Looking for low carb meals to make in your electric pressure cooker? Here’s an easy Instant Pot no noodle lasagna that’s a break to make.
I’ve been taking it easy lately. The lazy days of summer are here and I’m trying not to do too much. However, it’s tough when you work full-time, have a small child, and manage two blogs.
To make meals easier, I’m using my Crock Pot and Instant Pot. 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.
It’s been super hot the last few weeks so I’m a bit reluctant to turn on the oven if I don’t have to. We do have ice cold central air conditioning, but I don’t always like to turn it on. And, when it is on, I like to keep the temperature dial on the high side.
I was craving some lasagna when I got home from a short vacation in upstate New York.
The weather was hot so I didn’t want to add heat to the kitchen by turning on the oven.
I could have made a skillet lasagna like the recipe here, but decided to try out a lasagna recipe in the Instant Pot instead.
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.
Which cheese do you prefer?
This Instant Pot no noodle lasagna recipe was adapted from my spaghetti squash lasagna recipe here.
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 an Instant Pot no noodle lasagna. There’s NO NOODLES, real or faux.
You may want to loosely cover the lasagna with aluminum foil while it’s cooking in the Instant Pot. I didn’t think of this until after. It would prevent 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, but skips the pasta.
What’s your favorite family meal to cook up in an electric pressure cooker like the Instant Pot?
Low Carb Instant Pot No Noodle Lasagna
Instant Pot No Noodle Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small onion
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 jar marinara sauce 25 ounces
- 8 ounces mozzarella sliced
Instructions
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On sauté setting, brown the ground beef with the garlic and onion.
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While the meat is browning, combine the ricotta cheese with the Parmesan and egg in a small mixing bowl.
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Drain grease and remove browned beef to a 1 1/2 quart soufflé dish (or similar dish that fits into Instant Pot). Add the marinara sauce to the browned meat and reserve half of the meat sauce. (See Recipe Notes on how to make the lasagna directly in the pot without burning... basically, you'll want to add more sauce so there's plenty of liquid cooking under pressure)
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Top the remaining meat sauce with half the mozzarella cheese.
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Spread half the ricotta cheese mix on top of the mozzarella layer.
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Top with the remaining meat sauce.
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Add a layer of mozzarella cheese on top (reserve a few pieces for the final layer).
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Spread the remaining ricotta cheese mixture over the mozzarella.
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Top with the remaining mozzarella pieces (these can be reserved to top after if desired).
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At this point, you may want to cover the lasagna with a loose aluminum foil to prevent condensation dripping on the cheese. I didn't bother to do this. It's not needed if you want to reserve the top layer of cheese to be added after the pressure cycle is over.
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(Note, the water and rack is not needed if adding more sauce and cooking directly in the pot) Pour 1 cup water into pot then place soufflé dish on rack over water. You may want to use a sling to easily remove the soufflé dish when done. Cover, and cook at high pressure for 8-10 minutes.
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Vent off steam, remove lid and add any reserved cheese on top. I like to sprinkle Parmesan cheese on the very top. Cover and let sit to melt cheese if needed.
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Spoon lasagna into bowls to serve.
Recipe Notes
Since so many comments noted that the lasagna burned in their pot, the recipe has changed to use the pot in pot (PIP) method rather than cook directly in the pot.
However, the issue with burning is if there isn’t enough liquid in the pot when cooking under pressure. So a “watery” sauce is what’s needed to keep the lasagna from burning if you don't want to use the PIP method. Extra sauce should also prevent burning for those wanting to cook directly into the pot.
Kimberly says
For those of you wondering if you don’t do the Pot in Pot, which I think was ill-advised not to put that in the title and wait until people have ALL their ingredients, and are at home preparing their meal when they suddenly realize they need a ice safe dish that fits in their insta pot. Not everyone has one, self-included. I went to looking for one at 10pm at night and couldn’t find one anywhere. Extremely frustrated I returned home and trie it without the PIP method. I kept getting the “burn” error message until finally i just went and dumped the rest of the marinar in the insta pot. That seemed to solve the problem. So my advice is, if your not doing the PIP method you’ll need to add A LOT more sauce than the recipe calls for. Wish I would have know this ahead of time.
