Having Company Casserole

Having Company Casserole is a baked pasta casserole with cheeses, pasta, tomato sauce and ground beef. The Instant Pot will help you get this classic casserole ready faster than the stove.

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Having Company Casserole

Oh boy! This is a good one. My mom used to make a recipe a lot like this when I was growing up. We called it mock lasagna. This version is even better. I love the use of the ziti. The tubular pasta gets all the flavors inside and they are a delight to eat. I love the use of the crushed tomatoes plus a little balsamic vinegar that gives it a little punch. This is a make again recipe! And as the name insinuates it’s good enough to make for company.

The Instant Pot cooks up the ground beef and the pasta all in one pot in just a few minutes. I find this much easier than boiling pasta on the stove in one pot and browning the meat in a pan on another burner. No boiling-over water and more free time to take care of the dishes or whip up the dairy portion of the recipe.

There was a little container of leftovers that I was going to eat for lunch this afternoon. Alas, I just went to warm it up and found out my daughter already ate it. Guess I’ll have to make it again!

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• Lean ground beef–or ground turkey
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Italian seasoning–or you can make your own
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Beef broth–or water and Better than Bouillon Beef Base
• Ziti–or penne
• Tomato sauce
• Crushed tomatoes
• Balsamic vinegar
• Cream cheese–or neufchatel
• Sour cream–or plain greek yogurt
• Cottage cheese–or ricotta
• Cheddar cheese–or another type of cheese like colby jack

Steps

1. Brown beef and season: Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When displays says HOT add in the ground beef and break it up. Brown for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder to coat the meat. 
2. Deglaze: Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. 
3. Layer in ingredients: Sprinkle in the ziti. Dump the tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes and balsamic vinegar on top, do not stir. 
4. Pressure cook: Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Stir well.
5. Whip together the dairy: In a medium bowl stir together the soft cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese. 
6. Layer ingredients in a pan: In a 9×13 inch pan add half of the meat and pasta. Scoop dollops of the cream cheese mixture over the top. Use a rubber scraper to spread the mixture evenly over the top. Add the remaining meat and pasta on top. Sprinkle with cheese. 
7. Bake for 20 minutes at 375° F.
8. Serve: Let sit for 5-10 minutes and then serve. 

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Notes/Tips

• Serve with garlic toast and a green salad. We love the Olive Garden Italian salad dressing.
• If you don’t have an Instant Pot you can still make this recipe. Brown the beef and season in a pan on the stove. In a separate pot boil and drain ziti according to package directions. Then stir the meat, pasta, tomatoes, tomato sauce and balsamic all together. Finish the recipe starting with step number 5 in the recipe card.
• I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Other recipes you can make with balsamic vinegar are Instant Pot Chicken Gloria and Instant Pot Flank Steak.

More Amazing Instant Pot Pasta Recipes…

Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for. 

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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.