Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Lasagna Casserole
This recipe is perfect for a busy cook. It takes 15 minutes of prep work to brown ground beef and sausage and to add some seasoning. Toss some lasagna noodles into the pot, pasta sauce and 5 minutes of pressure cooking. Add some ricotta cheese and Mozzarella, and dinner is ready in 30 minutes or less!
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ pound ground sausage
- ½ small onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste I buy it in a tube to store the rest in the refrigerator
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes optional, adjust amount to your spice preference
- 1 16 oz. box Lasagna noodles broken into 1 ½ - 2 inch pieces (don't use "no cook lasagna noodles). If you can find Mafalda pasta, that works even better!
- 1 jar pasta sauce recommended: 28 ounce Rao's Brand or up to 32 ounce pasta sasce
- 3 ½ cups water
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded NOTE: I prefer to grate my own whole Mozzarella cheese, as it has a creamier texture.
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- fresh parsley finely minced: optional
Instructions
Prep:
- Using the SAUTE function, add the ground beef and sausage to the pot and cook until just browned. Add the onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 2 minutes. CANCEL the SAUTE function.
- Add the lasagna noodles. Add the pasta sauce, water and add the water. NOTE: The amount of water is adjustable, depending on the amount of pasta sauce that is added. You want the water to just cover the meat and noodles.
Pressure cook:
- Secure the lid on the pot. Close the Pressure-release valve.Select MANUAL and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Once the cooking is complete, use a quick release to release the pressure.
- Remove the lid, and add the ricotta (or cottage) cheese and about 1/3 of the Mozzarella. Give it a gentle stir. Don't be alarmed if the lasagna looks curdled, as that won't affect the outcome.
Broil:
- Carefully pour the lasagna into a baking dish, and add sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top.Add the remaining mozzarella cheese. Place the pan under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Serve.
- Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.(Reheats well.)
Notes
NOTES: My preferred soft cheese is ricotta, as it's much creamier than cottage cheese
I try to avoid pre-shredded cheeses, as corn starch is added to prevent clumping. Hand grating cheese is worth the extra effort, as it's much creamier.