I decided I had waited long enough to try making lasagna in the Instant Pot. I’m so glad I finally went for it because it was so easy and it turned out so delicious!
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Making Lasagna Used To Be A Pain
Lasagna is one of those things that I don’t make very often because it’s a bit time-consuming. My entire family loves when I do make it, but it’s not a regular item on our menu.
My least favorite part is boiling the lasagna noodles! What a pain.
I’m so glad there are no-boil noodles! I have never tried them in the oven, but they work perfectly in the Instant Pot!
I’ll Be Making Lasagna More Often Now
All I can say is from now on I will be making my lasagna in the Instant Pot and I’ll definitely be making it more often! It is easy and it comes out perfectly delicious!
My family is pretty happy they’ll get to enjoy lasagna more often.
Everyone Will Love This Lasagna
My husband Ryan and I love cooking together. We really enjoy being in the kitchen and working on the blog together has allowed us to do that often!
This Instant Pot lasagna was so much fun to make with him. We made it like 4 times until we were 100% satisfied with it!
Needless to say, my parents and neighbors got to enjoy some lasagna that day!
I know you will love this meaty lasagna!
Ryan seasoned the meat like his dad used to season his spaghetti meat sauce, packed with flavor! The cream cheese allows for a nice burst of creamy deliciousness in certain bites.
My kids love this!
Essential Items
Here are some essential prep tools, utensils, and appliances I used to make this recipe.
Featured Items
Here is a list of the products featured in this post or products similar to those featured in this post:
- Everyday Dinnerware
- Instant Pot
- Small Liquid Measuring Cup
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Bowls
- Pinch Bowls
- Push Pan
- Springform Pan
- Wooden Turner
- Stoneware Platter
28 Must-Have Instant Pot Accessories
Make sure to check out my Ultimate List of Instant Pot Accessories! I’ve included everything you could ever need to help make your pressure cooking quicker, easier, and even more convenient.
Now it’s your turn to give this lasagna recipe a try!
If you are an Instant Pot beginner, I have included a step-by-step below. Further down, there are also some tips and tricks in the recipe card to help you in making this delicious lasagna.
How To Make Lasagna in the Instant Pot
The Instant Pot makes the process of making lasagna so much quicker and easier. In fact, it’s so much quicker and easier, I was able to make three in just one afternoon.
Gather Your Ingredients
There are lots of wonderful spices in this recipe. The meat sauce uses one pound of ground beef and is packed with minced onion, basil, minced garlic, and oregano.
This lasagna is loaded with flavor!
I used 90/10 ground sirloin and our favorite store-bought marinara sauce for this lasagna.
Some brown sugar adds a touch of extra sweetness to the Marinara sauce. Just a bit of salt and pepper is all that’s remaining to finish off the meat sauce.
Additionally, you’ll need a box of oven-ready lasagne pasta, some shredded mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, and some shredded parmesan cheese.
Using Organic and Low Sodium Marinara Sauce
I know that freshly made pasta sauce is healthier and tastes so amazing. However, as a mom of five, I rarely have enough time to make fresh anything. So, I like to find ingredients that help me speed things up without sacrificing too much of the healthiness and tastiness of fresh made.
I love using the Trader Joe’s Organic Marinara sauce for a lot of pasta dishes. It’s made with organic ingredients, tastes great and is reasonably priced. They also have a low-sodium version of this marinara sauce if you’re watching your sodium intake.
If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby, some good alternatives are H-E-B Organics Marinara, Central Market Organics Marinara, Newman’s Own Common Good Organic Marinara (a little pricey).
Or, you can just use your own favorite pasta sauce.
Only Use Oven-Ready Lasagne Pasta
This recipe uses oven-ready Lasagne pasta. That means you won’t have to pre-cook it before making the lasagna. So convenient!
I used Barilla, and the recipe will require less than half the box of pasta. You’ll have plenty left over for another lasagna.
Measuring & Making It Fresh
You’ll need to measure out all of the herbs and spices. Like I mentioned above, I don’t have a lot of time for washing and chopping most days, so I keep my pantry stocked with dried herbs & spices.
