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.)

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. 

White bowl with Instant Pot creamy baked ziti and piece of focaccia bread.

Dump and Go Instant Pot 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. 

Layer all of the ingredients (except the Parmesan cheese) in the Instant Pot.

  • Broth
  • Cream
  • Salt, pepper, oregano, basil
  • Dry ziti or penne pasta
  • Crushed tomatoes

Don’t stir! Literally dump in the ingredients and go. Like, WALK AWAY.

How to for Instant Pot Baked Ziti: pouring in broth, cream, and pasta.

How to Calculate Pasta Cook Time 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.

To figure out the cook time, take the al dente cooking time on the pasta package, cut it in half and subtract two minutes. For example: if the al dente cook time in boiling water on a pasta package indicates 12 minutes, the Instant Pot cook time will be 4 minutes. 

How to pictures: adding sauce, seasonings, setting time for 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. 

Stirring Instant Pot creamy baked ziti with metal spoon.

How to Add Meat to Instant Pot Ziti

You can easily add meat to this Instant Pot baked ziti by following these steps:

  1. Use the Instant Pot saute function to cook the ground meat of your choice (sausage, ground beef, etc)
  2. Drain excess grease.
  3. Proceed with the recipe. After adding the broth make sure to scrape up the bottom of the pot to get browned bits from cooking the meat (this helps avoid the burn warning on the Instant Pot).
Close up of creamy baked ziti in white bowl with basil and parmesan.

This easy Instant Pot meal has been a huge favorite of ours for years. It’s so simple that I can instruct my teens to throw it together if I’m not home. And they do such a good job, that I may never reclaim the ziti-making duties again!

With over 400 5-star reviews, this recipe is a tried-and-true winner!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We loved this!! And I love that it’s crazy fast and easy. Everyone in my family declared this a repeat. -Madison

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Just made this tonight while visiting my daughters (with sweet Italian Sausage).  I wanted to see if it would be fast, easy and delicious for moms “on the go”.  IT WAS!  Delicious – reminds me of some pasta dishes I’ve had in the North End in Boston.  That good.  Thanks Mel for another winner. -Laurie

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My son has been asking for this again. It was super yummy when we made it with the cream and I was a little nervous to make it without the cream (we only had 1/4 c.), but it turned out great! I used 2% milk + 2 tbsp. cornstarch and it was yummy and creamy (maybe even creamier than last time with full cream). We also stirred in spinach right before serving, which was awesome. -Lindsey

White bowl with Instant Pot creamy baked ziti and piece of focaccia bread.

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

White bowl with Instant Pot creamy baked ziti and piece of focaccia bread.

Amazing Instant Pot Creamy “Baked” Ziti

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
4.86 stars (491 ratings)
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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

Optional: adding a pound of ground beef or Italian sausage is fantastic with this recipe! Cook the meat on the saute function with a little salt and pepper, drain the grease, and proceed with the recipe (just make sure when you add the broth to scrape the bottom of the pot really well before adding the other ingredients).
Lighten it Up: If you want to lighten up the cream a bit, I’ve had great success making this with 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon cornstarch (whisked together) + 1 cup cream. I haven’t tried subbing all the cream for a milk + cornstarch mixture, but you could experiment!
For an Extra Saucy Pasta: add 1/4 to 1/2 cup extra broth, cream or crushed tomatoes. Any variety of tube pasta will work great here! When I can’t find ziti, I’ve used penne or rigatoni. Also, I’ve subbed in a 15-ounce can diced tomatoes blended with 2 tablespoons tomato paste for the crushed tomatoes with great results.
Author: Mel
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Method: Instant Pot
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 360kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 45mg, Sodium: 566mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g

Recommended Products

6-quart Instant Pot
Wooden Spoon
Liquid Measuring Cup

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

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