Instant Pot Skinny Creamy Ziti is a play off of my popular Dump and Start Creamy Ziti recipe. This time reducing the calorie and fat content substantially! Substituting Evaporated milk for Creamy Ziti makes this Instant Pot Pasta dish still creamy, cheesy and full of flavor with none of the guilt!
Instant Pot Pasta- The healthier Creamy Ziti!
When I started my blog way back when (HA! Literally 10 months ago.) one of my very first recipes that I created and posted with my infamous Dump and Start Creamy Ziti. This recipe hit the ground running! It took off on Facebook and Pinterest very quickly.
Still to this day, it is my most viewed recipe day in and out! It is loved by all, for good reason too! This dish reminds me of Olive Garden’s Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno. Although, I have to be honest, I haven’t actually had that dish in a really long time because I can make this in my Instant Pot for a lot cheaper and much faster.
With the new year rolling around (ps. like HOW did this year go by so quickly?) I thought it was high time for the Creamy Ziti to slim down a bit. ?
I polled all of my followers over on Instagram and a crazy 90% of my followers are making resolutions this year to eat healthier! I think homemade food vs fast food is healthier all the way around.
Some other great healthily Instant Pot meals are my Chicken Lo Mein, Teriyaki Chicken Bowls, Copy Cat P.F. Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps and my Skinny Alfredo Recipe. These are always a hit at my house!
Speaking of my Skinny Alfredo Recipe.. Can I let you in on a little secret?? The original Creamy Ziti recipe is actually my Dump and Start Alfredo Recipe with red pasta sauce and mozzarella cheese added in! So here is my Skinny Alfredo Recipe with different pasta and added red pasta sauce and mozzarella cheese. Voila, Skinny Ziti!
The difference between the two recipes is just substituting the heavy cream from the original with Evaporated milk in the skinny recipe. There is hardly a difference in taste or creaminess, but there is a major difference in calories and fat content! Plus, evaporated milk is shelf stable so it is a great meal to always have the ingredients on hand.
How to make Instant Pot Pasta-Skinny Creamy Ziti
Because The fat content is not there in the evaporated milk, the evaporated milk can not be added to the Instant Pot until after the pasta is done cooking. This is a difference between the regular and skinny recipe.
To make this recipe, chicken broth, ziti pasta, minced garlic and salt and pepper go into the Instant Pot and cook on high for 6 minutes.
Allow for a 6 minute NPR before quick releasing the pressure.
One the lid has been removed, add red pasta sauce. I generally use Hunt’s 4 cheese pasta sauce in the can.
After the red pasta sauce has been mixed in, add in the evaporated milk. Stir until well combined. Turn the Instant Pot onto Sauté HIGH and sauté until boiling.
Turn off the Instant Pot and slowly slowly add stir in the cheeses.
Once the cheese has been melted into the sauce, the sauce will thicken some. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
Serve with either garlic cheese bread or oven roasted broccoli!
Frequently Asked Questions about Instant Pot Pasta- Skinny Creamy Ziti
Can I double this Skinny Creamy Ziti recipe?
Yes! No need to change the cook time. Double all the ingredients, everything else stays the same.
Can I use different pasta?
Yes, you can substitute Penne or linguine (broken in half) with no change in time.
Can I add a chicken to this dish?
Yes! Toss frozen chicken tenders on top of the pasta before pressure cooking and you’ll be good to go! Pull the cooked chicken out and let it rest while finishing up the pasta, slice or shred then stir into the pasta!
Can I add Ground beef or sausage?
Yes, Brown the meat and then add in at the end after the cheese.
YIELD: 4 SERVINGS
Instant Pot Skinny Creamy Ziti
(Printable Recipe Below)
Instant Pot Skinny Creamy Ziti is a play off of my popular Dump and Start Creamy Ziti recipe. This time reducing the calorie and fat content substantially! Substituting Evaporated milk for Creamy Ziti makes this Instant Pot Pasta dish still creamy, cheesy and full of flavor with none of the guilt!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 lb (8 oz) dry ziti pasta
- 1 tsp minced garlic, dried
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 3/4 cup red pasta sauce
- 3/4 cup evaporated milk
- 3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (not the powdered stuff!)
- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Place the broth, garlic, salt and pepper into the Instant Pot liner. Add the pasta to the pot. All noodles should be covered with the broth. DO NOT STIR.
- Cook on Manual HIGH for 6 minutes. Allow for a 6 min NPR before QR the pressure. Stir the noddles, some may be slightly stuck together, but that is okay. Once you add in the evaporated milk and warm through, all will be well.
- Add the red pasta sauce to the Instant Pot and stir well.
- Add the evaporated milk to the Instant Pot and stir well.
- Turn the Instant Pot onto Saute HIGH until the sauce is bubbling.
- Turn the Instant Pot off and gradually stir in the parmesan cheese then the mozzarella cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted completely and the sauce has thickened. The sauce will thicken more as it cools. Enjoy!
