Easy Instant Pot Lasagna

This easy Instant Pot Lasagna is made without a springform pan in 30 minutes! It is possible to add uncooked pasta, meat, and sauce to your pressure cooker and enjoy saucy, cheesy lazy lasagna.

Instant Pot lasagna on a plate with a fork.

Why You’ll Love This Lasagna

Words can’t describe how easy and tasty this Instant Pot lasagna is! Bold flavors, tender noodles, and gooey cheese. All there in one pot without the use of a springform pan or cake pan like other recipes suggest!

You don’t even need to boil noodles first, just like with Instant Pot lasagna soup or Instant Pot white chicken lasagna soup. A quick browning of the beef followed by a “dump and go” hands-off cooking method for lazy weekends or busy weeknights.

I tested and retested it to make sure it works without getting the dreaded Burn notice. I succeeded (obviously, or this post would be weird) and I couldn’t wait to share this recipe for lasagna in Instant Pot with you!

Ingredients for Instant Pot Lasagna

Ground meat, chopped kale, lasagna noodles, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, parmesan, italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Ground meat: Ground beef, ground sausage, or Italian sausage is more of a traditional choice, where as ground turkey or ground chicken will work as well.
Lasagna noodles: No need to pre-cook the pasta. I have used regular lasagna noodles, as well as whole wheat noodles and gluten-free noodles. No-boil, also known as oven-ready noodles, are OK too. I also tried brown rice noodles with chicken lasagna roll-ups, so I can imagine they would be great in this recipe too.
Tomato sauce: I used the cheapest plain tomato sauce from a can. My only word of caution is if your tomato sauce is not low in sodium, add less salt. Same goes for spaghetti sauce, use it but add way less salt and no seasonings.
Ricotta cheese: I originally didn’t add ricotta out of fear it will curdle, but many readers mixed it with an egg, and added it as a layer on top of meat.
Spinach or kale: You can skip the kale or spinach if you are not a fan.
Mozzarella cheese or cheddar cheese: Added on top after cooking.
Seasonings: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper is all you need to impart amazing flavor.

How to Make Lasagna in Instant Pot

Cook Ground Meat

Person showing how to brown meat for Instant Pot lasagna.

Preheat: Press Saute and wait until the display says Hot, which takes about 3-5 minutes. Add a drizzle of oil.
Add meat: Cook ground turkey or beef while breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
Season: Add the spices halfway through the browning process. We want ground meat seasoned well and other ingredients will absorb its flavor.
Divide: Remove half of the meat into a bowl and press Cancel.

Layer and Cook Lasagna

The main thing to remember when layering lasagna in an Instant Pot is that you want your meat on the bottom and the tomato sauce on top.

Layering lasagna in the Instant Pot step by step.

Layer #1: Add water (beef broth or chicken broth for more flavor) on top of half of the ground meat that remained in the pot. Break 4 uncooked noodles in half and lay them on top of the meat mixture in a single layer, overlapping a bit.
Layer #2: Add half of the kale on top of the noodles and break 4 more noodles in half and lay them on top of the kale.
Layer #3: Add the ground meat from the bowl, remaining half of the kale on top of the noodles, and then pour 14 ounces of the tomato sauce on top.
Layer #4: Break the last 4 noodles in half and lay on top of everything, then pour the remaining 14 ounces can of tomato sauce overtop.
Cook: Pressure cook lasagna on high pressure for 7 minutes. Let pressure come down for 10 minutes and then turn valve to Venting to do Quick Release to release any remaining pressure.

Add Cheese

Cooked Instant Pot lasagna topped with cheese.

When you open the lid, pressure cooker lasagna will be like a casserole. A bit saucy. It won’t be soupy or messy though. The longer lasagna sits, the more it will set as the pasta absorbs the liquids and settles.
Sprinkle cheese on top, cover, and let the lasagna sit for 5 minutes or until cheese has melted. Do not cook with the cheese.

Tips for Best Results

Don’t double the recipe: I do not recommend to double this Instant Pot Lasagna recipe because Instant Pot will not come to pressure even in an 8-quart pot. You can add an extra 1 pound of meat and another layer of noodles to bulk it up.
3 quart Instant Pot: Cut the ingredients in half (even the water) but keep the same cooking time.
8 quart Instant Pot: The amount of ingredients remains the same, including water. So does the cooking time. Same goes for larger 10 quart pressure cooker.
Make it vegetarian: Swap ground beef for tofu crumbles or completely omit the meat. Instead use drained white beans, sliced mushrooms or chopped veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini or bell peppers. Word of caution is not to use too many watery vegetables.
Add more veggies: Add a layer of chopped mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, or broccoli.

Instant Pot lasagna sliced with a knife and scooped with spatula.

Serving Ideas

Slicing: You can cut through Instant Pot lasagna with a slotted spoon, knife, or spatula. It will feel like cutting butter. That’s how tender lasagna noodles are!
Serving: Serve hot garnished with fresh basil or fresh parsley and freshly cracked pepper. Sprinkle more Parmesan cheese on top.
Bread basket: What’s a lasagna without a loaf of crusty bread to sop up the sauce? A sourdough, garlic bread, or try it with Greek yogurt bread for more protein.
Side dish idea: Serve with zesty arugula feta salad or a refreshing creamy cucumber salad.

How to Store and Reheat

Keep warm: Since there is a bit of liquid on the bottom, the lasagna keeps warm without burning for up to 10 hours.

Refrigerate: If there are any leftovers, I cover the inner stainless steel pot with a glass or silicone lid, remove it from the outer pot and refrigerate.

Reheat: I simply put the inner pot back in the outer pot, cover with the lid, and press Steam or Pressure Cook for 1 minute. The saute function works too. If you don’t see much liquid on the bottom, add 1/4 cup. We need a bit to create steam to warm the lasagna through.

How to Freeze

Pressure cooker lasagna is great for freezing! You can freeze entire cooked lasagna or in individual portions for easy reheating. In either case, cook and let it cool completely. Then transfer in airtight containers in a freezer for up to 3 months.

Thaw in the fridge overnight. I recommend to reheat it in a microwave, so lasagna doesn’t dry out.

FAQs

Why did my lasagna come out watery?

It could be because some brands add water or more of it to the tomato sauce. Also possible if you have added more veggies like zucchini, mushrooms, and peppers as they produce water. Or because it just looks watery when it is first cooked.

The good news is when you let it sit, it should absorb most, if not all of it. So close the lid and give it 10-20 minutes. Even if it doesn’t, it’ll just sit at the bottom of the pot.

Why did I get a Burn message?

Could be several reasons. Did you add the seasoning too early? Did you add enough water? Did you layer it as directed?

Why you don’t mix meat with the sauce?

Tomato sauce is notorious for burning if placed on the bottom of the Instant Pot. So I recommend any layering recipe like this, to keep the tomato sauce away from the bottom.

When do I add ricotta mixture?

Original recipe doesn’t call for it but you can combine ricotta with egg and add it on top of meat layer.