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Home » Instant Pot » Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti

Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti

Mar 29, 2018 · 539 Comments

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Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti is saucy, cheesy and delicious. 20 minutes is all you need to make this creamy red sauce pasta dish!

 

Don’t have an Instant Pot yet? HAVE NO FEAR!! One Pot Creamy Ziti Recipe is here!! Check it out!

Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti is saucy, cheesy and delicious. 20 minutes is all you need to make this creamy red sauce and pasta dish!

Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti is a favorite at my house! I’ll be honest, it totally reminds me of Olive Garden’s Five Cheese Ziti dish. AKA the only thing I ever get while visiting Olive Garden.

I think I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve actually gone to Olive Garden though.. and most of those occasions were for the end of season formal dinner for the high school tennis team. (I was totally JV. All 3 years.)

There are two reasons why we hardly ever choose to go out to eat at Olive Garden. 1. I am cheap. 2. I can make the exact same thing, just as good without having to get dressed.  I’d call that a win win.

Also, every single person in my family enjoys this for dinner. That right there is a miracle, people. If you have kids, were a kid a some point or haven’t been living under a rock you’ll know that is nearly impossible.

 

Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti is saucy, cheesy and delicious. 20 minutes is all you need to make this creamy red sauce and pasta dish!

How to Make Creamy Ziti

‘Dump and Start’ are a funny combination of words to be on my favorite word list.. but it’s there alright. This dish is so easy! Dump and Start easy. If you like dump and start recipes as much as I do, check out Top 25 Instant Pot Dump and Start Recipes.

Broth, cream, garlic, s&p and pasta go into the Instant Pot. Make sure that the pasta is covered with liquid.

Instant Pot pasta in the liquid before it is pressure cooked.

Pressure cook for 6 minutes, NPR for 6 minutes and then QR the rest of the pressure. The sauce will be very liquidy, totally normal.

Instant Pot pasta after it is pressure cooked.

Turn the Instant Pot onto sauté, then in goes some red pasta sauce.

red pasta sauce is added to the cooked pasta.

Slowly add in the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. This will thicken the sauce nicely for you. Once the sauce has thickened, turn the Instant Pot off and serve immediately.

the cheese thickens the sauce for this instant pot pasta dish.

See, I told you it was easy.

Don’t have an Instant Pot yet? HAVE NO FEAR!! One Pot Creamy Ziti Recipe is here!! Check it out! 

Looking for a lighter version?? Try my SKINNY CREAMY ZITI! 

 

 

Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti is saucy, cheesy and delicious. 20 minutes is all you need to make this creamy red sauce and pasta dish! - Cooking with Karli - #instantpot #pasta #dinner #fast #easy #recipe

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Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti

Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti is saucy, cheesy and delicious. 20 minutes is all you need to make this creamy red sauce and pasta dish!

Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti

Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti is saucy, cheesy and delicious. 20 minutes is all you need to make this creamy red sauce pasta dish!
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4.65 from 482 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Keyword: dump and start, instant pot, Instant Pot pasta, instant pot recipe, instant pot ziti, Olive Garden copy cat
Cook Time: 6 minutes
14 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 435kcal
Author: Karli Bitner

Ingredients

_empty_

  • 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp minced garlic dried
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 8 oz dry ziti pasta
  • 1 cup red pasta sauce
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese shredded
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese shredded

Instructions

  • Add the broth, cream, garlic, salt, pepper and noodles to the instant pot in that order. DO NOT STIR, but make sure all noodles are covered. If you need to move some noodles around, thats okay.
  • Set your Instant Pot to Manual for 6 minutes. Let it naturally release its pressure for an additional 6 minutes then quick release.
  • Add the red pasta sauce to the Instant Pot and give it a stir.
  • SLOWLY add in the cheese while stirring. The cheese will melt and thicken the sauce. The sauce will also thicken as it cools.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

This is a very saucy dish- If you like yours with less sauce, just cut back on the red pasta sauce at the end.
Don't love the heavy cream? Check out my SKINNY CREAMY ZITI recipe!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 435kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 1310mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g
Tried this recipe?Post on social media and tag @cookingwithkarli !!

Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti

Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti is saucy, cheesy and delicious. 20 minutes is all you need to make this creamy red sauce pasta dish!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1  cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp minced garlic dried
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 8 oz dry ziti pasta
  • 1 cup red pasta sauce
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese shredded
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese shredded

Instructions

  1. Add the broth, cream, garlic, salt, pepper and noodles to the instant pot in that order. DO NOT STIR, but make sure all noodles are covered. If you need to move some noodles around, thats okay.
  2. Set your Instant Pot to Manual for 6 minutes. Let it naturally release its pressure for an additional 6 minutes then quick release.
  3. Add the red pasta sauce to the Instant Pot and give it a stir.
  4. SLOWLY add in the cheese while stirring. The cheese will melt and thicken the sauce. The sauce will also thicken as it cools.
  5. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

This is a very saucy dish- If you like yours with less sauce, just cut back on the red pasta sauce at the end.

Serve alongside some Oven Roasted Broccoli!

 

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Karli Bitner
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Karli Bitner
This blog is a little glimpse into my kitchen, family & life. I hope you’ll giggle the days away with me and enjoy the craziness that goes on at my house. There isn’t ever a shortage of crazy. I can promise you that! Buckle up, keep your hand and legs inside at all times and enjoy the ride!
Karli Bitner
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Erin Minich says

    January 5, 2021 at 8:43 pm

    5 stars
    So easy and yet sooo good. Doubled the recipe for leftovers. This will be in our rotation now.

