LAZY LASAGNA MADE IN THE INSTANT POT
I am finally ready to share this fabulous recipe for lazy lasagna that's made right in the instant pot or pressure cooker! Ever since I posted this instant pot baked ziti and saw how much you guys loved it, I knew I had to create some more easy instant pot pasta recipes.
This lazy lasagna is everything you love about classic lasagna but without the hours of labor, cooking noodles, cooking the sauce, and layering everything together.
I love this instant pot version because it's quick, easy, and cooks in just 5 minutes!
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT LAZY LASAGNA RECIPE
Combine ground beef, chopped onion, garlic, salt, and pepper inside the insert of the pressure cooker (instant pot). Press the sauté button, cook and crumble the ground beef until no longer pink. Drain.
Add the spaghetti sauce and stir it together with the meat.
Add the water, seasonings and stir.
Dump the pasta in and gently press the past down so it's mostly all submerged in the water. DO NOT stir the pasta into the water. Just pat it down into an even layer. See pictures above.
MY TIPS FOR THIS RECIPE
- Use a basic pasta sauce like tomato & basil or traditional. This recipe has been tested with traditional pasta sauce. I like the Rao's brand from Costco (it's so much cheaper at Costco!). But any kind you have or prefer will work just fine.
- I have tested this recipe dozens of times and have found that all Parmesan cheese works best. I know lasagna is traditionally made with mozzarella cheese, while it's yummy, it made the lasagna too gooey and stringy from the melted mozzarella cheese. You could always use half parmesan cheese and half parmesan, but for best results use all parmesan cheese which is called for in the recipe.
- Through testing this recipe I have found that the penne pasta works best. Another pasta that is similar in size is ziti pasta. Use one of these two pastas for best results.
- If you don't like ricotta cheese you can substitute with cottage cheese. Be warned that the cottage cheese will not melt as well into the lasagna so you will end up with the little cottage cheese lumps in the pasta.
TRY THESE OTHER FAMILY FAVORITE INSTANT POT DINNER RECIPES
- instant pot cashew chicken
- instant pot potato corn chowder
- instant pot panera mac and cheese
- instant pot butter chicken
- instant pot baked potatoes
Instant Pot Lazy Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (I use extra-virgin olive oil)
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 jar (24-26 oz) traditional pasta sauce
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 box (16 oz) penne pasta
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, ground beef, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper into the insert of the Instant Pot. Push the sauté button, cook and crumble the ground beef until it's no longer pink. Turn off the sauté function. Drain the excess grease/liquid from the meat.
- Add the jar of spaghetti sauce and mix it together with the ground beef.
- Add the water, basil, Italian seasoning, parsley, and salt. Stir it all together.
- Dump the dry, uncooked pasta into the Instant Pot. DO NOT STIR it into the water. Instead, if needed, gently push down on the pasta to try and get it in an even layer (see pictures above in post for reference).
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the valve is set to 'sealing'. Manually set the cook time for 5 minutes. *IP will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure and then start the 5 minute cook time.
- Once done cooking, naturally release the pressure (meaning do not move the valve to the 'venting' position, leave it in the 'sealing' position) for 5-10 minutes. * If you want true al dente pasta then naturally release the pressure for 5 minutes. My family does not like it this way so I let the pressure naturally release for 8 minutes. If you want really soft pasta then let the pressure naturally release for the full 10 minutes.
- Turn the valve to the 'venting' position and let the remaining pressure release. Once ready, open the lid and stir the pasta together. Add the ricotta cheese and parmesan cheese. Stir until cheeses are melted and everything is combined.
Notes
Nutrition
Mine turned out really bland. Also, do not put Banza chickpea pasta in the insta pot. It’s a sticky, slimy mess! Perhaps this would have been better with rice noodles?
I make this with regular pasta, which is also what the recipe calls for, so anytime you use a different pasta like the chickpea pasta the recipe will always come out different than how it was intended. Sorry it turned out so bad for you. Thanks for your comment and review.
Anybody freeze this ?
This was very good. My family and Grandkids loved it. I took regular Lasagna Noodles and broke them up into smaller pieces and it worked great.
Turned out well. The whole family ate it willingly. I did the 5 min quick release and the pasta was perfectly to my liking not too soft or too hard. It was also quick and easy to make!
Looks amazing! We’re on vacation, but I intend to make this when we return home! Quick question…my family and I aren’t crazy about penne pasta, and I was wondering if you’ve ever used another shape (rotini, bow tie, etc) and if it worked well? Thank you and I’m so glad I found your site! We just bought our instant pot and want to get the most out of our money! 😀
I love the instant pot! I hope it's been working well for you. Sorry your comment slipped through the cracks and I'm just seeing it- I'm sure another shape would work very well!
Love this simple recipe. We’ve had this for multiple dinners. I don’t always add the extra cheese. But it’s extra yummy with it and still tasty without.
I have tried this recipe with regular penne pasta and gluten free brown rice and quinoa pasta.
I’ve found when using gluten free you have to cut the cook time even shorter. I did 3 min and then release the steam as soon as the time is up and open the lid and stir to stop the noodles from over cooking.
Yes, you're right, gluten-free pasta does not need as long of cook time. I will have to go update the recipe with that information. So glad you love this one! Thanks for taking the time to leave your comment. I love hearing feedback.
This was absolutely amazing! All the flavors were perfect together, and the pasta was cooked perfectly! I used lean ground turkey instead of beef, and I added some garlic powder
So happy to hear this! I too love using ground turkey in this recipe when I have it. Thanks so much for your comment.
This is a great recipe for a quick weeknight meal! Very good!
This came out wonderful! I added a bit more seasonings (I first turned the ground turkey into Italian sausage and let that sit in the fridge for an hour since I had the time), other than that, I did as stated. SO good.
GLUTEN FREE: I used Barilla brand, 12 ozs, GF Pasta. 2-1/2 cups water rather than 3 (I did not stir this into the sauce, btw), set it on high pressure for 4 minutes then quick released it after it rested for 2 minutes, and opening as soon as I could. Perfect al dente!
We love this! My family and I aren't fans of ricotta cheese, so I use mozzarella instead and it's super good!
Great dish and great taste! I love quick and easy recipes! Thank you!
Thank you so much for your comment! 😊