Quick, easy and tasty is my motto!
But, some days, especially when my hubby is in the kitchen with me, we like to whip up a fresh version of this lasagna recipe. Knowing that you may also want to do the same on those rare days that you have a minute to spare, I’ve included measurements for both the dried herbs and fresh herbs.
Onion – You’ll need three tablespoons of dried minced onion. For me, dried minced onion offers the best balance of speed and flavor. If you have time for chopping, you can substitute a medium-sized raw yellow onion diced.
Basil – We love basil and this lasagna is loaded with basil. Three tablespoons to be exact. If you have fresh basil on hand, then you can substitute ½ a cup of fresh basil.
Garlic – One tablespoon of dried minced garlic can be substituted with 6 cloves.
Oregano – The one tablespoon of dried oregano can be substituted with three tablespoons of fresh oregano.
Making The Meat Sauce
The meat is loaded with herbs and the organic marinara sauce is so tasty! This meat sauce is so good! It really reminds me of Ryan’s dad’s spaghetti sauce. It was the best!
So now that everything is ready to go, let’s get started!
Sauté the meat
Turn your Instant Pot on in the ‘Sauté’ mode.
Allow the pot to heat up for a few minutes before adding the ground beef.
Once the pot is warm, add 1 lbs of ground beef to the pot and sauté until brown.
Add the herbs & spices
Once the ground beef is fully cooked, add the herbs, spices & brown sugar.
Mix all the ingredients into the meat and continue to sauté for a couple more minutes.
Finishing off the meat sauce
Turn off the Instant Pot and add the ½ cup of water to the pot.
Next, add the jar of marinara sauce. Save the empty jar because it will help us remove our lasagna from the push pan later.
Mix everything together very well.
Layering The Lasagna
It’s time to start layering. Gather your push pan, lasagne pasta, cheeses, and meat sauce.
The first layer
Add a layer of lasagne to the bottom of the pan. Break the ends of the sheets of lasagne off so that the sheets will fit into the push pan.
Arrange the pieces so that they cover the entire bottom of the pan.
Add about 1/3 of the meat sauce on top of the pasta.
Spread the meat sauce so that it evenly covers the sheets of lasagne pasta below it.
Evenly spread one cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese over the layer of meat sauce.
Place 5 or 6 spoonfuls of cream cheese over the layer of mozzarella cheese. Spread them evenly across the layer.
The second layer
Repeat the steps for the second layer.
Cover the first layer completely with the sheets of lasagne.
Add another 1/3 of the meat sauce.
Add another cup of mozzarella…
… and more spoonfuls of cream cheese.
The third layer
Now, for the third and final layer.
When placing the sheets of pasta, gently push them down to compress the ingredients below.
Add the final layer of meat sauce and mozzarella.
For the final step in layering the lasagna, add the ½ cup of shredded parmesan cheese.
After layering the lasagna, you will notice that a small amount of liquid has leaked through the bottom of the pan – this is normal.
Getting the pan ready for the Instant Pot
Spray cooking oil on the underside of a sheet of foil and cover the push pan tightly with the foil.
Cooking The Lasagna
Add 1 ½ cups of water to the Instant Pot and then carefully lower the push pan into the Instant Pot onto the trivet. You will need to make a foil sleeve if your trivet doesn’t have handles.
How long does it take to cook lasagna in the Instant Pot?
Set the Instant Pot on Manual or Pressure Cook High Pressure for 20 minutes.
Once the cooking time has finished, allow the pot to do a Natural Pressure Release (NPR) for 15 minutes.
After the 15-minute NPR has completed, release any remaining pressure and open the Instant Pot.
Carefully remove the pan with the trivet and set it on the counter. Remove the foil from the pan.
Getting That Bubbly Golden Cheese On Top
To get a layer of bubbly golden cheese on top, turn your oven on broil and place the lasagna pan on the middle rack for a couple of minutes.