    Reply
  2. Kandace Jones says

    January 5, 2021 at 9:05 pm

    5 stars
    Made this tonight for the first time. I sauteed spicy italian sausage first, then added the ingredients in order and kale on top . Got the burn notice 😳 and it never came to pressure but luckily, it came out perfect! So, so good! Everyone loved it so we will definitely be adding this into our regular rotation!!! Thanks Karli!

    Reply
    • Karli Bitner says

      January 12, 2021 at 9:19 pm

      Hey Kandace- did you brown the sausage in the Instant Pot? If so, that’s why you got the burn notice. If you brown something in the Instant Pot, you’ll need to deglaze the pot before pressure cooking. This just means pouring some liquid in (like the broth that the recipe calls for) and scraping the bottom of the pot really well so nothing is stuck onto the bottom of the pot prior to pressure cooking. Glad you still enjoyed the dish!

      Reply
  3. Amanda says

    January 6, 2021 at 12:36 pm

    5 stars
    The video says 1 1/2 cups of cream yet the written recipe says 1 cup of cream. Which should it be? Also, I don’t have minced dried garlic, what would you suggest using instead? Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    • Karli Bitner says

      January 12, 2021 at 9:17 pm

      Hi Amanda- I like mine extra saucy, so I use 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream generally but it works great with 1 cup. You can either substitute for garlic powder or fresh minced garlic. Hope you enjoy!

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        January 13, 2021 at 10:05 am

        Thank you so much! I actually made this before you replied. I used 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and no garlic. It was excellent. Definitely a recipes I will be keeping and making often! 😁

      • Cooking with Karli says

        February 13, 2021 at 10:56 pm

        I’m so glad that it worked out for you. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you, thanks Amanda!

  4. Martha says

    January 8, 2021 at 6:13 pm

    5 stars
    YUM! Made the recipe exactly as written….delicious. Then made it again tonight substituting red sauce with half a can of San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand, on top all the other ingredients so the tomatoes would cook some. At the end I used cottage cheese instead of mozzarella (trust me, it melts like a dream if you take the time to stir) and a big handful of chopped fresh basil. It’s hard finding dump and go recipes for the Instant Pot that actually taste delicious but this one is a winner!!!

    Reply
  5. Stacie G. says

    January 9, 2021 at 5:19 pm

    5 stars
    I accidentally added the pasta sauce, and I started cooking the chicken without thinking on sauté. I stopped it once I read the instructions again, but I may have some burn notices soon. I have made this before without chicken, and it’s a huge hit. I maaaaay have ruined this batch. We shall see!

    Reply
  6. Ann says

    January 16, 2021 at 12:46 pm

    5 stars
    Beat instapot pasta!

    Reply
    • Cooking with Karli says

      February 13, 2021 at 11:19 pm

      Thank you Ann!!

      Reply
  7. Rylla says

    January 16, 2021 at 8:40 pm

    5 stars
    This is my all time favourite instant pot recipe!!!
    So I would love to double it, can I just double all the ingredients?

    Reply
    • Karli Bitner says

      February 13, 2021 at 11:12 pm

      Yes, double all ingredients. Cook time stays the same.

      Reply
  8. Erin says

    January 24, 2021 at 5:36 am

    5 stars
    I made this the other evening for my husband and myself. We both loved it! If I want to make a bigger batch to feed more people, could I just double all the ingredients and increase the cook time? I’m new to pressure cooking, so I’m not sure how it all works yet! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Karli Bitner says

      February 13, 2021 at 11:04 pm

      Hi Erin! I am so glad you and your husband both loved this so much! You can double the recipe by simply doubling all of the ingredients. No need to change the cook time. 🙂

      Reply
  9. Kate says

    January 29, 2021 at 6:20 am

    Is there a way to double the amount of pasta to use a full box? Would you just double everything else as well because that starts to seem like a lot of liquid! Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Karli Bitner says

      February 13, 2021 at 11:21 pm

      Yes, just double everything! Cook time will stay the same.

      Reply
  10. Amber says

    January 31, 2021 at 8:40 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious!!!

    Reply
  11. Dawn LaFleche says

    February 3, 2021 at 3:14 pm

    5 stars
    Made this and the whole family loved it. Quick easy and delicious.. i used half an half instead of cream and it still came out amazing.

    Reply
  12. Darlene P says

    February 10, 2021 at 5:18 pm

    Going to try it with gluten free pasta-wish me luck!

    Reply
  13. Scott Maile says

    March 11, 2021 at 6:45 pm

    5 stars
    I used freshly grated Romano cheese instead of Parmesan as that is what I had on hand. I also doubled the recipe. I used Ragu traditional as the red sauce. Truly the best version of the Olive Garden 5 cheese Ziti ever! Couple this with a iceberg salad with Olive Garden dressing and croutons and top it off with the other veggie fixings from your grocery store, and this will result in an amazing meal.

    Reply
  14. Amy B says

    March 21, 2021 at 4:06 pm

    5 stars
    This is one of our go to meals! So easy and so delicious! I started omitting the mozzarella and it is just as good without. My favourite pasta sauce to use is the Classico Italian sausage, peppers and onions. So, so good!

    Reply
  15. Lexie says

    April 6, 2021 at 5:03 pm

    5 stars
    Awesome! Add a little more cream and ragu but soooo delicious!

    Reply
  16. Jessica Hill says

    April 9, 2021 at 3:49 pm

    5 stars
    As if this dish didn’t have enough positive reviews I’m gonna leave another one. If you make this dish even once, your whole family will be hooked. You included since its so easy to make! Oh but one piece of advice, double it. Cause everyone is gonna want seconds (or thirds)

    Reply
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This blog is a little glimpse into my kitchen, family & life. I hope you’ll giggle the days away with me and enjoy the craziness that goes on at my house.

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