¼cupchopped or chiffonaded, thinly sliced fresh basilplus more to serve
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepperto taste
2cupsBolognese saucehomemade or store-bought
2cupsgrated mozzarellapreferably 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 OXO 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 stat 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. Life the casserole from the Instant Pot using the OXO sling. Let it sit for 20 minutes until still warm but not super hot. Unmold the casserole but removing the outside of the springform pan.
Slice into wedges and serve warm.
Notes
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.