Instant Pot “Baked” Ziti

Like baked ziti? Then you’re going to LOVE this Instant Pot “Baked” Ziti recipe. This weeknight-friendly shortcut comes together in no time at all, and tastes just as good as the classic casserole.

Have you ever tried making pasta in your instant pot? I refused to for the longest time, but thanks to my Instant Pot Stroganoff, I’m a convert! The pasta gets infused with so much flavor from the sauce when pressure cooked, and it’s just so easy and hands-off.

Here, a delicious ground beef sauce is paired with ziti and plenty of shredded cheese for a shortcut Instant Pot Baked Ziti version of everybody’s favorite pasta casserole. Feel free to add some ricotta at the end for an extra creamy finish – but the meal is delicious all by itself, too!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

Ingredient notes

• Pasta: Use any short pasta shapes that cook in around 8 minutes – spirals, bowties or macaroni are all delicious, too
• Liquid: Use water in place of the broth if you don’t have any on hand – simply increase the seasoning a little to make up for the lack of flavor from the broth. You can also use chicken broth in place of the beef broth if that’s what you have on hand
• Meat: Ground Italian sausage is a great replacement for the ground beef, it adds even more flavor!
• Extras: For more veggies, add a finely chopped carrot and a finely chopped celery stick along with the chopped onion. For extra creaminess, either stir some ricotta into the pasta in the end; or serve the pasta topped with a spoonful of ricotta cheese!

How to make Instant Pot “Baked” Ziti

This is a very easy instant pot recipe – everything cooks at the same time! You simply brown the meat first, then add all remaining ingredients and pressure cook.

1 – Brown the beef:

To brown, set the instant pot to “sauté” and add some oil to the inner pot. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, stirring to break up the meat (1).

Once the beef is browned, stir in the onion, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, tomato paste and balsamic vinegar and cook for one more minute (2).

2 – Add remaining ingredients:

Pour the beef broth into the pot, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot (do this thoroughly, or you could trigger the burn warning during pressure cooking) (3).

Finally, stir in the diced tomatoes and dry ziti pasta (4).

3 – Pressure cook:

Close the lid and set the valve to the “sealing” position. Pressure cook the pasta for 3 minutes.

Once the cooking time is up, wait for one minute, then release the pressure manually according to manufacturer’s instructions (5). I like to place a kitchen towel over my instant pot and move the valve with a wooden spoon for safety reasons.

4 – Finish dish:

Once you open the pot, the pasta might look soupy – not to worry though, you just need to stir it well (6).

Finally, stir in the cheese. Loosely place the lid on the pot and let sit for a few minutes, until cheese has melted. Top with additional cheese if you like and serve immediately (7).

Recipe tips

• Pressure release: Don’t do a longer natural pressure release than 1 minute, or your pasta will overcook and turn out mushy
• Onion: Don’t skip sautéing the onion – it creates a better flavor and the onions lose their raw, biting scent only through sautéing, but not through boiling.
• Even cooking: Try to have the ziti evenly covered with the liquids – the pasta will cook more evenly in the instant pot that way.
• Finish: For a an easy (and delicious) finish, serve with grated parmesan and shredded basil leaves.

Leftovers and freezer instructions

Have leftovers? Turn them into a baked ziti pasta casserole!

Simply add the leftovers to a casserole dish and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

When ready to cook, stir in ½ – 1 cup tomato sauce (this keeps the pasta bake from drying out). You can also dot the casserole with ricotta cheese for extra goodness.

Generously sprinkle with cheese and bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly and piping hot all the way through.

Make ahead instructions/freezer instructions:

If you want to make this a couple of days ahead, I recommend following the instructions for the leftovers above.

To freeze:

Place the cooked and cooled ziti in a casserole dish. Wrap well in foil and then in aluminum foil. Label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months).

To reheat, unwrap the frozen casserole. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour at 350°F, or until bubbly piping hot all the way through.

Top with cheese around 15 minutes before the baking time is up, then finish baking uncovered.

Serving suggestions

We love this with a leafy green salad dressed in balsamic vinaigrette, with a slice of lemon pound cake for dessert!

More easy instant pot dinners

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.

More easy pasta recipes

P.S: Check out our collection of easy dinner recipes with ground beef for more ideas!