Easy Instant Pot Baked Ziti is a classic Instant Pot pasta made with pasta, veggies and ground beef, all cooked in the pressure cooker!
See the step by step recipe video down in the recipe card.
Table of Contents
Let me just say that, yes, I cheated, again.
This Instant Pot Baked Ziti is, in fact, not baked — but we have all of that some deliciousness going on in here, minus all the hard work!
We are big pasta lovers, and my kids will eat just about anything when it’s hiding under a blanket of cheese 😉 (Some other examples? This Healthier Skillet Lasagna, Healthier Hamburger Helper, and this Healthier Chicken Spaghetti Bake).
I love using high fibre (white or whole wheat) pasta, and extra veggies like spinach and red peppers to get as many good things into the family as possible!
I know we all have those days when the family rolls their eyes at our creations, but this Instant Pot pasta is always a win here (no Instant Pot? This Rigatoni Pasta Bake has the same cozy vibes).
Sometimes it’s nice to have a few meals in your back pocket that you can enjoy together without anyone complaining! (Plus, they’re still getting a whack of fibre, protein, and veggies under that cheese).
Instant Pot Baked Ziti ingredients and substitutions:
- Ground beef: I use lean ground beef in here, but you can use regular or extra lean as well. If you use regular ground beef you may want to drain some of the fat after browning. (Tip: Check out my post on how to cook frozen ground beef in the Instant Pot!)
- Onions: Any onions will do, or you can leave them out if you don’t have any! For some onion flavor, add in ¼ teaspoon onion powder.
- Peppers: I love adding chopped red bell peppers in my Baked Ziti because they blend right in! You can use any bell pepper, or swap in some jalapeno or chili peppers for extra kick.
- Seasonings: this is an easy place to get creative! You can mix and match your herbs and seasonings to suit your tastes.
- Broth: I always choose low sodium broth. If you are using regular broth, you may want to reduce the salt to compensate.
- Spinach: Fresh or frozen spinach both work well in here! No one will even know it’s there 😉
- Diced tomatoes: I recommend diced tomatoes for this recipe because it adds some of the thin liquid necessary for pressure cooking (while crushed tomatoes are too thick). If you’re not a fan of tomatoes, you may not even notice them once everything is cooked down into a sauce.
- Pasta: Any short pasta will do! Penne, rotini, bow tie, or ziti — as long as it is a similar size and shape.
How to make Baked Ziti in the pressure cooker:
- Cook the ground beef and veggies on saute until the beef is browned.
- Add in the spices and cook for 1 minute, just to wake up the flavor!
- Add the broth and scrape the bottom very well with a wooden or steel spoon to remove any stuck on bits — this will help to prevent a burn message.
- Add the tomatoes but do not stir — this will help to prevent the tomatoes from burning on the bottom.
- Add the dry pasta in a thin layer and press into the tomatoes but do not stir.
- Add the pasta sauce on top, spreading into an even layer over the pasta, but (again!) do not stir. The layering is key to making this recipe work!
- Cook for 2 minutes, yes, TWO. Any more will result in mushy pasta. When you open the lid, it will look dry on top. Stir well so that everything is incorporated, then add the cheese.
Tomatoes and spinach added to the bottom Top with dry pasta Cover the pasta with tomato sauce but do not stir After cooking, the pasta will appear dry on top. Stir well.
Tips and Tricks for Making this Instant Pot Baked Ziti:
- Feel free to mix up the meat in this recipe: try ground turkey or Italian sausage instead!
- Feel free to mix up the veggies in this recipe: add mushrooms, zucchini, shredded carrots, whatever your family enjoys! (p.s. Shred or puree extra veggies and cook them with the ground beef, and your selective eaters will never know the difference!)
- I have actually made double this recipe in my 6 quart electric pressure cooker and it works just fine! It makes a ton though, which is why I’m sharing this smaller portion. If you like to have leftovers or you have a large family, you may want to double the recipe.
- Stir in ¼ to ½ cup cream when you stir the pasta after cooking, for a creamy baked ziti
How to store leftover pasta:
Got leftovers? Lucky you!
Let cool slightly before placing in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To reheat, simply scoop out desired portion (or heat all of it) and add a splash of water or broth to the cold pasta. Microwave on high or heat in a skillet on medium, stirring occasionally until heated through.
Instant Pot Baked Ziti
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, for a bit of kick)
- 1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth, beef broth or water
- 2 cups fresh spinach finely chopped
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes, sodium reduced (798 ml)
- 1 ½ cups tomato pasta sauce
- 3 cups ziti or penne pasta (uncooked)
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot (mine is the 6 quart with bluetooth) to saute. When the screen reads "hot", lightly spray with non stick spray and add the ground beef, onion and red pepper. Cook until beef is browned all the way through.
- Add the salt, garlic, parsley, basil, pepper and pepper flakes. Cook and stir 1 minute.
