Want an easy low carb meal made in an electric pressure cooker? Here’s a No Noodle Lasagna recipe that’s a breeze to make in the Instant Pot.
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I’ve been taking it easy lately and trying to make cooking easier. I had a craving for my keto lasagna, but didn’t want to take the time to make a meatza or turn the oven on.
I find that using my Crock Pot and Instant Pot really simplify meal preparation. The Instant Pot is a fairly new appliance for me, and I am still learning how to best use it. But, it’s quickly becoming one of my most favorite kitchen appliances.
Thanks to the multi-functions of the Instant Pot, I’ve been able to get rid of my steamer and rice cooker. It’s also a slow cooker, but I’m keeping my crock pots because you can never have enough slow cookers.
This Instant Pot lasagna recipe was adapted from my spaghetti squash lasagna recipe. I decided to leave out the veggie noodles, though. I suppose I could have used layers of zucchini to help hold things together. But, I didn’t bother to do that. That’s why I call this recipe a no noodle lasagna. There’s NO NOODLES, real or faux.
My traditional lasagna recipe uses a ricotta cheese filling in the layers. Some like to use cottage cheese, but I prefer the taste of ricotta. However, either will work so use the one you like best.
Can You Cook Lasagna in Instant Pot?
You bet! I experimented with two methods of cooking an Instant Pot lasagna without noodles to see if one was better than the other. But both ways resulted in a great meal so you can pick the one you prefer.
The first method is directly placing all the ingredients into the pressure cooker. Some readers have experienced their food burning. This could be due to using the HIGH temp method when cooking. Take a look at your screen to make sure that it is set to the NORMAL operating level.
The second method is layering the ingredients into a round baking pan first. If using a springform pan, it needs to be wrapped with aluminum foil at the bottom to prevent any moisture from entering the bottom of the lasagna, resulting in a soggy mess. Another TIP when it comes to layering, is to set the pan on the rack and make a sling out of aluminum foil so that you can easily pull out the lasagna once it’s done cooking!
How Long Do You Pressure Cook Lasagna?
The good thing about cooking a lasagna in a pressure cooker is that it’s made all in the Pot! You’re browning the ground beef, sauteing the onions and heating it all together! Even when using the second method of cooking the no noodle lasagna and layering your ingredients, it’s still comes together in just one pot!
Once all your ingredients come together you will pressure cook the lasagna on HIGH for 9 minutes. It really does come together quicker than the oven!
Can I Cook Frozen Hamburger in the Instant Pot?
One email I get often from my readers is asking if you can cook hamburger meat in an Instant Pot directly from the freezer when making no noodle lasagna. The answer is YES!
Here’s how to cook frozen hamburger in the Instant Pot:
- Place frozen hamburger slab on trivet.
- Add 1 cup of water inside your Instant Pot Basket.
- Next, place your hamburger on the trivet inside your Instant Pot basket.
- Place your lid on, with the venting valve on SEALING.
- Select MANUAL MODE for 15 minutes.
- Allow to manual release and then do a quick release.
- Your hamburger is now thawed, partially browned, and ready to use!
If you want the ground beef to be fully cooked, it needs to cook under pressure for at least 20 minutes. But I like to keep it slightly uncooked as I finish cooking it on the sauté setting with onion and garlic for the lasagna. You can even cook the meat in the sauce to save time!
Tips on How to Cook a Pressure Cooker Lasagna Perfectly Every Time
- It’s best to loosely cover the lasagna with aluminum foil while it’s cooking in the Instant Pot. It prevents condensation from dripping on top of the cheese.
- If you prefer, you could leave the top layer of cheese off during the cooking process. Then, when the time is up, simple add the cheese to the top after depressurizing. Then, put the lid back on and let the heat of the warm cycle melt the cheese.
In any case, this is a super easy recipe that cooks up in the Instant Pot. And, it only dirties one pot since you can brown the meat right in the pot!
I think you’ll love this simple Instant Post no noodle lasagna. It’s very similar to a skillet lasagna. And it skips the pasta which saves low carb eaters those unnecessary carbs!
How to Make Instant Pot No Noodle Lasagna without a Pan
Why dirty two pots if can get away with using only one? If that’s your thinking, you may prefer cooking the lasagna directly in the Instant Pot.
Here’s how to cook Instant Pot lasagna without a pan:
- On sauté setting, brown the ground beef with a little garlic and onion.
- While the meat is browning, combine ricotta (or cottage) cheese with Parmesan and egg in a small mixing bowl.
- Drain grease and remove meat mixture from Instant Pot.
- In a medium bowl, mix meat with marinara sauce (reserving ½ cup).
- Place half of the meat mixture into the Instant Pot.
- Top meat mixture with the cheese mixture and mozzarella slices, then repeat the layers.
- Spread the reserved meat sauce on top. (This keeps the top layer of cheese from getting condensation drips on it)
- Attach lid and cook on high pressure for 9 minutes.
- Vent steam, remove the lid and serve.
Note that the lasagna may burn using this method if there isn’t enough liquid in the sauce which is needed when pressure cooking. So if you want to ensure burning doesn’t occur, go with the method that uses a baking pan in the pressure cooker.
