Craving a hearty Italian dinner without the hassle? This Instant Pot lazy lasagna is the ultimate shortcut to classic comfort food—ready in just 30 minutes! Unlike traditional lasagna, this recipe lazy lasagna skips the boiling water and complicated layering, but still delivers the rich, cheesy, and saucy flavors you love. With simple ingredients and no springform pan required, this one-pot lasagna recipe is perfect for busy weeknights.
Some of the best Italian dinners require lots of prep work and time to cook—think chicken cacciatore, eggplant Parmigiana, homemade Bolognese, and of course, lasagna. That’s why they’re often called “meals of love”—they take time, but the results are worth it.
The great news? You don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen to enjoy those classic Italian flavors! With this Instant Pot lazy lasagna recipe, you get all the cheesy, saucy goodness of traditional lasagna, but in a fraction of the time. This easy Instant Pot lasagna (no springform pan) is the perfect one-pot meal, making busy weeknight dinners stress-free and delicious!
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Why We Love This Recipe Lazy Lasagna
- 30-minute meal.
Pressure cooking is an incredibly quick way to make a delicious lasagna with ricotta, meat, and the rich Italian flavor you expect. It doesn’t have to take 3 hours to assemble and bake an Italian casserole for dinner!
You don’t even create layers – everything goes into the IP, then you get to relax, and even be a little bit lazy. Your pressure cooker does all of the hard work; 30 minutes later, dinner is ready! - Quick and easy cleanup!
Unlike the classic casserole, this lazy lasagna recipe is made without a springform pan. It’s always a win when you don’t need to dirty an extra dish! - Perfect results, with very little work on your part.
Cooking lasagna in a pressure cooker is the best way to ensure that your dish won’t be dry. This is because the Instant Pot traps all of the moisture inside.
A quick note about this recipe:
If you search Google, you’ll see two different versions of lazy lasagna. Our pressure cooker recipe calls for most of the classic lasagna ingredients.
The other version is baked in an oven, but it’s a baked ravioli casserole. While it’s probably delicious, it’s not exactly the “real deal.”
Or, if you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can make our no boil lasagna recipe.
New to Instant Pot cooking?
Read how to use the Instant Pot 101 and tips & hacks for the Instant Pot before you jump into the delicious world of electric pressure cooking.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Meat: We prefer Sweet Italian sausage in our easy instant pot lasagna (no springform pan), but ground beef or even a combination of both is great, too.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
If you’re unable to find ground Italian sausage, just buy link sausages and remove the casings.
- Pasta: Use your choice of either lasagna noodles (broken into 2-inch pieces) or Campanelle pasta. Although many people have success using no-boil noodles, they’re more expensive, and not necessary at all.
- Marinara: You’re welcome to use whatever type of pasta sauce you have on hand. Honestly, though, it’s worth spending a few minutes to make our quick marinara sauce recipe. The flavor can’t be beat!
- Ricotta cheese: We make our easy lasagna recipe with ricotta cheese because it has a thicker consistency and richer flavor than cottage cheese. Either will work though – it’s just a matter of personal preference.
- Mozzarella cheese: For the best flavor and meltability, shred a block of Mozzarella, or use fresh Mozzarella slices. Otherwise, look for the Kraft Creamy Melts variety. They add cream cheese to the shreds, for creamier melting.
Recipe Variations
- To lighten up the meal, substitute ground turkey or chicken for the sausage.
- For a vegetarian lasagna, leave out the meat and add extra vegetables like mushrooms, zucchini, or spinach.
- For gluten-free Instant Pot lasagna, just be sure to use gluten-free pasta and marinara sauce.
- To spice it up, add a little spice to this dish by using hot Italian sausage or adding red pepper flakes to the sauce.
Equipment Used in this Recipe
- Instant Pot – or other electric pressure cooker
How to Make Easy Instant Pot Lasagna (No Springform Pan)
- Avoid overfilling the pressure cooker.
After you add the pasta, sauce, and water to the inner pot, make sure the liquids aren’t higher than the max volume line marked on the inside of your Instant Pot liner. - Use hot water to help the unit come to pressure faster.
- Perform a quick release of pressure.
You only need to cook the noodles for 5 minutes. When the cooking time is up, use a quick release to let the pressure escape immediately. This will prevent the pasta from overcooking. - Be sure the unit is off before adding the cheeses.
To finish making the Instant Pot lasagna, the ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese will require a little extra attention.
Unlike classic lasagna, where the entire casserole is assembled before baking, you need to wait to add any dairy products to a pressure cooker. Otherwise, they will separate under high pressure and heat.
Just gently stir the ricotta and Mozzarella in after the cooked lasagna noodles and sauce are combined. - Broil for a golden color on the top.