- Add the broth or water and stir, scraping the bottom until you have removed any brown bits stuck on the bottom — this will help to prevent the "burn" message.
- Stir in the spinach.
- Add the diced tomatoes on top of the beef mixture and spread into an even layer but do not stir.
- Add the pasta on top and press down until it is mostly submerged — not stirring should help to eliminate the "burn" message.
- Top with pasta sauce and spread in an even layer to cover the pasta as much as possible.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, seal and turn the valve to sealing.
- Press "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" and use the arrows to set a 2 minute cook time. It will take about 10-15 minutes to reach pressure and start counting down.
- When the cook time has finished, turn the Instant Pot off and allow pressure to release naturally for just a couple minutes. Then hold the valve open slightly to slowly release the remaining pressure (a controlled release). When the pin drops, open the valve and remove the lid.
- Stir well, as most of the liquid is still at the bottom of the pot.
- Top with the cheese, replace the lid and let sit 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Lindsey says
Very good. I will be making this again and maybe adding some different vegetables to experiment with it! One of my favorite pasta recipes so far. Very easy to follow. Thank you!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Lindsey! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you so much for this review!
Melanie says
Can I use an extra can of tomato sauce in place of the canned tomatoes since I don’t have canned tomatoes in my pantry?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Melanie! I haven’t tested this out with only using tomato sauce and not adding the diced tomatoes. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Denise says
This was delicious! I had to add a minute of cook time for the penne I used. I also used the Impossible meat substitute. Very good!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Denise! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Whitney says
I fixed this tonight and everyone in the family went back for seconds! My 9 yr old has already requested this be her birthday supper for her next birthday, and my husband said it has to go into the regular meal rotation. To say it was delicious is an understatement! I have an 8 qt Instant Pot so I let it cook for 2 minutes and naturally release for about 5 before manually releasing the rest. Didn’t adjust measurements or do anything different other than that. It was phenomenal!
Lauren says
followed recipe exactly and my pasta was still hard after it cooked, like still crunchy hard. I added a bit more broth and turned it back to sauté with lid on hoping they would cook a bit more. will try again but with 3 mins and less of a controlled release.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Lauren! I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe. They should definitely not be hard or crunchy. I would make sure the noodles are topped with pasta sauce and spread in an even layer to cover the pasta as much as possible. This should combat that problem.
Elaine says
Can this recipe be made in a 3 quart or would I have to half the ingredients?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Elaine! I haven’t tried it in a 3 qt but I believe you would likely have to halve the ingredients due to volumn. You just want to make sure you don’t go over the fill line. Hope this helps!
Darlene says
Can you use spaghetti sauce?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes spaghetti sauce and tomato pasta sauce are the same thing 🙂
Ck says
I just wanted to drop a note to let you know that my kid lost her mind over how good this was! I didn’t have any bell pepper or spinach, so I grated a zucchini in and cooked it down with the onions, and mixed in a little cream cheese after cooking because she doesn’t care for a lot of melty cheese topping (idk what’s wrong with her) and sprinkled some fresh parmesan on top. Thank you very much!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing! I’m so glad it was a hit!
Melissa Breedlove says
If you have a family member that doesn’t care for all the red sauce, can you substitute this or maybe use less of the red sauce?
Ashley Fehr says
Because the liquid to dry pasta ratio in the Instant Pot and layering has to be so precise, I would probably try to find another recipe to experiment with. You could find one that has more broth and less red sauce, or maybe a cream sauce instead?
Marie says
Not yet I was wondering if I can make this in a Crockpot. Thank you. 🌺
Ashley Fehr says
I have a similar crockpot recipe here: https://www.thereciperebel.com/slow-cooker-baked-ziti/
Juanita S Davis says
First time trying this recipe, excellent results and so delicious! Will definitely make again, but probably try Italian sausage this time.
Ashley Fehr says
Italian sausage would work great!
Opal Childress says
So when doubling the recipe, the water is doubled too??
Ashley Fehr says
Yes the water will be doubled too
Litina carnes says
Made this as my first recipe in my Insta Pot I got for Christmas this year. I doubled meat and that’s the only thing I did different. Used the broth instead of water like recipe suggested and it’s very good! Will be putting this on my rotating menu. Nice easy weeknight dinner idea
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Yasmin says
Why only 4 stars?
Jaime says
Can you use frozen ground beef? Forgot to defrost mine for tonight’?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes definitely! You will want to thaw it first in the Instant Pot alone, then saute. Just add a cup of water or broth and your frozen ground beef and put it on high pressure for 18-20 minutes, then drain and saute and continue with the recipe
Maree says
May be a silly question but kid on or off when doing the frozen meat first? Also sealing or vented? TIA
Maree says
Lid not kid lol
Ashley Fehr says
Lid on if you are cooking meat from frozen, sealed. Just to brown the meat then saute, no lid
Toni says
Everyone at my house really loved it! Can’t wait to make it again!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Toni!