Made with layers of a hearty meat sauce, creamy ricotta filling, gooey cheese, and tender pasta, Instant Pot Lasagna comes together fast, while still delivering the classic flavors of the classic recipe.
Serve this Instant Pot Lasagna with a Greek salad and garlic bread for a delicious, easy family meal.
When I was growing up, lasagna was always reserved for weekends or special occasions, as it is classically a dish that takes HOURS to make.
However, with the help of an electric pressure cooker, you can make a classic lasagna in under an hour, without sacrificing ANY flavor.
This recipe for Instant Pot is made with all the star players. It features flavorful Italian sausage, rich tomato sauce, creamy ricotta filling, and of course, cheese! The moist heat cooks the noodles perfectly, without the need to parboil them, making this recipe easy-peasy!
In fact, you can even saute your sausage right in the inner pot, meaning fewer dishes to wash!
This Instant Pot Lasagna has quickly become a family and fan favorite! You will love the flavor, texture, and speed with which this recipe comes together.
What You Need for Instant Pot Lasagna
- Meat: Ground beef, pork, or Italian sausage are all great options for this lasagna recipe. I have used pepperoni instead of ground meat and it adds a great kick of flavor and omits the step of needing to saute the sausage first. Of course, you can omit the meat for vegetarian lasagna, which is still absolutely delicious.
- Noodles: I personally recommend using oven-ready noodles for this recipe as they get super tender. However, I have had many readers tell me traditional noodles work well, even without boiling the noodles first.
- Sauce: I use my homemade tomato sauce or Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce but any quality jarred marinara or pasta sauce works just as well.
- Ricotta Cheese: This recipe is made with ricotta cheese, but if you would prefer to use cottage cheese, that will work as well. I would recommend straining the cottage cheese over a fine-mesh strainer for a few hours to remove excess moisture.
- Cheese: Use a combination of shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan to give this lasagna its rich, creamy flavor.
- Lasagna Pan: You will also need the right size pan to prepare lasagna in the Instant Pot. I suggest using a 7 inch by 3 inch Spring Form Pan or 7 by 3-inch oven-safe cake pan. A springform pan will allow you to remove the sides and make for an elegant presentation, but a lasagna made in a cake pan tastes just as delicious.
How To Make Instant Pot Lasagna
Step One: Saute Meat
If you are using ground beef or ground sausage for this recipe, start by sauteeing the meat right in the Instant Pot to save yourself some extra dishes. If you are not adding meat, skip this step.
- Turn the Instant Pot to the Saute function and let heat until hot.
- Add in ground beef or ground sausage, seasonings, and diced onion.
- Once the meat is browned, remove it from the pressure cooker using a slotted spoon, and then turn the Instant Pot OFF.
- Pour 1 ½ cups of water into the Instant Pot Inner Pan and scrape up any browned bits of meat with a spoon or spatula and then add the trivet to the Instant Pot right over the water. Don't skip the step of scraping off the bottom of the inner pot--you don't want to get a burn warning!
Step Two: Prepare Filling
- Mix together the ricotta cheese with an egg, seasonings, and grated Parmesan cheese.
Step Three: Assemble Lasagna
- Spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of your pan.
- Break up the lasagna noodles to fit to cover the bottom of the baking pan.
- Top with half the ricotta cheese mixture and then sprinkle half the meat mixture over the ricotta cheese if opting to add meat to the lasagna.
- Cover the meat mixture with marinara sauce, and then add another layer of lasagna noodles, breaking them to fit in a single layer over the sauce.
- Repeat the layers, adding a final layer of lasagna noodles, breaking them to fit again.
- Top with a generous layer of tomato sauce and sprinkle with shredded Mozzarella Cheese.
Step Four: Pressure Cook
- If desired, cover the lasagna loosely with foil. This will help to prevent condensation from forming on the lasagna as it cooks.
- Place the assembled lasagna on the trivet and close the pressure cooker, being sure the vent knob is sealed.
- Set to cook on high pressure for 22 minutes, using the manual or pressure cook function. Add 5 minutes to the cooking time if you have covered your lasagna with foil.
- Let the pressure release for 10 minutes on its own and then do a quick release of any remaining pressure if needed.
- If desired, brown before serving, or allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Step Five: Broil (Optional)
It is not possible to achieve a golden, browned layer of cheese when making a lasagna using an instant pot. However, you can use an air fryer lid or broil the lasagna to achieve that golden exterior.
- If using a broiler, place the cooked lasagna on a baking sheet and place it under a broiler heated to high and broil for 3-6 minutes, watching carefully so as to not burn.
