Instant Pot Baked Ziti Pasta With Spinach (No Meat, Vegetarian)
Ziti noodles with creamy tomato based sauce and spinach leaves makes a super easy, quick and delicious pasta side dish!
Servings: 8
Calories: 621kcal
Ingredients
- 16 oz ziti
- 5 cups water
- salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cups marinara sauce (or your favorite tomato based pasta sauce)
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups shredded cheese Mexican blend or cheddar
Instructions
- Place the ziti noodles in inner pot of instant pot.
- Add water, salt, garlic and onion powder, gently mix in.
- Place the butter (sliced) on top of the pasta, close the instant pot with lid in sealing position.
- Cook in high pressure for 1 minute.
- Once the cooking is done, wait for a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then after that gradually do a controlled manual pressure release.
- Once the pressure is all released, carefully open the lid of instant pot pressure cooker (do not stir the cooked pasta at this point).
- Add olive oil, shredded cheese, milk and heavy cream, now gently stir in with the pasta so all the ingredients are mixed with the pasta to form a creamy sauce.
- Finally, add the fresh spinach leaves and marinara sauce, gently mix in to combine with the pasta. Enjoy the instant pot baked ziti hot for best results!
- As the pasta cools down, the sauce will thicken naturally.
- You may store the cooked pasta in air tight containers and store in refrigerator for another couple of days, so you can reheat and use as needed!
Nutrition
Calories: 621kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 706mg | Potassium: 458mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1974IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 443mg | Iron: 2mg