Keep a close eye on it because it will burn quickly. Remove it once the cheese has started to bubble and turn a golden color.
Removing The Lasagna From The Push Pan
First, run a knife along the outside edge of the lasagna to separate it from the pan.
Get the empty bottle of marinara sauce and place the push pan on top of it. If the pan is still hot, make sure to use some oven mitts.
Slowly pull the outside of the push pan down until the lasagna is fully released and balancing on top of the jar.
You can now place the lasagna on a serving dish.
Serve A Warm Slice Of Lasagna & Enjoy
You’ve finished your lasagna and now it’s time to enjoy it with your family.
Let me know in the comments below if you try making this delicious Instant Pot lasagna.
QUICK & EASY RECIPES
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Instant Pot Meat Lasagna
LASAGNE PASTA, SEASONED GROUND BEEF, PASTA SAUCE, AND A BLEND OF THREE CHEESES
Essential Equipment
Ingredients
for the Meat Sauce
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 tbsps dried minced onion
- 3 tbsps dried basil
- 1 tbsp dried minced garlic
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dark brown sugar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ cup water
- 1 jar pasta sauce store bought, 25 oz, I prefer Trader Joe’s Organic Marinara
for the Lasagna
- 1 box oven-ready lasagne pasta
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ cup parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
make the Meat Sauce
- Set the Instant Pot to ‘Sauté’ and allow it to warm up for a couple of minutes.
- Add the ground beef to the pot and sauté until browned.
- Add the herbs & spices (minced onion, basil, minced garlic, oregano, brown sugar, salt, and pepper) to the ground beef in the Instant Pot. Mix the herbs & spices into the meat and allow to continue sautéing for a couple more minutes.
- Cancel out of the ‘Sauté’ mode.
- Add the 1/2 cup of water and the jar of marinara sauce to the meat. Mix all the ingredients together and then let the meat sauce sit in the pot while you get the other ingredients ready.
layer the Lasagna
- You’ll be adding three layers of pasta, meat sauce and cheese in a 6″ x 3″ push pan or springform pan.
- Add a layer of the pasta to the bottom of the pan. Break it into pieces and arrange the pieces so that you can fully cover the bottom of the pan.
- Next, add approximately 1/3 of the meat sauce and spread it evenly over the layer of pasta.
- Evenly spread 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese over the meat sauce.
- Place 5 or 6 spoonfuls of cream cheese on top of the layer of mozzarella. Place them so that they are evenly spread across the layer.
- Place the next layer of pasta over the first layer. Gently push the pasta down to compact the layer below it.
- Repeat the meat sauce, mozzarella cheese and cream cheese for the second layer.
- For the third and final layer, add the pasta, meat sauce, and mozzarella. This time, you will omit the cream cheese and add 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese.
- Cut off enough foil to cover the pan and spray the bottom of the foil with cooking spray and tightly cover the lasagna with the foil.
cook the Lasagna
- Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the Instant Pot. Place the pan of lasagna in the pot on the trivet. If your trivet does not have handles, you will need to fashion a sleeve from aluminum foil. Set the pot to Manual (or Pressure Cook) High Pressure for 20 minutes and allow for a 15-minute natural pressure release.
- After both the cooking time and 15-minute NPR have completed, release any remaining pressure. Once the Instant Pot has fully released its pressure and the pin has dropped, open the pot and carefully remove the trivet and pan.
- Turn your oven on broil, remove the foil and then place the lasagna on the middle rack in the oven. Allow it to cook until the top layer of cheese gets bubbly starts to turn a golden brown. This only takes a couple of minutes. Keep a close eye on it because the top layer of the lasagna can begin to burn very quickly.
- After removing from the oven, allow the lasagna to cool for a few minutes.
- To remove the lasagna from the pan, run a knife around the outside edge of the lasagna to separate it from the pan. With my push pan, I usually use the empty bottle of pasta sauce to make this easier. I’ll place the push pan on top of the empty bottle of pasta sauce and then carefully pull the sides of the pan down. The lasagna will be left balancing on top of the bottle. You can then place the lasagna on a serving platter.
