Instant Pot Lasagna is the best lasagna recipe you can ever make. It tastes delicious, and you can customize it to your taste, adding any of your favorite ingredients including spinach and mushrooms. Gather all of the ingredients and kitchen tools you will need to cook the meat with some seasonings so it isn’t bland. Prepare the cheese mixture then in a springform, the same kind that you use for a cheesecake. start the layering with the no-boil noodles, which you will need to break apart to fit the shape of the pan. The next step is to layer the sauce with 1/2 of the meat, then 1/2 of the cheese mixture, and the spinach which is optional here. Start again with another layer of noodles, 1/3 sauce, 1/2 of the meat, 1/2 cheese mixture Then noodles, sauce, and top cheese layer.
Cover with a piece of sprayed foil, set on a trivet with handles and put it in the pot. Set the cook time and let it naturally release for 10-15 minutes after pressure cooking. Broil the top of your Instant Pot Lasagna to brown the cheese. 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. If you skip that step, just lightly dab off any moisture that occurs and then broils to perfection. You can use any homemade tomato sauce, but any quality jarred marinara or pasta sauce will work for this Lasagna recipe. Ground beef, pork, or Italian sausage are all great options for this Lasagna recipe.
Before cooking the lasagna, place a trivet in the Instant Pot so the springform pan that holds the lasagna and is covered in foil is not laying directly on the Instant Pot’s inner pot, this helps keep it up and out of the water. You can also line the springform pan with cut out parchment paper and then place the prepped ingredients into the pan, this makes it easier to serve. Wrap the springform pan tightly with aluminum foil, including the bottom as the liquid may leak out, otherwise. Instant Pot Lasagna does not take too long at all.
For this Instant Pot Lasagna recipe, once the Instant Pot is pressurized, it takes only 30 minutes to cook the lasagna and then I let it naturally release for an additional 10 minutes. If you are using oven-bake noodles, it can be a little shorter. Plan on about an hour start to finish to make this lasagna, but only 15-20 minutes of that being hands-on time.
Ingredients;
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 3 c. Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 3 cup marinara sauce, divided
- 2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped basil, plus more for garnish
- 9 lasagna noodles, boiled to al dente
- 2 cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions;
- Set Instant Pot to Sauté and heat oil. Add onion and cook until softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Add oregano and crushed red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more.
- Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until no pink remains. Season with salt and pepper.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove beef and place in a large bowl. Add 2 ½ cups marinara to meat and toss to combine.
- In a medium bowl, stir to combine ricotta, egg, Parmesan, and basil and season with salt and pepper.
- Build the lasagna in a springform pan with cooking spray. Spread ¼ cup marinara in the bottom of the pan.
- Add a layer of noodles, trimming to fit pan, then top with ½ the ricotta mixture.
- Add ½ the meat mixture and sprinkle with ½ cup mozzarella.
- Add another layer of noodles, then add the remaining ricotta mixture and meat sauce in even layers.
- Top with more noodles, remaining ¼ cup marinara and remaining mozzarella.
- Add 1 1/4 cup water to the bottom of Instant Pot, then fit with a trivet.
- Place lasagna on a trivet and secure lid. Set Instant Pot to high and cook for 22 minutes.
- Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release.
- Let cool 10 minutes, then garnish with basil before serving.
