INSTANT POT "BAKED" ZITI WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

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I recently got my first Instant Pot for Christmas.  I had seen so many great reviews and posts online from people loving their magic pots that I just had to get one of my own and try it.  This was my second creation for my Instant Pot.  I hope you love it as much as I do.  Hearty, comforting, and so yummy.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
  • 1 lb. Italian sausage (if you use sausage in casings, remove the casings first)
  • 1 tbsp of jarred chopped garlic, or 3-4 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped
  • 1 lb. box of ziti pasta (penne or other shapes could be used as well)
  • 1 24 oz jar of pasta sauce (I like Classico Fire Roasted Tomato & Garlic)
  • 24 oz jar of water, plus a little bit of water to deglaze the pot
  • 1/4 cup of fresh chopped basil, or a large pinch of partially dehydrated basil (found in the produce section of your supermarket)
  • 1/2 of a 15 oz container of part skim ricotta cheese
  • sea salt and black pepper to taste (optional)
  • 2 cups of shredded cheese (I used half mozzarella and half Italian 5 cheese Blend)

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Open your Instant Pot and turn it to Saute on the High setting.  Let the pot heat up and then add the olive oil and sausage.  Break up the sausage with your spoon/spatula and stir the sausage while cooking to keep from sticking.  Saute the sausage until almost no longer pink and then add the garlic and saute for another minute.  By adding the oil to the pot after it has heated up, this will help keep the meat from sticking as much to the bottom of the pot.
  2. Deglaze the pot with about a 1/4 cup or so of water.  Stir all the meat around and scrape all of the brown bits off of the bottom of the pot so they are no longer stuck to the bottom. 
  3. Pour the box of pasta into the pot on top of the meat and spread out evenly.
  4. Pour the jar of pasta sauce into the pot just in the center of the pot to form a mound.
  5. Fill up the pasta sauce jar with water and pour into the pot around the edges, not directly onto the pasta sauce.  Make sure all of the noodles are covered by the water.  If the noodles are not covered, add up to a half a jar more of the water, but no more than that.
  6. Sprinkle the basil on top in the center of the pot.
  7. Close the lid of the Instant Pot and make sure it has sealed and that your steam valve is set to seal.  Set the pot to Manual/Pressure on high for 7 minutes and press start.
  8. Once it is done cooking and beeps, do a quick release of the steam.  Once all of the steam has been released, carefully remove the lid, making sure not to burn yourself on any remaining steam that may escape.
  9. Your pot should be on the Warm/Keep Warm setting at this point.  Stir the pasta.  There may be a little water remaining in the pot, but as you stir it will mix in and the sauce will thicken up. 
  10. Stir in the ricotta cheese and half of the shredded cheese.
  11. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
  12. Level the pasta out in the pot and then top with the remaining cheese.  Close the lid and let sit on the Warm/Keep Warm setting for up to 10 minutes to allow the cheese to melt. 
  13. Open the lid and serve.  Enjoy!

If you would like to make this recipe a little healthier, you can substitute gluten free or whole wheat pasta, reduce the amount of shredded cheese by half, or use reduced fat cheese......or you can make all three changes!