- Serve with french bread and a salad.
Nutrition Facts
Tips & Tricks
Make it fresh. Use fresh herbs instead of dried. I’ve included substitutions below in the step-by-step instructions.
Make it healthy. For a healthy option, use organic marinara sauce. I use and love Trader Joe’s Organic Marinara. Trader Joe’s also has a low-sodium version of their marinara sauce. You should be able to find some organic and low-sodium options at your local grocery store.
Get crazy with the cheeses. While this recipe calls for mozzarella, cream cheese, and parmesan, mix it up a little and experiment with other cheeses. Cheeses like Ricotta, Cottage Cheese, Provolone, Fontina, Romano and Asiago are all great options.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with a side salad. Nothing pairs better with pasta than a salad.
French bread & dipping sauce. Serve a fresh loaf of french bread with an olive oil dipping sauce.
Garlic toast. Slather some butter and minced garlic on slices of french or sourdough bread and toast in the oven. Kerrygold is the best there is! So rich and creamy.
I’m sorry I’m not rating this-yet-I do so want to make this. But, I have a question, please? I’m loving your recipe because it doesn’t use ricotta cheese, huge dislike. I don’t have a push or springform pan and I don’t want one. I do have Fat Daddio’s 6×4” pan. I’m not particularly interested in presentation, so I’m asking if you think it would work in my 6qt Instant Pot? My pan does fit for other dishes. Thank you for kindly for answering and sharing your delicious recipes.
Hi! Absolutely it should work. The push pan just makes it easier to cut the lasagna and serve it, but it should work just fine as long as your pan fits in the pot. Enjoy!
I made the exact amt of meat sauce, used the exact fat daddy 3×6 pan, 3 c mozzarella. I used a different cheese mix, but still only had enough to put 5-6 spoonfuls on ea layer. it called for box lasagna noodles. I only used about 5 noodles broken up and still only had room for 2 layers!! had extra sauce and mozzarella and 3/4 box of noodles left. was there a typo in instructions regarding size of pan?? cooking now, hoping for the best!!
Hi Lori! Hope it worked out for you!
For those that are celiac’s (allergic to Gluten) Can we use something like slices of sweet potatoes in place of pasta noodles? If so, how thick should they be and would that change our cook time? Thanks 😉
Hi Christina! That would be a totally different recipe so I couldn’t give you any guidelines unless I tried it. You could use gluten-free pasta though, but the cooking time would change. I don’t cook with gluten-free pasta so I couldn’t give you an exact time, but many people cook with this kind of pasta in the IP successfully. I appreciate you stopping by the blog!
This sounds yummy, but a) how on earth do you get 10 slices/servings out of that small pan? And b) since you’re already dirtying up a second pan, as well as sticking it under the broiler, wouldn’t it be just as easy (or more so) to just bake it as usual?
I’m honestly not understanding why it’s worth using the InstantPot for so many recipes including this one that seem to take just as long as making them the “normal” way.
Hi Wendy! It’s a very tall lasagna since the pan is smaller. With the Instant Pot, most of the time it’s about it being faster, but there’s also a lot of people that don’t have an oven because they live in RVs or are on the road. Also, some people don’t turn on their ovens when it’s too hot outside or it heats up their home too much. For these people, some of these recipes that may not make sense for you, are perfect for them. Hope this helps clarify things. Thanks for stopping by!
My lasagna was a bit runny. Maybe the sauce I chose. I will probably use less water and cook 5 minutes longer. I have the Crock-Pot version and have found cooking times to vary a bit. Otherwise very good!
Hi Gwen! I’m glad you enjoyed it! Definitely try to adjust the time to see if that helps. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your results!
I have a 6 quart IP. Can you make this recipe in a 6 quart?
Hi Pat! As long as you have the push pan or springform pan that fits your 6 qt you can definitely make it in your 6 qt! The one I recommend in the post above (6×3) fits in the 6qt. Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy it!