Lisa says
The issue with burning is if there isn’t enough liquid in the pot when cooking under pressure. So a “watery” sauce is what’s needed to keep the lasagna from burning. Extra sauce should also prevent burning as you discovered.
ron says
I’ve been using a Pyrex 7 court container for pot in pot cooking. Gives you the pot, and it’s already in a storage container when you’re done.
I wonder if people were getting burn notices because the bottom wasn’t deglazing after browning the meat? That happened to me a few times.
Melissa says
I have never posted for a recipe I made before but this time I had to. This was INCREDIBLE! I added a package of mushrooms I sautéed first, but other than that I followed your recipe exactly. I can’t believe how much it tastes like lasagne! This is hands down the best pasta substitute dish I’ve in the 1.5 years I’ve been keto. Thanks so much!
Lisa says
You’re welcome Melissa!
Roni says
I was just wondering about the net carb amount. You said it is 4 net carbs, but in the Nutritional Information, it says 7 total carbs and 1 fiber, which is 6 net carbs, right?
Lisa says
It’s 6g net carb based on the info. I’m not sure where the 4 net came from.
Char says
Is there a way to make this in he crockpot?
Lisa says
Absolutely! It would be pretty much the same procedure but just cooked longer at a lower temp.
Loni says
Can you use cottage cheese instead of ricotta? My family loves cottage cheese more than ricotta..
Lisa says
It should work out just as well, but I haven’t tried it.
Amanda says
YUM!!! I made sure to clean the pot between browning the meat & placing the little dish in for cooking the lasagna. Covered my dish in foil and cooked for 9 minutes. So good!!!
Regina says
Why is there an egg in it…I made a cheeseburger casserole it had egg in it…its horrible. I have never made a lasagna with egg before.
Lisa says
The egg thickens and helps hold the cheese mix together.
Laura says
Regina, if you don’t want to use the egg, don’t. Or, another option is just don’t make the recipe. I liken your comment to saying, “why did you put tuna in tuna casserole, I don’t like the way tuna tastes”
Ashley says
If I wanted to add sliced zucchini as layers for noodles do you think I should just add them in raw? Should I adjust cooking time at all? I just got an instant pot and am new to pressure cooking so I’m hesitant to make changes to any recipes. Thank you!
Lisa says
It should work as the PIP method is similar to an oven.
Haley says
Lisa,
As I read everyone’s comments and your suggestions, I went ahead and tried to find the right dish to do the PIP method in addition to covering with tin foil so that the condensation wouldn’t hit the cheese.
The result?
PERFECTION.
Thank you so much!! Love this recipe and especially when I have been needing a lasagna fix!
Lisa says
Yay! I’m so glad you got it to work out.
Madison says
Is there a modification for this to cooking in the oven? I don’t have a pot that will fit in my instantpot to do the pot in pot method…
Lisa says
You can bake it at 350F until heated throughout. I don’t use a pot-in-pot but so many people ended up burning their pot that I changed the recipe. It could be the ingredients they used as you do need enough liquid to properly pressure cook so if a thick sauce is used, it could burn.
Lizzie Randol says
If I don’t donpot in pot can I just layer it in my instant pot pot? If so should I adjust the cooking time and I’m assuming I don’t use water? Thanks
Lisa says
You’ll need to make sure there is plenty of liquid or water in the sauce otherwise it may burn under pressure.
Kathy says
Not worth the frustration!!
I keep getting the Burn error too. 😡
I sautéed my meat in a separate pan so started this recipe from step 3. PIP isn’t an option. So frustrated. Now I just have goupy soupy mess in my pot. ☹️
Lisa says
The note on burning is in step 3 so you should have seen it. Recipe has changed to only use the PIP method so no one else has the burning issue.
