Are you new to the world of Instant Pot? You are gonna be so happy! I especially love making pasta like this Instant Pot Meaty Ziti in it. I love that it can be done in like half the time and no additional pot is needed to cook the pasta. Be sure to check out my other Instant Pot recipes.
This ziti recipe includes ground beef and sausage. However, feel free to use just ground beef or just sausage if you prefer. First you will cook some onion with olive oil for 2 minutes. Then you do need to cook the beef, sausage by sautéing it in the pot. You will want to drain off any excess grease and then mix in some garlic.
Next, you are going to deglaze the bottom of the pot by adding in some beef broth.
This is an important step. You need to deglaze the pan and get any bits off the bottom of the pot. Otherwise, you can end up getting a burn warning on your Instant Pot. If it at all stresses you out that you may get that burn warning, then just brown the beef/sausage in a skillet and then add it in to your Instant Pot followed by the beef broth.
Next, you are going to add in some garlic, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. However, you just add it in and DO NO STIR. Then, you are going to add in the ziti. Again no stirring, but you are going to push the pasta down in the pot so the broth and/or sauce is covering it. At this point, you are going to secure the lid and cook it on high pressure for 7 minutes. When the cooking is complete, you will need to do a quick release.
While the pasta is cooking, you are going to mix together some mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, parsley, and cottage cheese in a bowl. Once the pasta is done cooking, you will mix this cheese mixture into the pot with the pasta. Now it’s time to serve up this Instant Pot Meaty Ziti. I like to add a little spoonful of ricotta on top along with a little fresh parsley when serving.
Instant Pot Beef Ziti
- Total Time: 20 minutes plus time to come to full pressure
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 lb. mild Italian sausage
- 1 1/2 cup beef broth
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 jar (24oz) marinara sauce (your favorite pasta sauce)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8 oz ziti, uncooked
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup cottage cheese
- additional ricotta cheese and parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Add olive oil and diced onions to the Instant Pot. Turn on to saute mode and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add ground beef and mild Italian sausage. Cook and brown until done. When browned, turn Instant Pot off and mix in the garlic. Drain off any excess grease.
- Add beef broth to the pot and DEGLAZE the bottom of the pot by scraping all the bits and pieces stuck to the pot. This will prevent from getting the burn notice.
- Add in the marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. DO NOT STIR.
- Pour in uncooked Ziti noodles. Do NOT stir. Press the noodles gently until they are submerged in the sauce, but not stirred.
- Secure lid and set to cook on high “Pressure Cook” for 7 minutes. Once complete do a quick pressure release.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, parsley, and cottage cheese to a bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside.
- Once the pressure is released, open lid. Spoon in the cheese mixture into the pot, stir until fully combined. Top with additional ricotta and parsley for garnish is desired. Serves 6.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes plus time to come to pressure
- Category: Beef, Pork
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Italian
This recipe is adapted from Shugary Sweets.