How to Make Instant Pot Lasagna Using the Baking Pan Method
Using a small pan that fits into your Instant Pot is probably the most common method used to make pressure cooker lasagna. The ingredients and cook time are the same, but everything is layered in a pan sized to fit into the Instant Pot. The pan is then placed on the rack over water. This method will also prevent burning the lasagna as there should be adequate water needed for pressure cooking.
Here’s how to make pressure cooker lasagna with a springform pan (or any pan that fits into the Instant Pot):
- On the sauté setting, the meat is browned with garlic and onion.
- While the meat is browning, combine the ricotta (or cottage) cheese with parmesan and egg in a small bowl.
- Once ground beef is browned, the grease is drained and the meat mixture is removed from the Instant Pot.
- The meat mixture is combined with marinara in a medium bowl, reserving half cup.
- Next, using a round dish that fits within your Instant Pot (such as a springform pan with aluminum foil to catch any drippings) layer half of your lasagna meat, mozzarella and ricotta cheese mixture repeating for a second time until no ingredients remain. Top with ½ c of reserved marinara sauce.
- Pour 1 cup water in Instant Pot then place rack in pot with sling.
- Set dish in Instant Pot on rack.
- Attach lid and cook on high pressure for 9 minutes.
- Vent steam, remove the lid and serve.
Variations to Making a No Noodle Lasagna in a Pressure Cooker
All recipes are used as a base. Sure you can make this No Noodle Lasagna as the recipe states below. However, if you are needing to increase protein, lessen your carb count for the day or want more veggies, by all means change things up!
Here’s a few ideas you may want to try:
- Add in a cup of two of fresh spinach to increase your fiber for the day.
- Layer in zucchini or eggplant slices to add even more veggies into your no noodle lasagna.
- Have fresh tomatoes? Dice it up and throw it into the pot for freshness!
- Speaking of freshness. If you have fresh herbs on hand like basil, chop up a tablespoon or two and throw it in on top of the cheese once the lasagna has cooked to complete the dish! Greenery on top of cheese is always my favorite way to bring a dish together and look pretty!
- If you are a fan of cottage cheese and have some on hand, sub the ricotta out in place of cottage cheese!
What variations have you tried when making the pressure cooker lasagna? Be sure to let us know in the comment section below!
Need more ideas for low carb cooking in an electric pressure cooker? Take a look at the following recipes:
- Paleo White Chicken Chili
- Coconut Low Carb Porridge
- Low Carb Taco Soup
- Mini Mushroom Quiche
- Meatballs in the Instant Pot
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No Noodle Lasagna (Keto, Instant Pot)
Recipe Video (Click on Image to Play)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small onion
- 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg use one more for a thicker lasagna
- 1 jar marinara sauce 25 ounces
- 8 ounces mozzarella sliced
Instructions
- On sauté setting, brown the ground beef with the garlic and onion.
- While the meat is browning, combine the ricotta cheese with the Parmesan and egg in a small mixing bowl.
- Drain grease and remove meat mixture from Instant Pot.
- In a medium size bowl mix meat mixture with 25 ounce jar of marinara (reserve ½ c for the top).
- Next, using a round dish that fits within your Instant Pot (A springform pan with aluminum foil to catch any drippings works) layer half of your lasagna meat, mozzarella and ricotta cheese mixture repeating for a second time until no ingredients remain. Top with ½ c of reserved marinara sauce.
- Place sling in Instant Pot over rack and pour in 1 cup of water.
- Set dish in instant pot. Cover loosely with aluminum foil if desired to keep condensation from dripping on the lasagna.
- Attach lid, close valve, and cook on high pressure for 9 minutes.
- Vent steam, remove the lid and serve.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
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Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
Post updated in January 10, 2019 with additional recipe information and resized images. Originally published July 25, 2016.
Joy Ledingham
I love the taste of this recipe but have had problems with the timing. I’ve made this three times using the PIP method. The first two times I had to finish in the oven. 9 minutes leaves it way too soupy. Today, after 9 minutes, it was only 120° in the center with my instant read thermometer. The eggs were not set, and it felt coolish to the touch. Put it in the IP for another 5 minutes, and the center moved up to 165°. I used 1/2 and 1/2 ricotta and cottage cheese ratio, and 2 eggs. Sausage instead of beef and Rao’s marinara. My altitude is at about 7000 feet, so that may have had an effect on the cook time.
Fantastic taste! I will make this again and again, but probably next time I’ll bake in the oven at 350° for about 25-30 minutes as this blog creator suggested in the comments.
Doughnuts
Why on earth would you use an instant pot when you can and do just use a regular pot to cook all the ingredients before cooking it in another appliance. Waste of time.
Lisa MarcAurele
The lasagna can be cooked in an air fryer or an oven if preferred. I find it convenient to use the Instant Pot if I’m using the oven for keto breadsticks or dessert.
Megan
Could you cook this in a oven?
Lisa MarcAurele
Yes! Just bake at 350°F until heated throughout and the cheese is melted and beginning to brown.
