Instant Pot Baked Ziti
on Mar 03, 2026
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This Instant Pot Baked Ziti is part cozy pasta bake, part party trick. You cook the ziti on the stove, then layer it with a rich Bolognese sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan in a springform pan that goes right into your Instant Pot. After it cooks, you unmold it, and it stands up like a dramatic baked ziti–meets–lasagna. It looks wildly impressive, but the actual hands-on time is very doable for a weeknight or casual dinner with friends.
At this point, many of us have succumbed to the Instant Pot craze. But as anyone who’s stared at all those buttons knows, you need clear, solid recipes to really fall in love with it. This Instant Pot Baked Ziti is exactly that: cozy, cheesy, and surprisingly showy.
It’s not a dump-and-stir situation. You cook the pasta first so it stays perfectly al dente, then layer it with Bolognese and cheese in a springform pan that goes into the Instant Pot. When you unmold it, it stands up like a tall ziti-lasagna mash-up and absolutely looks like you fussed. (You did not fuss.)
What's In This Post?
I wanted to make some sort of baked pasta dish, and then I got it into my head that I wanted to unmold it and have it stand proudly on its own, like a freeform pasta lasagna of sorts. I went so far as to buy a pan, which fits neatly. But if you don’t have a springform pan, you can use a regular round pan; just make sure it’s the right size to fit comfortably in the pot.
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Serve this showstopping Instant Pot Ziti with a Classic Caesar Salad, Grilled Asparagus, or Parmesan Roasted Potatoes.
What Is Cool About Instant Pot Baked Ziti
This is not a “dump in dry pasta and sauce and hope for the best” kind of recipe. Here’s what makes it different:
Serious show-off factor
When you release the springform, it stands up on its own like a tall, dramatic ziti-lasagna hybrid. It’s a total “You made that in an Instant Pot?” moment, and you never even turned on the oven.
Cooked pasta = better texture
You boil the ziti on the stove first, so you’re in charge of the doneness. No guessing at water ratios, no mushy noodles.
Layered like lasagna
The pasta gets layered with Bolognese, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan in a springform pan that fits inside the Instant Pot, so you get neat slices instead of a loose scoop of pasta.
Why Instant Pot?
This dish really is just a terrific classic baked pasta, but with a few extra things going for it.
- No oven, no preheating, so nice when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen.
- It is so fast – they don’t call it the Instant Pot for nothing.
- A nice level of show-offiness, because when you unmold it, it just looks super cool. I’ve made it a few times now, and it’s impressive. If I feel a little more OCD next time, I might line up the noodles in a linear way, so that the slices have a cool pattern when you cut them. Or that might never happen. Only time will tell.
Best Instant Pot Accessories
I love this little 7-inch Instant Pot springform pan for this recipe, and for other Instant Pot Recipes.
In trying to figure out how to lower and lift my pasta creation in and out of the Instant Pot, I came across a slew of online directions for crafting an aluminum-foil sling to ferry a pan in and out of the device. Which seemed like a possible disaster waiting to happen.
But if you cook with your Instant Pot often, you need to get this Pressure Cooker Silicone Sling. This little silicone innovation was designed exactly to lift and lower things safely and easily in and out of the Instant Pot. Plus, it’s soft and bendy, so it doesn’t take up any real storage space – in fact, it can be folded right into the pot for storage. And as I’m getting cozy with my IP, I’m realizing how handy and necessary this sling really is.
Ingredients
- Dried ziti – I mean, it is in the name of the dish, but penne or rigatoni work too.
- Ricotta cheese – For creaminess throughout the pasta. For the best silkiness and richness, use fresh whole milk ricotta.
- Egg – This helps bind everything together.
- Parmesan cheese – For sharp and nutty flavors.
- Basil – Provides fresh and aromatic flavors.
- Salt and pepper – To taste.
- Bolognese sauce – You can either use store-bought or make homemade Bolognese Sauce.
- Mozzarella – For that irresistible, melty, and lush topping.
Variations
Add a cup of diced sautéed zucchini or summer squash if you like. You can make the Bolognese sauce with ground turkey, ground beef, ground pork, or a combination of any of these. Make sure to make extra Bolognese sauce so you can freeze it in pint containers for future pasta dinners, or future Instant Pot Ziti “lasagnas.” If you prefer to use another type of meat sauce or even a plain pasta sauce, you can change this up however you like.
How to Make Instant Pot Baked Ziti
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions, but drain it about 1 minute before your desired doneness.
- Make the cheese mixture: Combine the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, 1/4 cup basil, and salt and pepper.
- Assemble: In your springform pan, spoon a thin layer of the sauce, top with a single layer of 1/3 of the pasta, spoon over the ricotta mixture, followed by the Bolognese sauce, and finally sprinkle over 1/4 of the mozzarella. Repeat the layers 2 more times, ending with the remaining 1/2 of the mozzarella.