Joe says
My wife and I were very excited to try this recipe. After reading the comments I decided to brown the meat on the stove and then assemble everything in the Instant pot to cook. Assembled as directed and turn the instant pot on. It never even began its timed cycle before the BURN came on and stopped the machine. I think if you are planning on trying this I would say try the pot within and pot approach.
The food itself was OK it did taste like lasagna without noodles but there was far too much cheese and not enough meat. I would say to double the meat and leave the rest the same and it might have a chance to be OK. I don’t think we’ll ever know because it is not going into our meal routine.
I cook all the time and love doing it, I use many different methods from smoking, BBQ, stove top, slow cookers, deep fryers almost every way you can think. Got the instant for Christmas from my daughter and have used it about 5 times now and think it has a spot in our house. If this was the first recipe and time I used the instant pot I would be taking it back as this was a complete fail.
Thank you for the recipe and your time.
Samantha says
I didn’t read the comments prior to starting the recipe. I just ended up using the saute function in my IP and then transferring to a baking dish and baking in the oven since it seems that it burns the bottom of the IP following this recipe. It finished off in the oven quite well!
Lisa says
It seems the key is to make sure to turn off the sauté setting right away after the meat browns or to use the pot in pot method. Mine did not burn on the bottom, but I canceled the sauté right away and gave it time to cool before starting the pressure cycle.
Amanda says
Temp and how long do u cook it in the oven?
Lisa says
I’d do 350F until it’s heated throughout. It should be done in about 20 minutes or so.
Heidi says
Do you drain the grease from the meat before putting together?
My IP says not to make spaghetti sauce in it because of splattering-is this different because it’s. It just sauce.
Can you tell I just got mine and have t used lol
Lisa says
I use lean meat. You probably want to drain some of the grease if there’s lot in the pot. Since it’s not just a sauce, you should be fine. I believe the issue is the sauce steaming through the pressure valve when opened.
Paige says
This was the first recipe I ever made in my Instant Pot. It didn’t pressurize and the bottom burnt up pretty badly but my husband and I both still enjoyed it. That was a few weeks ago and my husband asked me to make it again tonight. As expected, it didn’t pressurize but I was careful to turn off sauté while preparing the layers so this time it didn’t burn. Yay! This will be a regular in my house… however, if you don’t add zoodles or noodles of any sort, this is more like “Meat and Cheese soup” or “Lasagna Chili” lol. Regardless, we like it 😁
Lisa says
Maybe that’s the issue that others are having. I always turn the sauté off right away when the meat is cooked.
Severin Molitor says
I think you fat content is a bit off pretty sure there is more then that just in the cheese
Lisa says
Recalculated and updated the recipe.
Tony Schwarz says
Terrible recipe. Burns badly. Really poor advice and no good responses to those, like me, who’ve ‘felt the burn’. Please stop advertising this as an Instant Pot recipe.
Lisa says
The comment has already been answered. It’s best to use the PIP (Pot In Pot) method.
Abby says
Mine burned too. I just switch it over to slow cook and I hope it is cooked well enough to eat.
Ashley says
I have to ask how this didn’t burn for you did you use PIP method? I didn’t read anything of thin liquid for the pot to come to pressure. Id love to make this but, dont have a pan at the moment that’ll fit my IP to do PIP. I eat low carb so noodle-less is me go to.
Lisa says
It didn’t burn for me, but it’s best to use the Pot in Pot method.
Ginger says
Thanks this is a simple dinner that tastes like full carb lasagna! I turned off the sauté after browning the beef as I put the layers together slowly. If I left it on I think It would have burned as the sauce was boiling hard.
This dinner will have a regular rotation in our home!
Lisa says
So glad it worked out for you!
Kathryn says
Do you just put on maual setting for 8-10 minutes? Or do you use of the presets? I’m co fused.
Lisa says
I use the manual setting.
Casey says
I’m curious to see if you’ve tried this again and found a way to make it without the bottom burning? I really want to try this and worried mine won’t come to pressure. I don’t know how to do the pot in pot and only have one pot for the IP.
thanks so much!
Lisa says
I’d say cook it in another pan on a rack in the IP.
