This is our really easy Instant Pot lasagna casserole with jar sauce recipe with pasta and ground beef. Made like our Crockpot lasagna casserole but cooked in just minutes. Lazy lasagna is deconstructed and can be made in a Ninja Foodi too.

Bowl of penne pasta with tomato sauce, ground meat, melted cheese, chives, and a dollop of ricotta cheese—like a deconstructed pressure cooker lasagna casserole for effortless comfort food.

If you love quick one pot meals you are going to love our lazy lasagna made in about 15 minutes. We have created a lot of easy Instant Pot recipes over the years but this is my kids’ favorite meal.

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!

You could call it cheater lasagna 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!

Penne pasta, ricotta cheese, and pasta sauce surround a bowl of pressure cooker lasagna casserole, topped with cheese and fresh herbs.
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Ninja Foodi (Option)

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 function (with the lid that is not attached for the Foodi) to make this one.

Lazy Lasagna Ingredients

There are a lot of noodles shapes in medium sizes. I also like elbow macaroni or Penne pasta 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.

Of course you can season it as you wish but if you use a jar of spaghetti sauce most of the Italian traditional seasonings are already there! As far as cheese we love a lot of cheeses (you just can’t have enough cheese in our eyes) but mozzarella is traditional.

I like spicy ground sausage or ground beef but 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.

Galbani Ricotta cheese is our fave, 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.

Jar of spaghetti sauce makes things a lot easier this go around though if you made Instant Pot spaghetti sauce ahead of time you could certainly use that.

Ground beef and chopped onions being cooked in a pot with a wooden spatula for a delicious pressure cooker lasagna casserole.

Can you make lazy lasagna with ravioli?

Yes 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. We have done this with other Instant Pot pasta recipes where you just dump them in (the small sizes) frozen submerged into the liquid at the top to get tender.

We have done this to make lasagna casserole 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.

Do you have to boil noodles first?

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.

Pasta with meat sauce being stirred with a wooden spoon inside an Instant Pot for a delicious pressure cooker lasagna casserole.

How Long to Cook Lazy Lasagna in Instant Pot

You are going to need a few minutes at the beginning with the saute function to cook the meat first. Then when you combine everything else together you only need 5 minutes for the noodles to get tender. If you are using small sizes or like them more al dente go for 4 minutes instead!

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 mozzarella inside but more on top too! Then you 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.

Bowl of penne pasta with tomato sauce, ground meat, melted cheese, chives, and a dollop of ricotta cheese—like a deconstructed pressure cooker lasagna casserole for effortless comfort food.
4.67 from 12 votes

Instant Pot Lasagna Casserole Recipe

By Justine
Instant Pot lasagna casserole recipe with ground beef is a meal our whole family loves. Lazy Instant Pot lasagna in a casserole which makes it much easier to eat! Quick dinner idea that is cheap to make and very family friendly!! 
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 6

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb ground beef, or spicy ground sausage is tastiest
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 jar spaghetti sauce, 24 oz., we use Barilla Traditional
  • 2 cup water
  • 2 cup pasta, uncooked, we use Barilla penne pasta
  • 1 tsp garlic salt
  • 1/2 tsp basil
  • 2 cup mozzarella cheese, we use Galbani with whole milk
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
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Instructions 

  • 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). 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)
  • Add 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. 
  • 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.
  • 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.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 4oz, Calories: 572kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 38g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 104mg, Sodium: 1743mg, Potassium: 824mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 1060IU, Vitamin C: 15.7mg, Calcium: 326mg, Iron: 3.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!
A ladle scoops cheesy pressure cooker lasagna from an Instant Pot, with steam rising.

How to serve

Putting a dollop of ricotta 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 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.

instant pot lazy lasagna 2

About Justine

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

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4.67 from 12 votes (1 rating without comment)

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55 Comments

    1. Those usually have a different cook time but am unsure since I haven’t tried.

    2. I haven’t tried this recipe but I substituted gluten free noodles on others. I just PC 1 or 2 minutes less. I believe 3 minutes works good.

  1. Made this for the kids and me tonight – delicious! Used Italian sausage and added fresh basil from the garden. Will make this again!!!

    1. Natural release is when you don’t touch the steam release valve, quick release is when you open it quickly.

  2. I was disappointed when I made this recipe. The spaghetti sauce was really watered down. I didn’t stir it, I followed the instructions and just pushed the noodles down into the water. What did I do wrong.

    1. Too watered down? Well you do need to add water in order for it not to burn and for noodles to cook all together. It thickens up in just about 5 minutes of allowing it to sit there. Did you do this?

  3. I just made this with Mexican cheese. I didn’t have ricotta, so I used cream cheese. Next time I will add some veggies.

  4. Hi! It looks really yummy!

    Would it be possible to omit the cheese, during cooking? Add to the ‘casserole’ once it’s plated, maybe? (I have a daughter with a dairy allergy.)

  5. I have an instant pot mini—any idea how to make this recipe smaller so I can cook it in there? Just not sure if halving is the best bet or what.