Quick and Easy Instant Pot Lasagna

When I think of this time of the year all I want to do is cuddle under covers and watch Netflix and eat comfort food. My comfort food is CHEESE! So when I found a recipe online for Instant Pot Lasagna I knew I had to try it and I did- YUM!

I don't have time to spend hours in the kitchen creating homemade lasagna (ok maybe I do but I don't want to) so I take short cuts when I cook. I use a jar of spaghetti/marina sauce instead of making my own sauce. Now I've never cooked noodles in the Instant Pot so I had no clue how this would turn out, I was a bit nervous but it worked and I don't think I will ever make lasagna in the oven again.

Also I did NOT use the round pan that a lot of Instant Pot lasagna recipes call for- I don't have one so oh well. I love cooking with my Instant Pot and it has helped me cook some fabulous meals for the little people in my house who are always hungry.

When I was checking Pinterest for recipes I kept seeing LAZY LASANGA and it sounded easy so I gave it try! I tweaked it a bit for my family but to be honest you can add whatever you want in it- next time I might put spinach in.

Ingredients

10 ounces dried lasagna noodles (about 11)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey or beef
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
Salt/Pepper
1 (24 to 25-ounce) jar marinara sauce
3 cups water, divided
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves

Directions

1. Use the Sauté function larger Instant Pot - add 2 tablespoons of oil , let heat up and add in the ground turkey. Break it up and cook until done- about 10 minutes. You can add in onion and garlic at this time but my picky kids so I omit this step.
During the last minute of cooking, add 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper and cook another minute.
2. Add 1 jar spaghetti sauce, 2 cups of the water. Stir and make sure to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Break the noodles in half and then layer the broken noodles in different directions on top of the sauce. Press down on the noodles until they are just barely submerged in the meat mixture. Pour in the remaining 1 cup water and stir gently. You want all noodles submerged in liquid.
3. Lock on the lid and make sure the valve is set to seal. Cook under HIGH pressure for 5 minutes. It will take about 12 minutes to come up to pressure. Meanwhile, stir 1 cup ricotta cheese with 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese together in a medium bowl. Shred 4 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese and coarsely chop 2 tablespoons parsley leaves.
4. When the cook time is up, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure.
5. Add the ricotta mixture over the lasagna and then sprinkle the mozzarella on top. Place the lid back on and let sit for 10 minutes for the cheese to melt. Garnish with the parsley and serve.