Casey says
What kind of container though? I have no idea what this means?
Lisa says
I like to use a round Pyrex container that fits in the pot.
Ramona Ward says
Have you remade this again in a different way to solve the burning on the bottom? Flavors are wonderful but mine burnes on the bottom like others. Was just wondering if you ever revisited this recipe and found a better way.
Lisa says
I’d say cook it in a container on a rack. I’m not sure why mine has never burned on bottom.
Ariel says
Flavors were there but was very goopy. I will not be making again.
Lisa says
You could put some add-ins to beef it up a bit.
Cerissa says
This is delicious! But, like some of the others, my pressure cooker would not come to pressure and ended up burning the bottom. Next time I will cook it in a pot on the trivet with water on the bottom so that it will come to pressure. Thanks!
Lisa says
Good idea! I bet that would work. I’m still learning how to use the pressure cooker so I’ll try it that way next time.
Thomasa says
It was yummy! Only problem was it burned on the bottom and kept turning off my IP due to overheating. I figured after two tries of getting it to pressure it was cooked well enough.
Lisa says
Hmm. I wonder why I didn’t have this issue. Mine actually didn’t brown at all.
Cerissa says
I had this same problem. I suspected it would not come to pressure because the sauce was too thick, but thought I would try it anyway. I believe you really need to make this in a dish inside the pot with a cup of water under it for it to come to pressure. It was still delicious, even though the bottom was burned. I will try it the pot in pot method next time!
Casey says
How do you do pot in pot?
Carol says
I have never heard of an instant pot before! Sounds like something I will have to save up for. Does the cheese brown at all in this pot? That is what I like best about melted cheese. 🙂
Lisa says
It did brown a bit for me.
Chef Jon says
Save up for 2….after u buy one you will quickly realize you need another. Chevk out Amazon.com
amy says
I must have messed up somewhere along the way, plus my IP didn’t get pressure even though on High pressure for 8 minutes. It also was burned on the bottom when finished. It was a mess… just a heap of the mixture. Totally disappointed. Maybe I’ll attempt again but am disappointed and have to go to plan b for a teacher’s dinner item. 🙁
Lisa says
Did you check your valve and seal on the IP? I’ve never had anything burn in the IP.
kim says
Same here. I thought maybe the cycle didn’t run, so i did it again. Still no pressure and the bottom is burnt.
Nicole says
Is soooo yummy!! Thank you very much
Lisa says
You’re welcome!
Patricia says
I don’t know why I feel weird about it, but it’s OK to use foil in the IP, huh? Just checking.
Sounds like a good recipe – I’ll be using veggie crumbles in place of the meat. It’ll probably raise the carb count a little, but it’s still a ton below using pasta noodles. I doubt I’ll need any insulin for this at all.
Lisa says
Totally fine to use foil, but I didn’t bother. It’s similar to when you use a crock pot and don’t want the condensation dripping on the food.
Saoirse says
Thanks! I’m always looking for new recipes to use my Instant Pot. I was out of ideas for dinner tonight and this will be perfect and fast before taking the kids out to sports practices, etc.
Lisa says
It does come together quick and easy to feed the family of busy nights!
Nicole says
Right on time as always… Can you believe I was looking in vain for a recipe like this last week??? I haven’t yet tried out my new IP, and wanted a noodleless lasagna to be my initiation! I have to admit that I’m a little intimidated by it… So many buttons, etc! Wish me well please 🙂 as always… Thank you!!
Lisa says
I’m still learning my IP, but it’s much easier than it looks!
Chris says
How would you make this if you don’t have a pressure cooker? It looks really good but I don’t have an instant pot.
Lisa says
It could be made in the microwave. Just layer it into a microwavable dish after the meat is browned. You’d want to heat just until its hot and cook covered.
Cat says
How would you go about making this in the oven or a traditional slow-cooker? I don’t have an instant pot either and hate cooking with the microwave, but this looks great!
Lisa says
I would just put everything in a baking dish and bake at 350F until cheese is beginning to brown.