Bill
I used my springform pan, used spiral zucchini noodles in the layers, 2 eggs to set the cheese. But I would let it cook for more like 30 minutes.
Kim Yurasko
can you make this in the oven
Lisa MarcAurele
Yes! It’s a great recipe for baking. I just put it at 350°F until hot throughout (about 20-25 minutes) and cheese is melted.
Katie
I love this dish! I have made it numerous times. Sporadically, my Instant Pot won’t pressurize, which I’m pretty sure is due to sautéing the beef prior to pressurizing. I still have it cook for 9 minutes, but do you think it’s still good to eat?
Lisa MarcAurele
As long as the beef is browned, it’s safe to eat.
Lisa S
The IP method did not work for me no matter what. So I layered it all in a glass baking dish and baked it on 350 for 20 min then took off foil and baked another 5 or so.
Only changes made – I added Italian seasoning to the ricotta mix and topped with grated mozzarella. Very good and my whole fam loves it….huge plus!
Don Stowe
Is there a slow cooker version or oven baked version of this recipe?
Lisa MarcAurele
You wouldn’t need to slow cook it that long. I’ve baked it at 350°F for like 20-25 minutes.
NanaDeb
I’m looking forward to trying some of these recipes as they look like they’d be delish.
Would parchment paper work in place of aluminum foil? I don’t use aluminum of any sort. If not, any other options you can recommend?
Thanks in advance.
NanaDeb
Lisa MarcAurele
I’m not sure how well the parchment paper will hold up in the steamy environment. The foil is used so the condensation doesn’t drip into the lasagna. So you just need to find some other way to prevent that. You only need to wrap the pan in something if you use a springform pan. And the sling isn’t necessary, it’s used to remove the pan easily from the Instant Pot.
Robin
It wasn’t enough!! Lol! I cooked it in a casserole dish in the oven. I used half Italian sausage and half ground beef. A pound and a half of each. I also used Rao’s sausage and mushroom sauce. Delicious!! I’ve made this three times so far. The second time we had lasagna soup! I used fresh mozzarella and whole milk ricotta. SOUP! But good soup.we ate it all! I’m typing this while baking another one! This is soooo yummy and being low carb, definitely on the menu!!
Lee R
I’m, where does the mozzarella come in?
Lisa MarcAurele
It’s layer with the ricotta cheese mixture.
Linda Pickett
Well I did everything possible to prevent burning. And yet mine burnt as well. I cooked in the instant pot pot. I put it on normal and high. After almost 5 minutes it started to burn. I even sat and watched it cook for 2 min at a time, scraped the bottom and then did 2 more minutes. Because of the raw egg I decided to go a different route. It’s in the oven right now. Smells good but it’s not an instant pot recipe for me.
Lisa MarcAurele
Burning seems to be a factor with liquid and if there’s not enough in the sauce, it’s best to use the pot-in-pot method baking the lasagna in a separate pot in the Instant Pot on a rack with water below.
Cheryl
Hi Lisa, I really don’t like ricotta cheese, is there a different cheese other than cream cheese that I can use? Back when I didn’t care about carbs, I used to use well drained small curd cottage cheese in Lasagna could I use it in the instant pot Lasagna?
Lisa MarcAurele
Cottage cheese is a good alternative to ricotta.
Jessica
If I cook this in the oven do you know what temperature and for how long I would need to cook it?
Lisa MarcAurele
I’d do the standard 350 until it’s hot and cheese has started to brown.
Tara
This was perfect! We all loved it! I added an extra egg and it held up as well as noodle lasagna. No soup, no falling apart. Perfect. I also added extra spices into the sauce for flavour. Very tasty and my whole family loved it, even the picky ones. Thank you!
Lisa MarcAurele
Thanks for the tip on the extra egg!
jo ann francingues
I dont have an insta pot. Can this be cooked in a crock pot
Lisa MarcAurele
The no noodle lasagna can be cooked in a slow cooker or baked in the oven as well.
Allison Pierce-Wendell
This was really delicious. I swapped out the ground beef for Chorizo. It was devine. I also added fresh chopped up broccoli (I used my food processor to chop) just to add veggies to the mix. Only question I have. I used 7 inch Springform pan, how do you get eight servings? Is the serving size 1 cup or 1/2 a cup. I’m tracking macros so it helps me with calorie counts. Thanks.
Lisa MarcAurele
If you slice through the lasagna like a pie in 8 equal slices, scoop out a slice that’s about 1/8 of the whole thing. That’s how I do it. It is roughly a cup or so.
Mark Nissley
Came out like a soup though I only added a half cup of water. I’d suggest adding no water. Also cooked for 18 minutes in IP and still the cheese didn’t melt. KInd of a mess.
Lisa MarcAurele
You only need to add water if you are cooking it in a pot within the Instant Pot. The cheese typically won’t brown, so I place it under the broiler to do that. However, it should melt under pressure.
Erika
OMG this was perfect for our craving. Who doesn’t love the inside of shells or lasagne? Couldn’t even wait for it to set, just scooped. Not pretty but delish.