out of tube pastas (well at least a full box) Any Chance this will work with thick spaghetti?
I’m afraid I haven’t tried that so I don’t know for sure, Charlene. Sorry I’m not more help!
If I have an 8qt new Instapot do I have to change anything? Wanna make this ASAP!
Should work fine as is (haven’t tried making the single recipe in an 8-quart so can’t say for sure).
I have an 8 quart instant pot and I dont do anything different and it turns out great!