Instant Pot Lasagna
I am a picky lasagna eater. Imagine if Garfield was picky about his lasagna? I will only order lasagna at one Italian restaurant near where I grew up. I have tried my best to recreate their lasagna over the course of my lifetime.
Well, this Instant Pot lasagna recipe is as close as it gets and is now my favorite homemade lasagna.
Instead of publishing two different recipes, I included spinach vegetable lasagna for those who’d rather not have a meat sauce for Instant Pot vegetable lasagna. Alternatively, if you want to keep the spinach and the meat sauce, you can do that too.
This Instant Pot dish can be made three tasty ways:
Original lasagna
Vegetable lasagna
Veggie + Meat sauce lasagna
How to Make Instant Pot Lasagna
I’m going to first have you figure out the main components of your dish: your sauce, your cheese mixture, and your noodles.
You could very well use a jarred store-bought marinara. However, if you’d like to go the homemade route, you could try this:
On the stovetop, you’ll heat up the olive oil, then sauté your garlic until its a nice golden brown. Though, make sure you don’t burn the garlic, as it can happen fast.
Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, salt, pepper, and your bay leaf, reduce your heat to low. When you turn off the heat, add in your fresh basil. Set this aside.
Instant Pot Lasagna Meat Sauce
If you’re doing a traditional lasagna with meat sauce. In your Instant Pot, or in a separate pan, brown your ground meat and make sure it’s thoroughly cooked.
Drain the fat off your ground beef. With the heat on low, add in your sauce and mix together. Set aside for assembly.
For the ricotta cheese mixture, you’ll combine one large egg, with your ricotta, add some Italian seasoning, your pepper, chopped fresh parsley, parmesan cheese, and kosher salt.
Instant Pot Vegetable Lasagna
This next part is completely optional. If doing Instant Pot vegetable lasagna or if you want to have a spinach/meat lasagna, you will add in your completely cooked and drained spinach into your ricotta mixture here.
Pro tip: Make sure you squeeze out the excess water but bunching up your frozen spinach in a paper towel before adding.
Ultimate Instant Pot Lasagna
Next, you’re going to start the layering process of your Instant Pot lasagna. Use a 7-inch springform for your lasagna layers. You can also set cut parchment paper on the bottom of your pan for easy maneuvering later.
Next, take your oven-ready lasagna noodles, and make an even layer on the bottom of the pan. If you need to break some noodles into pieces, feel free to so you can get a nice even layer.
Layer your marinara/meat sauce on top of the noodles. Next, do your ricotta cheese mixture as an even thin layer on the sauce. Add some of that shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the ricotta layer.
Then, you’ll repeat this 2x more and top with your mozzarella cheese and some chopped parsley. Next, wrap your springform tightly around with aluminum foil. This step is crucial.
You are going to put a cup of cold water on the bottom of your Instant Pot inner pot, then place your trivet/rack inside. Place your springform lasagna pan on top of the rack so it does not come in contact with the water.
Close the lid, set your valve to sealing, and pressure cook for 24 minutes plus a ten-minute natural release when the timer goes off.
Optional but recommended: When you’ve carefully taken your lasagna out of your Instant Pot, place your Instant Pot lasagna on a baking sheet and broil for about five minutes or until golden brown.
You can do the same with the Instant Pot Duo Crisp lid if you have that and don’t want another step.
To serve, once your Instant Pot lasagna has cooled, you may need to run a knife around the edges before undoing your springform pan.
You should be able to see all the yummy layers. Serve with a side salad or more lasagna. Do whatever you fancy!
Looking for a Good Instant Pot?
Take a look at my recommendations on Instant Pots and other pressure cookers. You really can’t go wrong with any of these products.
For more information and more recipes take a look at my guides and recipes page. Happy pressure cooking!
Instant Pot Lasagna: 3 Tasty Ways
Ingredients
- Homemade Marinara (Optional) or 28 oz of your favorite jar marinara sauce
- Marinara:
- 1 tsp of olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, smashed, or pre-minced
- 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 small bay leaf
- 2 tbsp of chopped fresh basil
- salt and fresh pepper to taste
- Meat mixture (optional):
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20) OR ground Italian sausage of your choice (you can also do half and half as an option)
- Salt + pepper to taste
- Ricotta Cheese Mixture:
- ¾ cup (6 oz) of ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp of pepper
- 1/4 cup of chopped Fresh Parsley
- Optional: 1 10 oz package of frozen spinach, thawed and liquid squeezed out
- 8 / one package of oven-ready lasagna noodles
- 2 cups (16 oz) of mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Marinara Sauce:
- Use a jarred (28-32 oz) store-bought marinara OR make homemade marinara:
- On the stovetop, you’ll heat up 1 tsp of olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic until its a nice golden brown. Note: make sure you don’t burn the garlic, as it can happen fast.
- Add 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, 1 tsp oregano, 1 small bay leaf, 2 tbsp of chopped fresh basil, salt, and fresh pepper to taste. Reduce your heat to low. When you turn off the heat, add in your fresh basil. Set this aside.
- Meat sauce (optional):
- If you’re doing a traditional lasagna with meat sauce get 1 lb ground beef (80/20) OR ground Italian sausage of your choice.
- In your Instant Pot, or in a separate pan, brown your ground meat and make sure it’s thoroughly cooked.
- Drain the fat off your ground beef. With the heat on low, add in your sauce and mix together. Set aside for assembly.
- Ricotta cheese mixture: combine ¾ cup (6 oz) of ricotta cheese, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, 1 large egg, 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, ⅓ teaspoon of kosher salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper, 1/4 cup of chopped Fresh Parsley. Mix together and set aside.
- (Optional) vegetable lasagna or spinach lasagna with meat sauce:
- If doing Instant Pot vegetable lasagna or if you want to have a spinach/meat lasagna, you will add in your completely cooked and drained 10 oz package of spinach into your ricotta mixture.
- Tip: Make sure you squeeze out the excess water but bunching up your frozen spinach in a paper towel before adding.
- Layering process:
- Use a 7-inch springform for your lasagna layers. Optional: cut parchment paper on the bottom of your pan for easy maneuvering later.
- Take your oven-ready lasagna noodles, and make an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Note: If you need to break some noodles into pieces, feel free to so you can get a nice even layer.
- Layer your marinara/meat sauce on top of the noodles.
- The next layer is the ricotta cheese mixture as an even thin layer on the sauce.
- Add shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the ricotta layer in a loose, thin layer.
- Repeat this layering process 2 times more.
- Top with your mozzarella cheese and some chopped parsley.
- Wrap your springform tightly around with aluminum foil. This step is crucial.
- To pressure cook Instant Pot Lasagna:
- Add one cup of cold water on the bottom of your Instant Pot inner pot, then place your trivet/rack inside.
- Place your springform lasagna pan on top of the rack so it does not come in contact with the water.
- Close the lid, set your valve to sealing, and pressure cook for 24 minutes plus a 10-minute natural release when the timer goes off.
- Carefully take your lasagna out of your Instant Pot.
- Optional but recommended: place your Instant Pot lasagna on a baking sheet and broil for about five minutes or until golden brown.
- Optional: You can do the same with the Instant Pot Duo Crisp lid if you have that and don’t want another step.
- To serve, once your Instant Pot lasagna has cooled, you may need to run a knife around the edges before undoing your springform pan.