- Cook: Pour 1 1/2 cups of water into the bottom of the Instant Pot. Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil. Place the pan onto the sling, and lower it carefully into the Instant Pot. Close the lid. Press the “Manual” Button and set the timer for 20 minutes.
- Allow to set and enjoy: Allow the casserole to sit in the Instant Pot for 10 minutes as the pressure releases. Then press the “Quick Pressure Release” button to open the Instant Pot. Let the ziti sit for 20 minutes until still warm, and then open up the spring form pan to unmold, slice into wedges, and enjoy.
FAQs: Instant Pot Ziti
For this recipe, no. This version is designed for cooked pasta that’s boiled on the stove first. That gives you better control over the texture and helps the layered, unmolded “ziti lasagna” hold together. If you dump in dry pasta, you’ll need a totally different liquid ratio and method.
Flavor-wise, they’re very similar: saucy, cheesy, comforting. The big differences:
Cooking method: This one “bakes” in the Instant Pot, instead of the oven.
Presentation: Because it’s layered in a springform pan, it unmolds more like a tall lasagna than a loose casserole. It made me think of the Timpano in Big Night!
Yes. Just swap out the Bolognese sauce for your favorite marinara or a vegetable-packed tomato sauce.
You can still make this in the Instant Pot in a different oven-safe dish that fits inside, but you won’t get the same dramatic unmolded presentation. You can also take the same ingredients and turn them into a regular baked ziti!
Room Temperature Lasagna
Fun fact—the beloved Frankies restaurants in NYC only serve their lasagna at room temperature because they feel it tastes better that way. This has fully given me the confidence to do the same, and validates the needed resting period here. Without the resting period, the slices won’t hold together, which is part of the fun of this recipe.
Make Ahead and Storage
Feel free to assemble this up to a day in advance, cover it tightly, keep it in the fridge, and then bake in the Instant Pot as instructed the following day.
Leftovers can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week or stored in the freezer for up to 3 months in a freezer bag or sealed container. Defrost it in the fridge overnight and reheat it in the microwave.
What to Serve with Instant Pot Ziti
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Instant Pot Baked Ziti
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ pound dried ziti or penne
- 1 cup ricotta cheese (preferably fresh)
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chopped or chiffonaded fresh basil (plus more to serve)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 2 cups Bolognese sauce (homemade or store-bought)
- 2 cups grated mozzarella (preferably fresh)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions, draining it 1 minute before it is tender, so about 9 to 10 minutes.
- While the pasta is cooking, in a medium-sized bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, 1/4 cup basil, and salt and pepper until well blended.
- Grease a round 7-inch pan or spray it with nonstick baking spray—if you can do a springform pan, all the better, since you will then be able to unmold it easily and really see those beautiful layers. Make sure it is 7 inches, though, since a larger size won’t fit into the Instant Pot.
- Spoon a thin layer of the sauce into the bottom of the pan. Transfer 1/3 of the pasta to the pan to make a single layer over the sauce. Spoon over the ricotta mixture to that you have a layer just covering the noodles, spreading it carefully with the back of a spoon or your fingers to try and keep the noodles in place. Spoon over a layer of the Bolognese sauce to cover the ricotta. Then sprinkle over 1/4 of the mozzarella (1/2 cup). Repeat the layers 2 more times, ending with the remaining 1/2 of the mozzarella (1 cup).
- Pour 1 1/2 cups of water into the bottom of the Instant Pot. Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil (spray the underside of the foil with nonstick spray so that it won’t stick to the top of the casserole). Place the pan onto the sling, and lower it carefully into the Instant Pot. Close the lid.
- Press the “Manual” Button and set the timer for 20 minutes. Make sure the cooking pressure is adjusted to high and that the release valve is on the “Sealing” setting. The timer will start counting down once the cooking pressure has risen to the right level.
- After 20 minutes, when the timer goes off, allow the casserole to sit in the Instant Pot for 10 minutes as the pressure releases. Then press the “Quick Pressure Release” button to open the Instant Pot. Lift the casserole from the Instant Pot using the sling. Let it sit for 20 minutes until still warm but not super hot. Unmold the casserole by removing the outside of the springform pan.
- Slice into wedges and serve warm.
I received the 3 quart Instant Pot Duo Mini for Christmas this year. Will this recipe work with the Mini or do you have any adjustment suggestions? I wish more recipes would automatically include Mini versions or say whether it would also work in the Mini as is.
I’m so sorry I have no idea – but I’m thinking probably not unless the diameter of the pot is bigger than that of the pan. That’s the best way to tell for this particular recipe. Let me know!
Never had one been hearing all about how Great is is .Hope You or Santa puts one under my tree this year!!
Heard from friethat they are really great.
What a great invention/recipe!
thank you!!
Don’t know anyone that has one.
they are super popular! And now getting pretty inexpensive.
Don’t have a instant pot
You should get one – ask someone for the holidays!! They are pretty fun.