All the flavors of the classic dish you love, made even easier using the Instant Pot! This Instant Pot Lasagna is delicious comfort food at its finest!
Growing up, lasagna was one of those meals made only for special occasions or if we had several guests coming over. Between boiling the noodles, making the meat mixture, cheese mixture, and assembling…the dish took a while to make.
Now, lasagna is made even easier since you can make it in the Instant Pot! This one-pot meal layers rich spaghetti sauce, creamy cheese filling, tender lasagna noodles, and a savory ground beef filling for a quick Italian dinner the entire family will enjoy! Also try my Easy Lazy Lasagna for a shortcut alternative!
Why this is the BEST Instant Pot Lasagna
- Easy- this is the easiest way to make everyone's favorite layered pasta dish. No boiling noodles beforehand, and all of the cooking happens right there in the pressure cooker! In fact, clean-up is almost as easy as the actual dinner-making.
- Flavor Packed- this meal is packed with savory, creamy, cheesy flavor in every bite!
- Easy to Change Up- you can use your favorite sauce, meat mixture, and even cheeses to make this your own. Perhaps even add in some veggies such as zucchini or mushroom.
- Quick- only 25 minutes to pressurize and you won’t need to eat leftovers for weeks since this makes the perfect amount.
Ingredients Needed
Using basic ingredients, this recipe will have everyone requesting the recipe and wanting seconds!
Cheese Layer
- Ricotta Cheese- adds such rich, creamy flavor
- Mozzarella- shredded
- Basil/Thyme/Oregano/Italian Seasoning- don’t be shy on adding these, they really enhance the overall taste of this dish
- Salt/Pepper- to taste
Meat Mixture
- Beef- I use 80/20, however, any leanness works, just be sure to drain grease.
- Garlic- fresh is best, minced
- Spaghetti Sauce- use your favorite store-bought sauce or make your own. For the best results, use a good, thick marinara. Thinner sauces will be runny and can turn the lasagna into a mess when it comes time to serve it.
- Lasagna Noodles- I use no boil noodles, however, any type works as the sauce will soften the noodles as they cook
- Mozzarella Cheese- shredded
How to make Instant Pot Lasagna
- Make Cheese Filling- combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Set aside.
- Prepare Meat Filling- brown beef in a skillet until no longer pink. Add in the minced garlic and stir to combine evenly.
- Assemble- spray your 7-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Layer the bottom of your pan with 3-4 noodles, broken to fit pan. Cover with 1 cup pasta sauce. Spread ½ the meat mixture on top of sauce, pressing down slightly. Spread ½ the cheese layer evenly over meat. Repeat layer process one time using up remaining meat/cheese mixture. Add 1 final layer of noodles and cover with sauce and ½ cup mozzarella. Spray a sheet of tin foil with cooking spray and cover the pan tightly. Pour 1 ½ cups water into the bottom of your Instant Pot pan. Place the covered springform pan on the trivet and use the handles to lower it into the pan. Place the lid securely on and ensure valve is in sealing position
- Cook-manual, high pressure for 25 minutes. Do a quick release and once pin drops, open lid and remove lasagna/tin foil. Place on baking sheet in oven on broil until cheese begins to brown. Remove from oven and allow to “rest” about 10 minutes to absorb juices. Remove springform sides of pan and slice to desired size. Serve and enjoy
Preparing Lasagna in Advance
You can assemble, cover, and refrigerate this lasagna up to 24 hours before pressure cooking. Keep in mind the springform pan will leak into the refrigerator, so you’ll want to use a cake pan instead. When ready to cook the lasagna, remove it from the refrigerator, unwrap, cover with foil if desired, and pressure cook for 27 minutes instead of 25 minutes on high pressure.
Storage
Leftover cooled lasagna can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Additionally, you can wrap 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any substitutes for the ricotta cheese?
Feel free 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 helps the cottage cheese have less liquid, making your lasagna’s layers stay intact better.
What other meats can I use?
Ground pork, ground turkey or Italian sausage are all great choices for this delicious lasagna.
Can I use something other than red sauce for this?
Yes! You can use Alfredo sauce and make this more of a white pasta!
Can I add vegetables into this to make it a complete meal?