- If using the air fryer lid on the Instant Pot, set it to 360 degrees F and air fry for 3 minutes. If needed air fry for an additional 2 minutes.
Preparing in Advance
You can assemble, cover, and refrigerate the lasagna for up to 24 hours before pressure cooking. Just keep in mind that you would want to use a cake pan instead of a springform pan to prevent the lasagna from leaking into the refrigerator. When you are ready to cook the lasagna, remove it from the refrigerator, unwrap it, cover it with foil if desired, and pressure cook for 25 minutes instead of 22 minutes on high pressure.
Storing Leftovers
Leftover cooled lasagna can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Alternatively, wrap individual slices of the lasagna in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then unwrap the foil and plastic wrap. Heat in the microwave or oven to warm through.
Recipes FAQs
If you are worried about condensation forming on the top of your lasagna, loosely covered with foil, I prefer to do this myself and add 5 minutes to the cooking time. This will prevent any condensation from forming on the cheese layer. If you skip that step, just lightly dab off any moisture that occurs, and then broil to perfection!
If you want an extra cheesy lasagna, add up to 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese to the ricotta cheese filling.
You can use cottage cheese in place of ricotta cheese if desired. It is best to let your cottage cheese strain over a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth for a few hours before using the filling. This will help the cottage cheese have less liquid, making your lasagna's layers stay intact better.
If you would like to add vegetables to this lasagna, be sure to saute them well to remove excess moisture before layering the lasagna.
More Instant Pot Pasta Recipes
- Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo
- Instant Pot Creamy Italian Pasta
- Instant Pot Spaghetti
- Instant Pot Taco Pasta
If you tried this recipe for Instant Pot Lasagna, be sure to leave a comment and a review below. I love to hear from you!
Instant Pot Lasagna
Ingredients
- 6-8 no-boil or oven ready lasagna noodles
- ½ pound ground beef or ground Italian sausage
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning divided
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- ½ onion chopped
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 3 cups spaghetti sauce
- 2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese divided
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to Saute and let heat for a couple of minutes.
- Add a tiny bit of olive oil and either ground beef or ground sausage. Begin to brown and break up meat into smaller bites.
- Add in kosher salt, 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning, minced garlic, and diced onion. Saute for 3-5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.
- Once meat is browned, remove from pressure cooker using a slotted spoon. Turn Instant Pot off.
- Pour in 1 ½ cups of water into the Instant Pot Inner Pan and Scrape up any browned bits of meat with a spoon or spatula.
- Add in trivet to the Instant Pot right over the water.
- Mix together the ricotta cheese with an egg, 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and grated Parmesan cheese. If you want a little kick to your lasagna, add in the crushed red pepper flakes as well.
- In a 7 by 3-inch springform pan or 7 by 3-inch oven-safe cake pan, layer the ingredients for the lasagna. Start with a thin layer of marinara sauce. Break up oven-ready lasagna noodles to fit to cover the bottom of the baking pan. Top with half the ricotta cheese mixture. Sprinkle with half the meat and onion mixture. Cover the meat mixture with marinara sauce and then sprinkle with light layer of mozzarella cheese. Add another layer of lasagna noodles, breaking to fit in a single layer over the marinara sauce. Top with remaining ricotta cheese mixture. Sprinkle with remaining meat mixture. Top with another layer of marinara sauce and then sprinkle with a light layer of mozzarella cheese. Add the final layer of lasagna noodles, breaking to fit again. Top with a generous layer or tomato sauce. Sprinkle generously with shredded Mozzarella Cheese.
- Place the lasagna pan on a tin foil “sling” to help lower and lift lasagna out of Instant Pot and then place the lasagna on the trivet inside the pressure cooker. If you are worried about condensation forming on the top of your lasagna, loosely cover with foil.This will prevent any condensation from forming on the cheese layer.
- Place lid on pressure cooker and be sure your instant pot is sealed.
- Set to cook on high pressure for 22 minutes if NOT covered with foil, 27 minutes if covered with foil.
- Let the pressure release for 10 minutes and then do a quick release for any remaining pressure.
- If you would prefer a browned top to your lasagna, remove lasagna from the Instant Pot and place on a cookie sheet. Place lasagna under broiler for 3-6 minutes, watching carefully, as to not burn.
- Let the lasagna sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Jenn
This is the first recipe I was able to make successfully in my Instant Pot (although I’m still working on making it come out a little less watery). It’s delish! And it solves that hankering I get for lasagna that’s so hard to fill. I’m very picky about how my lasagna tastes and this hit it on the first try. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing that you enjoyed it so much Jenn!