Lazy Pressure Cooker Lasagna Casserole

This is a really easy Pressure Cooker lasagna casserole with jar sauce is like our Crockpot lasagna casserole recipe our whole family loves. Lazy Instant Pot lasagna style which makes it much easier to eat! Quick dinner idea that is cheap and family friendly. How to make lazy lasagna in Ninja Foodi instructions too.

If you love using your Instant Pot and the taste of lasagna, this pressure cooker lasagna casserole is something you will love. We have a lot of easy Instant Pot recipes here on The Typical Mom.(affiliate links present)

Instant Pot Lasagna Casserole

This is super cheesy, easier to eat than traditional lasagna, but only takes 10 minutes! It has the same great taste you love with most of the same ingredients but in a deconstructed way! We loved it so much I created a LONG list of Instant Pot casseroles for you to enjoy too!

In the past we just used our slow cooker for all the things. With that said this whole idea started there. Same ingredients but the noodles had to be added closer to the end so they didn’t get too soft. It took all day too though so I had to have it together in the morning to make it in a slow cooker.

Instant Pot Cheater Lasagna

You could call it that because it’s so much easier than the “traditional method”. It really does taste just like the traditional dish, we love but made in a much shorter time. And there were no big and slippery noodles that make it difficult for my kiddos to eat. 😉 If you’re looking for a fabulous comfort food your entire family will love, you’ve got to try this!

You do not have to have an IP to make this though. We have a few different brands at home so we can test them out. I will say all of them, the Mealthy, Crockpot Express and this makes a great Ninja Foodi recipe too. You just need the saute and high pressure functions to make this one.

There are several great things about this one pot meal. One is that it’s just that, you need just this one pot to brown the ground beef and don’t need another to boil the penne pasta either. And you literally can use any type of noodles you like too. I buy what is on sale, period. I do think the medium size pasta is best vs. bigger or smaller.

With that said there are a lot of shapes in medium sizes. I also like elbow macaroni shapes, the squiggly looks to them, shells, whatever. You literally use the same ingredients you would if you were making lasagna in a pan except for the long flat noodles. That is what makes it so much easier to eat.

Pressure Cooker Lasagna Casserole with Jar Sauce

Of course you can season it as you wish but I included the measurements of what we used, including traditional marinara sauce, penne pasta (great fork size for the perfect bite), and lots of cheeses (you just can’t have enough cheese in our eyes).

For a low fat version you could certainly use turkey or chicken ground and sauteed with the same Italian seasonings. You could even add a packet of taco seasoning if you wanted bolder flavors and a fusion of Mexican in there. 😉 To make it spicy use a bit of red pepper flakes or chili powder.

Do you have to boil noodles first to make lazy lasagna?

Nope! Not if you follow our directions here. With this the pasta boils right inside the jar of spaghetti sauce and soak it up. With added water you just add all the ingredients together and cook together as a one pot meal.

What is a good substitute for pasta in lasagna?

When making this you can use all different shapes and sizes. Medium shells are most common but you could use elbow macaroni, bowtie or farfalle. These are better than breaking up the larger flat versions since they are all the same size and will cook more evenly.

Ingredients

1. Pressure cooker – we use our Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi
   1. If you have an IP I highly suggest getting a non stick pot
2. Spaghetti sauce – we chose whatever is on sale really
3. Ground beef or Italian sausage – spicy ground sausage is best
4. Mozzarella cheese – we used variety with whole milk but they carry
5. Barilla Pasta – we used Penne pasta but they have a variety of shapes to choose from at Walmart
6. Onion
7. 2 cups water

Galbani Ricotta cheese – You can find this in the refrigerated section at Walmart with the cheeses. Cottage cheese could be substituted, or dairy free varieties of either works too.

Italian seasoning and garlic powder are optional. Add any other spices that are a MUST in your book. I have found lactose free mozzarella at the store for my husband that surprisingly tastes very similar to the real thing.

Instant Pot Lasagna Lazy with Ravioli

You could even use small frozen ravioli in there!! That adds a whole new element since those are stuffed with cheese or ground beef. Same timing would apply. Once where once we added a can of diced tomatoes to make it chunker, and another time without. Either way this Instant Pot pasta recipe was great.

We have done this to make Easy lasagna casserole made in the oven too. Another time we added about 1/2 of a cup of ricotta cheese into the mix when it was done as well as a dollop on top, that was fabulous too.

Instant Pot Lasagna with Ground beef

Putting a dollop on top is great too because you can really taste it at it’s finest all alone with some of your lasagna on your spoon as well as the cheese! It is totally up to you, either way is so yummy. Want to make this lasagna casserole another way?

• Our easy Crockpot lasagna made in your slow cooker we love as well, no boiling required for that one either
• If you want something a bit different but with the same flavors, give our lasagna soup a whirl, seen below.

Thinking outside of the box really changes up dinnertime and makes it more fun.

Ninja Foodi Lasagna Casserole

1. Directions and cook times below will apply for any style pressure cooker
2. You be using the saute function to brown ground beef
3. Pressure button will then be pushed once everything is added, on high pressure
4. Follow directions below and enjoy this easy Ninja Foodi recipe!

Let us know what you think of this easy recipe. If you add any other spices to this easy pressure cooker lasagna casserole to make it even better. You should try our Instant Pot lasagna soup after this that uses many of the same ingredients!

We are huge cheese lovers at our house so of course you need a large helping of shredded Galbani mozzarella inside this lasagna casserole but more on top too! It is easy to shred and great at melting soon after sprinkling a bit on the top. 

Instant Pot Lazy Lasagna

Set your pressure cooker to saute. Add your olive oil, ground sausage or ground beef, and diced onions. Cook until outsides are no longer pink. Drain grease and return the pot to your pressure cooker. Turn machine off (important step so burn notification isn’t triggered because it is too hot).

1. Add spices and stir with meat/onions. Spread ground beef/sausage mixture out evenly across the bottom of your pot. (it creates a barrier for the noodles so they don’t stick to the bottom)
2. Pour in spaghetti sauce on top of meat, pour your 2 c. water into your spaghetti sauce jar and shake to get remaining sauce out, pour that into your pot on top of your sauce. 
3. Then pour your uncooked noodles in as the next layer. Do NOT stir! Just gently push down noodles so they are submerged into the liquid.
4. Put lid on and set to pressure, high, for 5 minutes. Do a quick release. Stir in 1.5 c. mozzarella cheese and allow to melt.

Can either stir in ricotta now or just put a dollop on top of each serving which we do sometimes with our Instant Pot Spaghetti.