Instant Pot Classic Italian Lasagna
©2016 – Photo by Rachel the Riveter
Some of you might be able to tell that I’m madly in love with my Instant Pot. It really makes life easy. It has been a rough summer for me so far. I had dental surgery last week and my jaw has been on fire since. TMJ is not fun and the migraines that come with it aren’t either. The fried chicken, potato salad, and coleslaw I made last week has been feeding the family for the past few days. With the summer heat in full swing, I don’t like to heat up my house by turning on my oven. So when my son begged me for a lasagna today, I quickly brought my Instant Pot out and got to work.
Less than an hour later, I had a rich, flavorful Instant Pot classic Italian lasagna that my family can’t stop raving about. What’s better, I made TWO today, one that will freeze and I can pull out when I need a day off from cooking.
Things to Know
©2016 – Photo by Rachel the Riveter
The lasagna cooks for 20 minutes and then your Instant Pot is going to beep. Don’t touch it! Let it sit for 20 minutes, the pressure inside will come down naturally and the lasagna will continue to cook. This will ensure it is the perfect texture and everything is cooked just right.
I like to put my lasagna under a broiler on high for about 3-5 minutes. This will get those nice toasty golden bits on the cheese. Just watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.
This recipe would work well with any variation of lasagna. If you do make it with chicken, turkey, seafood, or a vegetarian lasagna – be sure to REALLY season the filling. The spicy & sweet sausage I use are so well seasoned that it adds a lot. If you would like to see a variation on this recipe with a different filling, let me know – I have tons of ideas and my family sure won’t mind me experimenting!
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 40 minutes |
| Passive Time | 40 minutes |
| Servings |
lasagnas
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- 2 pounds ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 pound spicy italian sausage
- 1/2 pound sweet italian sausage
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 block frozen spinach defrosted, all liquid squeezed out
- 1/2 cup fresh basil torn
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 cup mushrooms sliced
- shredded mozzerella
- grated parmesan
- 2 cups pasta sauce
- 1 box Barilla Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles
Ingredients
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Rate this recipe!
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- Prepare springform pan that fits in your Instant Pot with olive oil spray or similar. Spread 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of pan.
- Break down lasagna noodles to fit bottom one layer. Add a couple spoonfuls of sauce and a layer of meat
- Add layer of ricotta and then a layer of spinach/basil/mushroom mix.
- Add a layer of sauce and then a layer of lasagna noodles broken to fit pan.
- Repeat until pan is full. I like to top my lasagna with extra shredded mozzarella and parmesan.
- Cover with aluminum foil. Place on trivet in Instant Pot with 1.5 cups water. Cook 20 mins on high pressure. Natural Pressure Release for 20 minutes.
Love your video, great job! I am actually working on my first video as we speak and super excited about it! Great job!
Thank you so much Cathy! Can’t wait to see yours
This looks really good! I have two questions for you. In the video it shows 1 c onions being added and sautéed after the sausage but I don’t see that in the recipe ingredient list. Should it be there? I love the idea of freezing one for later. Did you cook it from frozen or thaw first? If you cooked from frozen, how long was your cook time in the instant pot? Thank you!!
It should be there (and is now!) thanks for catching that. When cooking from frozen, I add 10 minutes more to the cook time, and 5 minutes to the natural release. It all depends on how thick and dense your lasagna is. One of the best parts of instant pot and sous vide cooking is the ability to cook from frozen. Let me know how it goes!
Thanks so much, Rachel! I did all but the final cook time for the lasagnas yesterday afternoon. I put one in the fridge and one in the freezer. We went to a late matinee at the movies for the first time in ages and came home and put one of the lasagnas in the instant pot. I should have cut up my mushrooms a bit smaller but other than that we both really liked the flavors. I look forward to pulling the other one out of the freezer sometime soon. Thanks for the tips!
I’m so glad to hear that! I’ll be posting some more fun Instant Pot recipes that can be prepared ahead in February. Check back for those!
