Instant Pot Three Cheese Ziti

Instant Pot Three Cheese Ziti Recipe - Family Fresh Meals -

Here’s a yummy instant pot pasta recipe you will love!

I’ve had my Instant Pot for over a year now, and I’ve learned it’s good for a lot of things. It can do soups and stews just like a slow cooker, cook a whole chicken in under an hour, and even steam artichokes.

But my very favorite thing about the Instant Pot is the way it can simplify recipes. Dishes that used to involve lots of steps and lots of different pots and pans are now one-step, one-pot meals.

Take baked ziti, for instance. To do this the traditional way, you have to cook the ziti in a pot…then drain it in a colander…then mix it up in a bowl with sauce and cheese…then load it into an oven-safe pan and top it with more cheese…and then bake it for half an hour.

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Instant Pot Three Cheese Ziti - served on a white plate

 

But with the Instant Pot, one pot does it all. You just load in the pasta, sauce, and cheese and cook it on high pressure. Then, after releasing the pressure, stir in the rest of the cheese and let it sit until the cheese melts. A quick stir, a sprinkle of parmesan, and dinner is served.

If you prefer your ziti with meat, no problem; you can just cook that first on the Instant Pot’s sauté setting. It adds one more step, but you still have only one pot to clean.

How To Make Instant Pot Three Cheese Ziti

Printable recipe directions and ingredients at bottom of post.
DIRECTIONS:

  1. Add dried pasta to pressure cooker.Instant Pot Three Cheese Ziti - Uncooked noodles inside instant pot pressure cooker
  2. Add canned tomatoes and whipped cream cheese along with seasonings.Instant Pot Three Cheese Ziti - tomatoes and cheese in instant pot with uncooked noodles
  3. Top with pasta sauce and water. Stir to combine.Instant Pot Three Cheese Ziti - Ingredients in the instant pot
  4. Cover and seal pressure cooker according to manufacturer instructions. Set to high pressure for 8 minutes.  Allow 5 minute natural pressure release, then perform a quick release.Instant Pot Three Cheese Ziti - Pasta stirred in an instant pot
  5. Add shredded cheese and stir to combine. Let pasta rest for about 5 minutes before serving and stir one more to allow remaining water to absorb. Top each serving with grated parmesan cheese.Instant Pot Three Cheese Ziti Recipe - Pasta scooped up with a wooden spoon

Instant Pot Three Cheese Ziti - Family Fresh Meals Recipe

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TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS INSTANT POT THREE CHEESE ZITI
Instant Pot: This 6qt Instant Pot pressure cooker is always my go to!
Measuring Cups and Spoons: Each cup’s “ml” and cup sizes have

5 from 3 votes

Instant Pot Three Cheese Ziti

Author Corey Valley
This Instant Pot Three Cheese Ziti does it all. You just load in the pasta, sauce, and cheese and cook it on high pressure. Then stir in more cheese!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 13 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 16 oz penne ziti pasta
  • 14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 4 oz whipped cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
  • Pinch red pepper flakes
  • 24 oz tomato basil pasta sauce
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
  • 1/4 grated parmesan cheese optional

Instructions

  • Add dried pasta to pressure cooker
  • Add canned tomatoes and whipped cream cheese along with seasonings
  • Top with pasta sauce and water. Stir to combine.
  • Cover and seal pressure cooker according to manufacturer instructions. Set to high pressure for 8 minutes.  Allow 5 minute natural pressure release, then perform a quick release.
  • Add shredded cheese and stir to combine. Let pasta rest for about 5 minutes before serving and stir one more to allow remaining water to absorb. Top each serving with grated parmesan cheese.

Nutrition

Calories: 454kcal | Carbohydrates: 100g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 1332mg | Potassium: 878mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1665IU | Vitamin C: 13.8mg | Calcium: 331mg | Iron: 3.9mg

Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

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Post updated December 12, 2019

5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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9 Comments

  1. One thing I love about instant pot is that it makes cooking easier. You can cook any recipe in one pot easily. You don’t have to use different pots and different steps to cook food.

  2. Is there something you can sub for the whipped cream cheese?

    1. Is it the cream cheese that is the problem, or that it is whipped?

  3. What size instant pot did you use?

    1. 6qt

  4. 5 stars
    Perfection!! Thanks so much for posting a geat recipe. Followed exactly and came out as described.

  5. Hi there, This looks delicious, but I’m unsure of what you mean by whipped cream cheese.

    1. They sell cream cheese that has been whipped, so it is easier to incorporate into recipes.