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Instant Pot Skinny Creamy Ziti
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 lb 8 oz dry ziti pasta
- 1 tsp minced garlic dried
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup red pasta sauce
- 3/4 cup evaporated milk
- 3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese not the powdered stuff!
- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Place the broth, garlic, salt and pepper into the Instant Pot liner. Add the pasta to the pot. All noodles should be covered with the broth. DO NOT STIR.
- Cook on Manual HIGH for 6 minutes. Allow for a 6 min NPR before QR the pressure. Stir the noddles, some may be slightly stuck together, but that is okay. Once you add in the evaporated milk and warm through, all will be well.
- Add the red pasta sauce to the Instant Pot and stir well.
- Add the evaporated milk to the Instant Pot and stir well.
- Turn the Instant Pot onto Saute HIGH until the sauce is bubbling.
- Turn the Instant Pot off and gradually stir in the parmesan cheese then the mozzarella cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted completely and the sauce has thickened. The sauce will thicken more as it cools. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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Carol Putnam says
Karli, hi, I have some frozen Italian sausage meatballs. Can I put them in with pasta like the frozen chicken tenders were?
Carol
Karli Bitner says
Yes, that would work great! Enjoy!
JILL says
Oh my goodness, I have 3 boys, ages 4, 7, and 10. And my husband, lol! EVERYONE loved this. I took one star away because the sauce was a teeny bit thinner than I anticipated; however, what a hit! This is definitely going in the regular rotation. I added a little pinch of basil! xo
Karli Bitner says
I’m glad it worked out and you were able to feed that hungry family of yours! Thanks for the comment Jill.
Linda says
I just wanted to say that this is one of the most versatile recipes and one my family loves. I have doubled it so we have leftovers for work lunches and it stores in the fridge and travels very well.
We love it with artichoke hearts and frozen/air fried meatballs added at the end. The other day, I made it (doubled) with 8 frozen chicken tenderloins on top of the pasta/broth/garlic mixture. It turned out perfectly. I was out of artichokes, so I added whole stuffed green olives and it was amazing.
This, along with your Instant Pot Skinny Alfredo are my go-to recipes for quick, easy, tasty and satisfying meals. Thank you so much!
Karli Bitner says
Yum!! Linda- I love all of these additions so much! I will have to add artichoke hearts next time. 🙂
Sidnie says
I added 2lbs of ground beef and bumped up my ingredients a bit. This was very yummy and super creamy! My family was definitely pleased!
Karli Bitner says
My husband loves it when I add ground beef! Yum yum! 🙂
RMK says
Does this freeze ok?
Dan Bitner says
No, this is best fresh you warmed up from the fridge. Thanks for the comment!
Linda says
I froze a couple servings. My son took a serving out of the freezer the night before, took it to work, heated it in the microwave and said it was great.
Karli Bitner says
Yum! I am so glad that reheating it worked so well for you!! Thanks, Linda!!
Deb says
Hi! Love this! I sautéed some shrimp with garlic and added at the end, perfect! Just wondering if you had any tips on getting the inner instant pot clean? It’s definitely worth it but it takes me a while to get all the stinky cheese out and I thought you may have some tips!
Karli Bitner says
Hi Deb! I use the liquid bar keeper’s friend to help clean my Instant Pot. I also generally let the liner soak overnight. 😉
Lisa Waltenberger says
Delicious! Tasted just like 5 Cheese Ziti from Olive Garden but so much lighter. I will make this often!
Cooking with Karli says
I’m so glad Lisa, thanks for letting me know. I hope you continue to enjoy it as much as my family does.
Shannon says
Tried this tonight! Was a huge hit. I doubled the recipe and used French onion soup for the final 10 oz instead of chicken broth. Was really really good!! Will 100% make this again.
Vicki J. says
This is one of my favorite recipes for the instant pot. I love it! It is very much like the Olive Garden’s 5 Cheese Ziti, which is what I always order when at Olive Garden. I make this quite often. I halve the recipe and make it in the 3 qt instant pot. The only thing about it that I am not fond of–cleaning the cheese out of the instant pot afterwards. Not that it is hard to do, but it gums up my scrubber. I wonder if spraying Pam in the liner at the beginning would keep the cheese from sticking to the pot . . .
Lisa A says
This is my first ever Pintrest recipe review! I have made it so many times for my family that I felt it warranted a review. It is now my 8 year olds favorite meal, and a hit with everyone else as well! Thank you!
Karli Bitner says
Yay! I am so happy everyone enjoys it so much! Thanks for the comment and stars!
Yi says
Hi! I have 2 quick questions;
1. For the mozzarella cheese, should it be the shredded kind? Or fresh mozz cut up?
2. I only have mozzarella cheese, can I replace the parm cheese with mozz cheese instead?
Thank you!
Karli Bitner says
You can use fresh mozzarella, the parmesan cheese really helps to flavor the dish but it could be left out, it would just change the flavor slightly.