Instant Pot Ziti with Tomato Sauce. Date Night Quick Pasta Meal with Ziti, sprinkled with vegan parm and fresh herbs. 1 Pot! Vegan Soyfree Recipe. Easily Glutenfree, Nutfree. Jump to Recipe
Sometimes you just need a simple pasta meal! And in a jiffy. This Ziti with herbed tomato pasta sauce fits just there. Put everything in an Instant Pot, pressure cook and done. 20 minutes to a fabulous meal. Add some vegan parm, cashew milk or vegan mozzarella for creamier or cheesier flavor. Add some veggies in with the sauce, fresh herbs for garnish and serve with some crusty garlic bread.
This Vegan Ziti comes together really quickly. It has some amazing flavor from the gently toasted garlic, tomato sauce that gets cooked to a wonderful flavor under pressure, and the pasta that cooks right with it. Sprinkle with some toasted breadcrumbs and vegan parm for a Baked Ziti kind of effect. Saucepan instructions in notes and tips for cooking pasta in Instant Pot below.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup with Red lentils. – So Easy
- IP Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce GF
- Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chickin(soycurls). GF – Creamy, Delicious
- Japanese Veggie Curry. GF
- IP Lentil Chili. GF
- IP Mushroom Wild Rice Soup. GF
- IP Potato Chickpea Soup. GF
Tips to cook pasta in Instant Pot
- Pasta and tomato based sauces in the Instant Pot pressure cooker can easily end up with issues such as burn errors, uneven cooking etc. For a well cooked pasta, mix with the sauce really well, pressure cook time for pasta is a min or so more than half the time listed on the pasta package. Letting the pasta sit for a few minutes before release helps cook any unevenly heated portions.
- Tomatoes and tomato based sauces easily scorch the bottom of the pot during sauteing. The scorching or sticking at the bottom is usually the reason the pot gives a burn message under pressure. Try some things like using oil, using a smoother tomato sauce rather than chunky, switching off saute earlier to avoid scorching, mixing the sauce or ingredients really well so that nothing is stuck to the bottom, and use a bit more liquid if the sauce is too thick.
- I also find that cooking the on saute actually helps, as it allows you to see if there are ingredients that are going to scorch when under pressure. If they start sticking or scorching during saute itself, there are more chances of them sticking under pressure. The heating up of the ingredients, allows the pot to come to pressure quickly, which also reduces the time the ingredients have to keep settling to the bottom.
- If you are adding veggies, add them finely chopped.
Instant Pot Ziti with Tomato Sauce
Instant Pot Baked Ziti with Tomato Sauce. Date Night Quick Pasta with Ziti, sprinkled with vegan parm and fresh herbs. Vegan Ziti Soyfree Recipe. Easily Glutenfree, Nutfree.
Servings: 4
Calories: 175kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tsp oil
- 4 cloves of garlic , minced
- 14 to 16 oz (14 oz) tomato sauce, marinara, pizza sauce or tomato puree
- 1.5 tsp italian herbs (thyme, oregano, basil, use less or more depending on sauce used
- 1/4 tsp salt (less or more depending on if the tomato sauce is salted or not)
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp ) pepper flakes
- 2 cups (120 g) uncooked Ziti or other pasta such as penne , 6 oz or 200 gm
- 1.25 cup (312.5 ml) water , 1.5 cups if the sauce used is thicker
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 tsp (0.13 tsp) white pepper
- vegan parm as needed , vegan mozzarella (optional)
- fresh basil or herbs as needed
Instructions
- Start the Instant Pot on saute. Add oil and garlic and cook until the garlic is starting to get golden. (see saucepan instructions in notes)
- Add the tomato sauce, herbs, pepper flakes and salt and mix in. Switch off saute. Add pasta and water and mix well to dislodge any stuck bits. Press the pasta into the sauce so the pasta is well covered in the sauce.Alternatively, add water, veggies if using, herbs, salt and mix in. Then add tomato sauce on top and pasta and press just to cover the pasta but dont mix. (some IPs are more prone to burn errors that others so try both to see which works. Also see tips above)
- Close the lid and pressure cook for 6 mins. (4 to 7 mins depending on the pasta used). Quick release after 4 mins.
- Add white pepper, olive oil , vegan parm, or vegan mozzarella and mix in. Garnish with more parm and fresh herbs.
