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Home » Beef » Instant Pot Baked Ziti

Instant Pot Baked Ziti

January 22, 2020 by Judith Hannemann

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An Instant Pot “baked” ziti dinner that’s perfect for those days you forgot to defrost something.

Perfect for those days you forgot to defrost something. This baked ziti can be cooked with frozen meat!

Frozen Meat? No Problem

This is one recipe you will definitely want in your arsenal when you are having a day that just isn’t going right.

Did you forget to defrost something? That’s happened to me more times than I’d care to mention so I’m sure everyone knows what I’m talking about. When that happened, I’d get a take-out. That is until I found this recipe. If you’ve got a pound of frozen ground beef or sausage, then make this delicious ziti dish. Trust me that your family will love this. Convenient as it is, it also happens to be extremely tasty.

Perfect for those days you forgot to defrost something. This baked ziti can be cooked with frozen meat!

Baked Ziti In Your Instant Pot

Your Instant Pot is handy for so many things, but it really comes in handy when you’re pressed for time and want a delicious dinner.

Actually, I’ve been making this long before the advent of the Instant Pot. The recipe came with my old Wolfgang Puck multicooker. You can also use a stove-top pressure cooker if you have one.

I’ve made this recipe with Italian sausage. In fact, I prefer it with sausage, but it’s very nice with ground beef too.

Dinner is on the table in 20 minutes. but bear in mind that’s the time it takes once the pot comes up to pressure. If you start with frozen meat, it’s going to take a lot longer for the Instant Pot to reach that point, so realistically, we’re looking at at least 45 minutes in total time. It takes about 30 minutes starting with fresh meat or sausage. The great thing is, regardless of the time, is this is a set-it-and-forget-it meal. Throw in the ingredients, set the pot and that’s it.

Perfect for those days you forgot to defrost something. This baked ziti can be cooked with frozen meat!

Add The Cheese Last

I’ve been pressure cooking a long time and one thing I always noticed was that if you add cheese–regardless of the type–and let it cook with the other ingredients, it somehow gets lost in the translation.

Since this recipe uses mozzarella which is nice and soft and stringy, add this right before you serve. There’s enough heat to melt it to perfection and it will stay soft and stringy!

The Recipe

 

Perfect for those days you forgot to defrost something. This baked ziti can be cooked with frozen meat!
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Instant Pot Baked Ziti

Have this ziti dinner in a flash.
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Course: beef, Dinner, Main, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cooking with frozen meat, instant pot meals, quick baked ziti, superbowl party food
Servings: 6
Calories: 363kcal
Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

  • 1 lb lean ground beef or Italian sausage
  • 2 cups beef or chicken stock
  • 2 cups dry ziti or penne
  • 26 ounce jar pasta sauce
  • 2 tbs chopped fresh basil optional
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Place all the ingredients, except the cheese, in the instant pot insert in the order listed.
  • Close the lid and cook at high pressure for 20 minutes.
  • When cooking is complete, release pressure immediately.
  • Using a large spoon, break up the ground meat, add the shredded cheese, and stir.
  • Serve at once or leave on keep warm.

Notes

You can use frozen meat if you forgot to defrost.
Nutritional values calculated with ground beef.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 996mg | Potassium: 833mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 714IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @midnitebaker or tag #midnitebaker!

 

Perfect for those days you forgot to defrost something. This baked ziti can be cooked with frozen meat!
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Filed Under: Beef, Comfort Foods, Everyday Meals, Pasta Tagged With: ground beef, instant pot, ziti

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Comments

  1. Alex Zubayer says

    February 20, 2020 at 3:09 pm

    Hey,

    Great work here. You just made my day. I cooked this recipe for my mother and brother and they actually enjoyed it a lot. Besides, the way you described everything made it easier for me. Thanks! And, I really liked the fact that you added a printable version of the recipe. It is really helpful.

    Keep up the great work.

    Regards,

    Alex
    Alex Zubayer recently posted…Bake a Birthday Cake – Cake RecipeMy Profile

    • Judith Hanneman says

      February 20, 2020 at 8:16 pm

      Glad you liked it!

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