Let me preface my question by saying that I just got my I-Pot and I”m not much of a cook. 🙂 My question is – why does the recipe call for a springform pan?
I don’t have one, can I just use the pot that came with the cooker? Thanks!
First, welcome to Instant Pot cooking! I really believe this kitchen device can change people who aren’t much of a cook into a cook with a bit of research, so I hope you enjoy your journey.
This is a really great question! In order for the pot to come to pressure, there must be at least 1/2 cup (preferably, in my opinion, 1 cup) of water/liquid in the main pot liner that came with the cooker. If you are cooking something like a lasagna in the bottom of your liner, one of two things would have to happen – one you would have the noodles burn and stick the pot which would give you an error and would never come to pressure or two, you would have to flood your noodles with so much water you wouldn’t have noodles, you’d have soup.
Now, I’m making a lasagna soup recipe for the blog after I get back from a funeral tomorrow – that’s right at the top of the list, but for an instant pot lasagna, you need to use the pot-in-pot method. That allows the water at the bottom of the pot, and then the pan sits on the little trivet that came with your IP. This allows the pressure to build and you get a yummy lasagna. Let me know if you have any questions!
That was a great explanation! Thank you very much.
Maybe I should have asked what SIZE springform pan I need? I ordered one, but it is much smaller than the pot. It’s a 6 x 2 1/2 and doesn’t look like it’s ready to hold much lasagna. Ha!
What size should I get? Thanks again (got my lasagna noodles, the fresh ingredients I’ll get when it’s time to cook).
In my experience, 6 quart Instant Pots need a 6 inch springform while 8 quart Instant Pots, 8 inch.
thank u!
You are very welcome. When you have your springform pan – you should try a cheesecake. They seem scary, but they are so easy and REALLY yummy. And everyone will think you are a master baker. 🙂
So I have the 6″, but it is only 2″ high. From the way that I read the directions all the lasagna ingredients would fit into the pan. If I use this it will definitely spill over into the pot or I would just be making a little tiny mini lasagna. Reading your ingredients list and directions it seems like you’re making more than a mini :), so I’m wondering if I need A HIGHER pan. Or maybe I just don’t understand how the springform pan’s work. 🙂 Sorry for all the questions. Thanks for all your help.
I’ve actually never seen a 2 inch springform before! But fear not, all is not lost. One of my favorite kitchen tips is that you can extend the height of your pans when they don’t quite reach the height you need. Here’s how you do it.
http://www.racheltheriveter.com/how-to-collar-a-pan/
How tall is a ‘normal’ springform pan?
Thank you for the parchment paper trick! Since I’m lazy, I want to get another pan so I won’t have to collar it every time.
Can you tell me the dimensions I should look for? Thank you again!
The typical springform pan is 3 inches tall.
OMG!! Turned out a-MAY-zing(and I didn’t even do everything right. :-))!! Equally amazing, I didn’t eat it ALL! Ha!
Mine was vegetarian ; I added some sweet bell peppers, also no eggs ( again, lazy). Also put in fresh mozzarella.
One thing that I don’t like about baked lasagn is the burned/crunchy noodles. These noodles we’re soft and lovely. YUM! Next time I will take the time to drain the spinach as instructed. Other than that, absolutely fantastic! Thank you, Rachel!
I am so glad it worked out!! I knew you could do it!
Ok….so a 6 in x 3 in springfoam pan will fit a whole normal lasagna? That seems really small to me. (And sorry for all caps…..my keyboard doesn’t say I’m in caps and I can’t get it off!)
Well……now it showed up normal and not in caps lol
Hey Sarah,
Yeah, the size of the pan really does seem small. It isn’t going to be as big as say a regular lasagna – so if you are looking to feed 15 (like I do at family gatherings) this isn’t the method for you. I will say that the lasagna is truly “deep dish” and it makes up for how small the circumference is. I get at least 2 meals for my family of 4, two of whom are teenage boys that seem to have hollow legs.
Rachel
you didn’t say what to do with the basil?
You are right! How did I miss that. >_< The basil is in with the spinach and mushroom mix.