- For tomato cream sauce, add 1/3 cup cashew cream and some nutritional yeast and mix in. Saute to bring to just a boil. Garnish and serve
Notes
For gluten-free, use glutenfree pasta. Saucepan: Cook the pasta according to instructions on the package and set aside. Heat a skillet over medium heat and follow step 1 and step 2 without any water. Simmer the sauce for 2-3 mins, adjust flavor and salt and fold inthe pasta. Add the white pepper, basil, vegan parm or vegan mozz and mix in. Cover, switch off heat and let sit for 3 mins for the flavors to meld. Garnish with more vegan parm or toasted breadcrumbs. Nutrition is for 1 serve
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Ziti with Tomato Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 175 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Sodium 501mg22%
Potassium 454mg13%
Carbohydrates 30g10%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 580IU12%
Vitamin C 8.9mg11%
Calcium 37mg4%
Iron 1.9mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Emily says
February 9, 2019 at 4:41 pmMade this for dinner. Added more water as suggested and it worked out wonderfully! I had some baked bean balls that i mixed before serving. Perfect! I love cooking in one pot
Richa says
February 9, 2019 at 4:57 pmawesome!
Estee says
February 11, 2019 at 8:44 pmThis is super fast and very tasty. I used Banza chickpea pasta and turned out well. Hubby loved the flavor. This is great for fast weekday dinner. Go try it.
Richa says
February 11, 2019 at 10:08 pmawesome!! Thank you Estee!!
Allison says
August 12, 2019 at 1:14 pmI was hoping to use Banza too! Should I still do 6 minutes? Not sure if it cooks the for same amount of time as regular pasta.
Richa says
August 12, 2019 at 3:26 pmtry it for half the time listed on the banza box and quick release
Lee says
February 13, 2019 at 11:54 pmI would love to send a friend the video of this recipe but as far as I can tell it’s only on Facebook. Could it be added here or on YouTube? Thank you, love your cookbooks!
Richa says
February 14, 2019 at 10:28 amYes i will put itupon youtube in a few days. Heres the fb url. You dont need an account to watch it as its a public page. https://www.facebook.com/VeganRicha/videos/348681882396430/
Gladys says
February 25, 2019 at 8:38 amThank you for this recipe and all others. You never disappoint. 🙂
Richa says
February 25, 2019 at 10:56 amThank you Gladys!
sunny says
March 6, 2019 at 11:59 pmi love this recipe and your blog are fantastic,i will trying to be make this recipe
Kristin Cheney says
March 13, 2019 at 7:00 pmLove how quickly and simply this meal came together, added some onion and rosemary and marjoram to the herb mix. I’ll definitely have to try doubling the recipe to guarantee more leftovers.
Richa says
March 13, 2019 at 8:06 pmgreat additions!
Linda says
March 27, 2019 at 10:49 amRicha, your next cookbook really needs to be an Instant Pot cookbook! Your IP recipes always turn out so well. 👍
Richa says
March 27, 2019 at 11:24 amawesome! yes writing one!
Linda says
March 27, 2019 at 11:35 amYay! <3
Kristen Jackson says
July 11, 2020 at 3:47 pmThanks for this super easy recipe! We are in a disgusting high humidity heat wave right now, so instant pot recipes have been my saving grace. This one is a keeper!
Also, I 2nd the suggestion for you to put out an IP recipe book. I love everything I’ve made from your collection so far, I think it’d be a huge hit!
Vegan Richa Support says
July 11, 2020 at 7:20 pmIP definitely keeps the kitchen cooler (a little at least!! good idea
Mandy says
July 31, 2020 at 5:35 pmMade tonight was so easy and delicious
I hope you are coming out with your IP book soon !
Love all your recipes
Harry says
August 8, 2020 at 2:12 pmAlways works great for us. If you’re afraid of the possibility of a burning or sticking problem (I used to avoid such recipes), just add a bit more water and then use saute mode for a minute after to get your desired consistency.
We’ve added veg meatballs too, both homemade and store bought. Good with lentil pastas like Banza.
I like to share this with new IP owners regardless of diet. Really illustrates the power of the IP for everyday staples. Thanks much!
Vegan Richa Support says
August 10, 2020 at 4:36 pmwow – thanks for the info – awesome! Instant Pot Success
Monika says
August 9, 2020 at 4:38 amMy first pasta recipe in the IP. Really tasty. It was gluten free pasta and I was afraid it mat make the pasta mushy but all worked well.
Thank you
Vegan Richa Support says
August 10, 2020 at 3:35 pmInstant Pot – Instant Hit!! excellent!
Shruti says
August 19, 2020 at 12:15 pmMade this for lunch today! What a great recipe. The pasta was soft and saucy. Added some leftover shredded rotisserie chicken for more protein. Since I’m new to using Instant Pot, I was worried about the burn alert but it turned out perfectly when I followed the recipe. And under 20 mins! Never made a pasta so quick without any mess.
Jennifer says
January 5, 2021 at 6:31 amIf I wanted to add red or brown lentils would you recommend that I cook it any differently?
Richa says
January 5, 2021 at 8:49 amAdd in 1/4 cup red lentils. Brown lentils won’t cook in the cook time. Also add in 1/2 cup more water