It’s perfectly fine to eat the Instant Pot lazy lasagna as-is, but the top won’t have that nice golden brown color. To create that, you need to use your oven broiler.
Just spread the pressure cooker lasagna into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle a cup of Mozzarella cheese on top and broil in the oven for 3 minutes, or until browned.
Looking for other Italian Instant Pot Recipes?
You can always count on a pressure cooker to make delicious meals quickly! Some of our other popular Italian Instant Pot recipe ideas are soups. We love instant pot sausage tortellini soup.
If you’re in the mood for a quick Italian chicken dinner, you should make some Instant Pot pesto chicken!
Serving Suggestions
This Instant Pot lazy lasagna is incredibly hearty and filling, making it a satisfying meal on its own. However, we love pairing it with a few classic Italian sides to round out the meal. Serve it with sourdough dinner rolls or toasted sourdough garlic bread to soak up every last bit of sauce. A fresh garden salad with a light vinaigrette or a side of steamed vegetables also adds a refreshing balance to this rich dish.
For extra flavor, sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top of the meat before serving, and garnish the top of the noodles with fresh basil and fresh parsley for a beautiful, aromatic finish. Whether you’re serving it for a cozy family dinner or a special occasion, this recipe lazy lasagna is sure to be a hit!
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
To make meal prep a little easier, freeze the meal in individual servings. This way, you can thaw and reheat only as many servings as you need.
Recipe FAQs
Leftovers will be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. Be sure to store them in an airtight container, or cover the casserole dish with foil.
Instant Pot lasagna can be frozen for up to 2 months. Just be sure to wrap it well to avoid freezer burn.
Yes! To reheat, place a portion in the microwave and heat in 30-second intervals until warmed through. If reheating a larger portion, use a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water or extra sauce to keep it from drying out.
Absolutely! To make lazy lasagna in a slow cooker, layer the ingredients as you would in an oven-baked lasagna, cover, and cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours until the noodles are tender and the cheese is melted.
Yes, while broken lasagna noodles work best for an authentic texture, you can also use penne, rigatoni, or rotini for a similar effect. Just be sure to adjust the liquid slightly to ensure the pasta cooks evenly.
More Easy Pasta Recipes To Love…
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Instant Pot Lazy Lasagna
Equipment
- Instant Pot - or other electric pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage or lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 16 ounces lasagna noodles broken into 2-inch pieces
- 32 ounces pasta sauce or homemade marinara sauce
- 4 cups very hot water *See Notes
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese plus 1 cup for optional broiling *See Notes
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to sauté. When pot is hot, add meat and Italian seasoning, and cook until meat has browned. To the pot, add pasta, sauce, and hot water; do not stir. Press cancel to end the sauté mode.**Ensure that the contents do not rise above the max level line (indicated by a mark on the inside of the inner pot).
- Place the lid on your pressure cooker and twist to seal. Close the sealing valve and manually set the IP to cook at high pressure for 5 min. When pressure cycle is over, perform a quick release of pressure. Add ricotta and mozzarella cheese, and use a large spoon to stir until melted.
Optional Broiling (To Brown the Cheese)
- When the lazy lasagna finishes pressure cooking, transfer the contents into a greased 9×13-inch casserole dish. Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top and place the dish under your oven broiler for 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.
Notes
- To lighten up the meal, substitute ground turkey or chicken for the sausage.
- For a vegetarian lasagna, leave out the meat and add extra vegetables like mushrooms, zucchini, or spinach.
- For gluten-free Instant Pot lasagna, just be sure to use gluten-free pasta and marinara sauce.
- Spice it up! Add a little spice to this dish by using hot Italian sausage or adding red pepper flakes to the sauce.
- If you’re unable to find ground Italian sausage, just buy link sausages and remove the casings.
- To make meal prep a little easier, freeze the meal in individual servings. This way, you can thaw and reheat only as many servings as you need.
- Using very hot liquid (in this case, water) helps the Instant Pot come to pressure more quickly. Ultimately, this means your meal will be on the table sooner.
- To give the melted cheese a golden color, there is an optional step to broil the casserole after it finishes pressure cooking. If you plan to do this, you will need 1 additional cup (a total of 3 cups) of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Leftovers will be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. Be sure to store them in an airtight container, or cover the casserole dish with foil.
- Instant Pot lasagna can be frozen for up to 2 months. Just be sure to wrap it well to avoid freezer burn.
Nutrition
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Holly says
This is why I love my Instant Pot so much! This recipe turned out so delicious and I love that I got all of the flavors of traditional lasagna without all of the work. I will come back to this recipe again and again.