Absolutely! Simply sauté the veggies and add them in as you prepare the layers!
Can I make this in a 3-quart Instant Pot?
If you want to make this in a smaller Instant Pot, it works, but make sure you halve all of the ingredients. Cook time would stay the same.
How to serve
When serving lasagna, I love to add a side salad and/or garlic bread! To me, that is the ultimate combination! Of course, feel free to go your own route and serve this with anything you desire! Perhaps garlic pull apart bread, buttery bread machine dinner rolls, or even Garlic Cheese Crescents
More Instant Pot Recipes to try
Instant Pot Stuffed Shells– same great flavor of the classic favorite, now made faster in the Instant Pot
Instant Pot Chicken Lo Mein– noodle dish packed with classic Chinese flavor
Beef Enchilada Instant Pot Casserole– layers of beef, sauce, cheese, and corn tortillas combine into a Tex-Mex dish the whole family will love
Instant Pot Sausage, Green Beans, and Potatoes– one pot meal that comes together in no time
If you don’t have the springform pan, I highly recommend buying one because not only can you make this lasagna, but you can make my Chocolate Peanut Butter Instant Pot Cheesecake and BEST EVER Instant Pot Cheesecake. Double win, right?!
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BEST EVER Instant Pot Lasagna Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- CHEESE LAYER
- 1 cup Ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ½ teaspoon Basil
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Thyme
- ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- MEAT LAYER
- 1 lb ground beef
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 24 oz spaghetti sauce
- 1 package no boil lasagna noodles
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- To make the cheese layer, mix all ingredients into a small bowl. Set aside.
- To make meat layer, brown beef in a skillet until no longer pink.
- Add in the minced garlic and stir to combine evenly.
- To assemble lasagna, spray your 7 inch springform pan with cooking spray.
- Layer the bottom of your pan with 3-4 noodles, broken to fit pan.
- Cover with 1 cup pasta sauce.
- Spread ½ the meat mixture on top of sauce, pressing down slightly.
- Spread ½ the cheese layer evenly over meat.
- Repeat layer process one time using up remaining meat/cheese mixture.
- Add 1 final layer of noodles and cover with sauce and ½ cup mozzarella.
- Spray a sheet of tin foil with cooking spray and cover the pan tightly.
- Pour 1 ½ cups water into the bottom of your Instant Pot pan.
- Place the covered springform pan on the trivet and use the handles to lower it into the pan.
- Place the lid securely on and ensure valve is in sealing position.
- Cook manual, high pressure for 25 minutes.
- Do a quick release and once pin drops, open lid and remove lasagna/tin foil.
- Place on baking sheet in oven on broil until cheese begins to brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to “rest” about 10 minutes to absorb juices.
- Remove springform sides of pan and slice to desired size.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Jeane says
In the directions you say on step five I believe, to create a layer of noodles with 3-4 noodles by breaking them apart. Do mean it will take 3-4 noodles to break up to create that layer? I created a single layer by breaking apart just 2 unless the pieces didn’t break well then I was just wasting pieces and needed three noodles because of that. I struggled to not overlap the noodlesusing only two full noodles broken up. The round pan makes it a little tricky.
Kristin says
It just depends on how you break the noodles, it is okay to overlap if needed as long as the sauce covers them. If you only need 2 noodles to break it up, thats great too! Enjoy!!
Michele says
I have a 3 quart IP. It is hard to find recipes for the 3 quart. I wish there were more recipes for the 3 quart.
Kristin says
Sorry to see the 1 star rating on this recipe 🙁
If you have a 3 quart, I recommend using mini springform pans (2) and making the recipe in that. You can stack the two springforms and it should work great! I believe you can also look for a 5 inch and that should fit!
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy!
Karen says
I was reading over the lasagna recipe and in the very beginning of the directions it says to cover the noodles with pasta sauce, then it says layer meat sauce on top of that. What is the pasta sauce. Did I overlook it? Little confused on that.
Kristin says
The meat layer is simply seasoned beef, the pasta sauce is 24 oz of your favorite spaghetti sauce (jarred or homemade). Sorry for the confusion. I labelled the meat layer ingredients as to separate things a bit, hope that helps and hope you enjoy!!
