Vegetarian Instant Pot Baked Ziti with Ricotta Cheese

Name: Vegetarian Instant Pot Baked Ziti
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 sweet onion (sliced); 6 cloves garlic; 6 ounce tomato paste; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt; 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper; 1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (optional); 1 14 ounce Diced Tomatoes; 5 cups Vegetable Stock; 1 lb ziti pasta (gluten free); 1 cup ricotta cheese; 1 cup mozzarella cheese (dairy free); 1/2 cup fresh parsley (plus more for garnish)

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This Instant Pot Baked Ziti with ricotta cheese is fantastic dump-and-go pressure cooker pasta! Loaded with vegetables, spices, ricotta cheese and a delicious creamy sauce – ready in less than 20 minutes.

An easy, and vegetarian, weeknight meal that cooks up quick in your pressure cooker. It’s creamy, cheesy, and SO good.

Want more tasty Instant Pot dinners? Try our Instant Pot rigatoni, Instant Pot navy bean soup, or easy Instant Pot garlic noodles!

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Table of Contents

This Instant Pot Baked Ziti is vegetarian, gluten free, and a total weeknight game changer! I love making all kinds of pasta in our pressure cooker – it always turns out saucy and fantastic

This “baked” ziti has all the flavor of a labor intensive oven baked dish, but only takes 3 minutes to cook in the pressure cooker. Top with extra parmesan cheese and some fresh herbs for a delicious bowl of comfort food.

This Instant Pot Baked Ziti Recipe Is

Creamy
Decadent
High protein
Loaded with flavor
Simple
Earthy
Vegetarian and Meatless

Ingredients You’ll Need

instant pot baked ziti ingredients like ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, garlic parsley, and tomatoes.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Onion
Garlic
Tomato Paste
Ricotta Cheese – I made my own, but you can use any kind you want from the store.
Balsamic Vinegar: this is a bit of a secret ingredient in this sauce, the balsamic vinegar gives the sauce a really nice acidity and bright fresh flavor.
Red Chili Flakes: for a little heat and spice -I love a sprinkle of red chili flakes in my pasta, but you can leave them out if you are cooking for a milder crowd.
No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes
Low Sodium Vegetable Stock – I like to use this low sodium vegetable stock for my recipes because it has great flavor… without all the salt. I always use low sodium or no-salt-added broth or stock to start, and then I can add salt or other spices later if needed. Check out more low sodium recipes here!
Ziti: You can use a gluten free ziti if you are gluten free, or a regular wheat pasta if you eat wheat.
Parmesan

Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!

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Substitutions and Variations

For a heartier meal, you can add in cooked protein of your choice. Cooked and shredded rotisserie chicken, browned ground beef or turkey, or crumbled tofu would also be great options.
For a spicier pasta, add 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes.
If you don’t have ziti noodles and want to use a similar pasta (like penne) you can substitute any medium pasta shape you prefer.

Making Pasta in the Instant Pot

Of all my kitchen appliances, and I mean ALL of them, my Instant Pot pressure cooker is my most-used! I cook everything in it from beans and legumes, to soups and pasta dishes.

You can get Instant Pots in many sizes, but I like my 8-quart model, which is ideal for batch cooking and meal prep. It also has a quicker pressure-release feature which saves me even more cooking time.

I love that everything can cook in one pot, which makes for way less dishes and hands-off cooking. The Instant Pot is hands-down my favorite kitchen appliance, and actually makes my life so much easier.

How To Make This Recipe

instant pot inner pot with olive oil garlic and onions sauteeing for pasta.

Step 1: Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and heat the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for 3 or 4 minutes until the veggies start to become translucent.

tomato paste and balsamic vinegar being added to the instant pot to make baked ziti pasta.

Step 2: Add the tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, red chili flakes if using.

instant pot with ziti noodles and tomato paste with vegetbale stock or broth being poured into the pot.

Step 3: , Add in the diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, vegetable stock, pasta, and pasta.

instant pot baked ziti with ricotta cheese in a large pot.

Step 4: Add in the ricotta cheese, and stir well.

a hand closing an instant pot lid in a beautiful kitchen space.

Step 5: Set Instant Pot to Pressure Cook for 4 minutes on High Pressure or Manual Mode. Once done, quick release the pressure.

cooked pasta in the instant pot with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese in the pot.

Step 6: Once float valve has lowered, carefully open the lid. Stir in the mozzarella cheese, and parsley.

Step 7: Top with extra mozzarella or parmesan and parsley, and enjoy hot!

Recipe FAQs

Can I make Instant Pot baked ziti vegetarian?

Absolutely! This easy dish is great without added meat, and still contains protein from the pasta and ricotta cheese.

How long does pasta take to cook in an Instant Pot?

This easy vegetarian baked ziti takes only 10 minutes of active cooking time in the pressure cooker – 6 minutes to saute the vegetables, and 4 minutes of pressure cooking time. Compared to traditional baked zitis which can take over an hour, you can make this recipe quickly in your pressure cooker!

How to store baked ziti?

If you have leftover baked ziti, store it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Pro Tips

When chopping the onions (or any added vegetables), make them roughly the same size. You want the pieces small enough to be bite-sized and consistent throughout the pasta.
For a spicier baked ziti, you can add more chili flakes during step 2.
For a super cheesy pasta, you can add shredded mozzarella to the dish before serving.

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More Vegetarian Instant Pot Meals

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Love all kinds of pasta including this one