I am loving my Instant Pot. Created a decade ago by a tech fellow in Canada, it is a stainless steel pot enveloped by another stainless steel-and-plastic “bubble,” with a bottom that contains a computer. Something other than a rice cooker, it is also a slow cooker and a pressure cooker that can make yogurt, porridge, cheesecake or crème brulee and, what most chefs feel is the most perfect thing of all, make a perfect egg.

For me, the best of all is that it does this in one pot. If it could only saute in the beginning and, at the end, make gravy, that would be enough for me.

I bought it in late October and stared at it for over a month. Me, in awe and inhibited, in the kitchen? But like my first hand calculator, I figured if others can do this, so can I.

What really scared me was the pressure cooker. I had one and had used it once, to make chicken soup. It worked just fine, but what I have is time, since I am pretty much home all the time, cooking and writing.

The pressure cooker went into the garage, because, although I do have time, I have just enough space for Cuisinarts, KitchenAids, blenders, soda makers, Crock Pot and rice cookers. I have lots of counter space, but that is where I do my work.

Then I bought an Instant Pot. Gone is the slow cooker (which, truthfully, its ceramic bowl broke in the parking lot) and the rice cooker. On the counter shelf, it is the queen of my realm.

This recipe uses the saute and the slow cooker settings, but it only slow cooks for about three hours or less. The dish is beyond delicious, and you can make it on the stove as well. And, yes, the pasta goes into the tomatoes dry. My friend Nancy Free. who is a fearsome cook, asked what cheese I used when she tasted the ziti. None, I said. Ricotta?, she asked. No cheese, I said. I guess the creamy dish is from the starch in the tomatoes. My California daughter made it and they loved it. You will, too.

Ziti with Italian Sausage

Adapted from How to Instant Pot by Daniel Shumski (Workman Books, New York, 2017)

1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound hot Italian sausage, removed from its casing

2 small or one medium onion, finely chopped

1 each red and yellow bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped by hand or masher

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound ziti or rigatoni

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Press Saute and use Saute or Adjust button to select the middle temperature (“Normal”). Place oil in inner pot, wait about 2 minutes for the oil to heat, then add the sausage. Cook with lid off, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to break up large pieces, until sausage is browned, about 5 minutes.

Add onions, bell peppers, garlic and oregano and cook until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes, cream and pepper and use wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom. Allow sauce to come to a simmer, about 3 minutes, and then simmer until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes more.

Add ziti. Stir pasta into the sauce, spreading the sauce evenly over the pasta and mixing with a large spoon to ensure pasta doesn’t clump together. Avoid pushing pasta to the bottom, where it might burn. Close and lock the lid. Set the valve to Venting. Attach condensation collector. Press Cancel, then press Slow Cook and use the Adjust button to select the highest temperature (“More”). Use the – or + button to set time to 3 hours.

When cooking time is finished, press Cancel and remove the lid.

Stir the pasta gently, then divide the pasta, sausage and sauce among 6 bowls. Top with mozzarella before serving hot.