Jessica says
I LOVE lasagna and absolutely love making it in the oven. So when I found this recipe, I couldn’t wait to try it in my IP. I was very disappointed, I followed the recipe exactly but the noodles were not cooked. Also the broil time was too long, it burned the topping. Please help me understand what went wrong.
Kristin says
Hmmmm, did you use the no boil noodles? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t, and it usually always still turns out.
Each oven is different as far as the broiling goes, you just want to get a golden brown color with melted cheese, so that step can be eyed.
Keep me posted on the noodles so I can trouble shoot. So bummed to hear it wasn’t a hit!
Kendra says
Can you make this without a spring foam pan?
Kristin says
Sure! You can use a normal pan, just make sure its a 6-7 inch pan to fit in your Instant Pot. You’ll just have to scoop it out of the pan, so it won’t be as pretty, but it will still taste great!
Jean Verner Melvin says
This has been the best ever lasagna I have ever eaten, and so easy to make in the I-Pot…
Thanks so much for the recipe, will be making two more to put in the freezer for the near future!
Had a nice big slice with tossed salad with my hubby….he couldn’t get enough of it….can’t wait to eat the leftovers! <3 going to try the beef enchiladas next!
Kristin says
Awwww I love hearing that!! So glad you enjoy it! I can’t wait to hear what you think of the enchilada pie next!!!
Delilah says
This is a great lasagna recipe. I love that it doesn’t make a 9×13 pan. There is just two of us now and lasagna is one of those dishes that doesn’t make for good leftovers. I never use no boil noodles. I lay them in a rectangular dish and pour boiling water over them. That does the trick and the noodles ate much easier to cut.
Kristin says
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Great idea on the noodle trick!
Juan says
Hi Kristen and fellow lasagna makers,
This recipe is awesome! First time trying it and I loved it. I just started using my instant pot and this is a great addition to my nightly cooking book.
I saw that some people had issues with fitting all the layers in the springform pan. I ordered both the one Kristin recommended and the one from the instant pot brand
Instant Pot 5252051 Official Springform Pan, 7.5-Inch, Gray https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WHHTFXC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xKxEEbMF4AH1K
I found this one to be a little bit bigger at 3.1” vs 2.4” in depth and will allow for all the layers to fit in perfectly.
As for leakage at the bottom of the pan, it will definitely leak especially if the spaghetti sauce is liquidity. I used marinara so it leaked more than expected. It wasn’t an absurd amount but definitely something to be mindful of.
This is definitely a recipe I enjoyed making and will make for many more meals to come! Thanks Kristin.
Best,
Juan
Kristin says
Yea!! I absolutely love the feedback you have provided! Thanks so much and I am glad to hear you enjoyed it!!
JansinGa says
Thanks to the reviewer who mentioned the different springform pan depths. My ingredients didn’t all fit either, but we really enjoyed the lasagna! Thanks for the recipe! (Looking for all the IP recipes while we’re “social distancing” at home!)
Kristin says
Glad you enjoyed! I too actually didn’t know there were different depths until that review, haha!
Hope you enjoy all the other Instant Pot recipes on the blog!
Jelain says
Made this yesterday in my IP turned out great!
Kristin says
Yea! So glad it was a success!
Juleen Wegman says
For those of you that couldn’t fit it all in your 7-inch springform pan, there are a couple different depths of springform pans. I haven’t made this yet but will use my deeper one when I do. I think it’s 3″ deep.
Kristin says
Great advice! Hope you enjoy this!
Lynda says
Awesome recipe!!! I did 1/2 lb of Italian sausage and 1/2 lb ground beef…it was delish!!!!
Kristin says
Yea! So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Patty Thompson says
I’m pretty new to cooking. However, I’ve been making one instant pot recipe per week for the past couple of months. My husband’s favorite food is lasagna. He LOVED it!!! And so did I. It was so delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe. I will definitely make it again.
Kristin says
Awww I love hearing that! So glad you enjoyed it!!
Kim says
This was so simple, absolutely delicious and came out looking just like the picture! Win Win Win!
Kristin says
Yea!! Love hearing that! So glad it was a hit!!