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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!
Hi Abby- are you using pre-shredded mozzarella Cheese or shredding your own? Pre-shredded cheese has additives that actually make it so it won’t melt as well! Try shredding your own next time and then adding it slowly. Let me know if that does the trick!
Hi Laurie! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! The cheese issue may be one of two things. First, the sauce may need to be reheated a bit more. Second, the issue may be using pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has a hard time melting because there are additives in the package to help the cheese not to stick together, which also makes it not melt super well. Shredding your own cheese and adding it slowly should help!
Hi Karli. I’m now a huge fan of your Dump and Start recipes! I was about to ask if I could substitute low fat evap milk when I found this recipe. Are the liquid amounts correct? In the full-fat (yum!) recipe, it calls for 1-1/2 cups broth, 1 cup cream and 1 cup of red sauce – 3-1/2 cups liquid. The lower fat version is 2-1/2 cups broth, 3/4 cup sauce, and 3/4 cup evap milk – 4 cups liquid. I just wanted to make sure neither one is a typo. I see there’s more cheese in the original, too. They both look so good. Thanks for sharing these!
Linda
Hi Linda! Yes, these amounts are correct. There needs to be more chicken broth for this version because the liquid is needed to get all of the pasta cooked. If the pasta isn’t covered in liquid, it won’t cook! The majority of the chicken broth will be soaked into the pasta after the pressure cooking is finished. I hope this helps!
Hi Karli, I was wondering about the fact that the liquid amounts are different, but after adding up all the amounts, I saw the differences are minor. Thanks for the quick reply. I did make this and IT WAS PERFECT. Thank you for continuing to make and test this type of recipe!
Can I cook this the same if I have an 8 quart Insta pot? I’m new to Insta pot and haven’t used mine at all and everything I see seems to be for 6 quart recipes!
I have made this multiple times since discovering the recipe – works great as a meal prep for a week’s worth of lunches! Have tried it with Banza pasta as well (made with chickpeas) and it still tasted delicious. Thanks!
Yes! You’ll be able to make this in your 8 qt. You can make any 6 qt recipe in your 8 qt without issue as long as their is at least 1 1/2 cups of liquid in the recipe. 🙂
I am so glad, Katie! Thank you for taking the time to comment. 🙂
So good! Thank u:)