This is a really easy Pressure Cooker lasagna casserole recipe our whole family loves. Cheesy Instant Pot lasagna you love but in a casserole which makes it much easier to eat! If you love quick dinner ideas that are cheap to make and very family friendly, this is it!!
If you love using your Instant Pot and the taste of lasagna, this pressure cooker lasagna casserole is something you will love. It’s super cheesy, easier to eat than traditional lasagna, only takes 10 minutes, and has the same great taste you love! We have a lot of easy Instant Pot recipes here on The Typical Mom and this one is on the top of the list for pasta dishes! Special thanks goes out to Barilla and Galbani for sponsoring this post so we could share our feel good meal with you! (originally published 11/17)
We love lasagna but it is a little messy when you have little ones so I thought I’d make a lasagna casserole in my pressure cooker last weekend. It turned out tasting 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 (especially the kids), you’ve got to try this!
This is what you will need to make this pressure cooker lasagna casserole:
- Instant Pot or pressure cooker
- Barilla Spaghetti sauce – we chose Traditional but they have Marinara at Walmart too
- Ground beef, sausage, or leave out if you prefer
- Galbani Ricotta cheese – in the refrigerated section at Walmart with the cheese you’ll need below
- Galbani Mozzarella cheese – we used variety with whole milk but they carry
- Barilla Pasta – we used Penne but they have a variety of shapes to choose from at Walmart
- Onion (optional)
- Diced tomatoes (optional)
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. Of course you can season it as you wish but I included the measurements of what we use, including Barilla Traditional sauce (Marinara is good too), Penne pasta (great fork size for the perfect bite, and lots of Galbani cheeses (you just can’t have enough cheese in our eyes).
This dish is great for the holidays, or year round really.  Whether you’re bringing a dish for a holiday party, or feeding your family & friends between Thanksgiving & Christmas it’s a feel good cheesy meal all 5 of us love.
5 minutes on high works well but 8 is good too, just depends on how soft you want the noodles to be. We have also made this pressure cooker lasagna pasta a few different ways where once we added a can of diced tomatoes and made it chunker, that was fabulous.
Another time we added about 1/2 of a cup of our Galbani ricotta cheese into the mix when it was done as well as a dollop on top, that was fabulous too. The ricotta has a smooth, creamy, rich texture so it’s a perfect addition inside this casserole, but 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.
This is how you make it:
This is a really easy Pressure Cooker lasagna casserole recipe our whole family loves. Cheesy Instant Pot lasagna you love but in a casserole which makes it much easier to eat! If you love quick dinner ideas that are cheap to make and very family friendly, this is it!!
- 2 c water
- 2 c pasta uncooked, we use Barilla penne pasta
- 1 c ricotta cheese we use Galbani
- 2 c mozzarella cheese we use Galbani with whole milk
- 1 jar spaghetti sauce 25.5 oz., we use Barilla Traditional
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp basil
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes optional, makes the casserole chunkier
-
Set your Instant Pot to saute. If using a pressure cooker just brown ground beef on stovetop and follow directions below once beef and onions are done.
-
Add your olive oil and ground beef and cook until about 3/4 of the way done or until there is just a little bit of pink. Drain grease.
-
Put back into Instant Pot for a few minutes with onions and spices and allow to cook just until beef is done and onions soften just a bit.
-
Turn Instant Pot off. Make sure ground beef mixture is spread evenly on the bottom of your pot.
-
Add spaghetti sauce on top evenly, then water, then uncooked noodles. Do NOT stir.
-
Gently push down noodles so they are submerged.
-
Put lid on and set to manual, pressure, high, for 5 minutes.
-
Do a slow release (move steam valve just slightly so steam comes out slowly).
-
You can stir in 1/2 c. ricotta cheese and 1.5 c. mozzarella cheese at this time or just the mozzarella and top with a dollop of ricotta, your choice. Stir until cheese is melted and ooey gooey.
-
Serve in bowls with a dollop of ricotta and mozzarella on top if desired too.
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. There are no additives which I love, and it doesn’t have the tendency to clump like others you may have tried. If you love that streeeeeeetchy cheese, Galbani is great!
Let us know what you think and if you added any other spices to this easy pressure cooker lasagna casserole to make it even better, and you should try our Instant Pot lasagna soup after this that uses many of the same ingredients!
Plus right now, you can get $2 back through Ibotta when you buy Barilla Pasta and Sauce and Galbani cheese at Walmart!
Thanks, I really want to try this. Do you use shredded mozzarella or a block that has been cut up?
I used the cheese shown but you want it to be finely shredded either way.
Made this tonight and YUMMM! I did a 5 minute NR then quick released the rest. Perfect.
The recipe says do not stir…but shows it bring mixed with a wooden spoon. ????
When it’s done cooking you stir
When you say 2 cups pasta, do you mean measuring cups or 16 oz pasta?
Oh sorry, yes I mean a good ol’ measuring cup.
I have 8 quart instant pot – would it work to double recipe?
Possibly, just make sure to not pass the 3/4 mark in your pot for any recipe.
Could I substitute gluten free pasta and follow your directions?
I just made this with Barilla gluten free elbows and it worked beautifully and tastes great! My celiac teenager loves it! I cooked for five minutes but I might consider just 4 next time to get al dente noodles.
So glad it worked!
By slow release, do you mean “natural release”? Or is it something in between natural and quick release? And if it is something between natural and quick release, is there a reason for doing that versus just letting it do a natural release for a few minutes, followed by a quick release?
Yes I explain how in the recipe card. If you do a natural release the noodles will be a bit too done in my opinion. I like the in between for most things.
Had this for dinner tonight. It’s a keeper. Thank you for the recipe. Going to add spicy italian sausage for a little kick.
OH good!!
I used bowtie pasta and it was still solid in the middle after 5 minutes. So 7 minutes will be better. Otherwise great.