INSTANT POT BAKED ZITI

                                    

This Instant Pot Baked Ziti is so easy and made all in one pot! Ground beef, ziti pasta, spaghetti sauce and melted mozzarella cheese!

What you'll need:

• ground beef
• olive oil
• diced onions
• garlic
• Italian seasoning
• marinara spaghetti sauce
• ziti pasta
• water
• small curd cottage cheese (or ricotta cheese)
• shredded mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese, optional
• Red pepper flakes, optional

Directions:

• Add the olive oil, ground beef, onions and garlic into the Instant Pot and set it on sauté mode. Season the mixture with Italian seasoning.
• Brown and crumble the beef until it is no longer pink and the onion has softened. Drain any excess grease. Make sure to scrape off any brown bits that may be in the bottom of your pot. They will burn when you go to pressure cook and you don't want to get a burn notice. Turn the Instant Pot off. 
• Add the marinara in with the beef mixture and stir to combine.
• Add the uncooked ziti noodles onto the top of the sauce mixture, but DO NOT STIR IN.
• Pour the 2 cups of water over top of the uncooked pasta. Again, DO NOT stir
• Place the top on the Instant Pot, seal and set manual setting on HIGH pressure for 7 minutes. When the timer goes off, to a quick release of the pressure immediately and turn the IP off. Open the top and add 1 cup of cottage cheese and stir into the pasta and tomato sauce mixture.
• Cover the top of the ziti with mozzarella cheese as a topping. DO NOT stir.
• Place the lid back on and let it sit for at least 5 minutes to let the cheese melt. Serve immediately.