Recipe Review

You Can Even Make Lasagna in the Instant Pot Now

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(Image credit: Meal Plan Addict)

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Getting an Instant Pot made it a lot easier for me to stick to my resolution of bringing lunch with me to work more often. Instant Pots make meal prep a breeze, and I can stock a whole refrigerator in one weekend afternoon. During the week I don’t always have the time to assemble a nice bowl of disparate elements before I leave the house, so my favorite Instant Pot trick is to just throw everything into the pot at once and let it cook into a one-pot meal that I can grab a portion of on my way out the door. This Instant Pot burrito bowl quickly became one of my favorites, and now I definitely need to try this Instant Pot lazy lasagna, which has all the flavors of traditional lasagna, but cooked all at once in an Instant Pot.

Clearly, this is not a traditional lasagna. If you think lasagna must be stacked and cut into neat little squares, this is probably not the version for you. It’s loose and saucy and almost like a lasagna soup. But if you’re looking for a savory mess of carbs and cheese, you might want to give this one a try.

Use the Instant Pot’s sauté function to cook ground beef until it’s no longer pink, making sure to break it up as it cooks so you don’t wind up with a really big hamburger in the bottom of the pan. Then add diced onion and minced garlic and cook until the onions are translucent. Scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan (otherwise the Instant Pot might give you a BURN error), then pour in a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce and mix everything together.

Scatter mafalda noodles — which are basically tiny, bite-sized lasagna noodles — over the meat and sauce mixture, but do not stir it. Just leave them uncooked and on top of the sauce. Then pour three cups of water over the noodles, and it’s imperative that you do not stir the pot at this point. If you stir the pot, you’ll probably wind up with a BURN error and noodles scorched to the bottom of the pot. Just leave them on top. If any noodles are sticking out above the water you can gently push them below the water level with your finger (or a spoon, if you’re fancy) but do not stir. Then put the lid on the pot and cook on high pressure for four minutes.

When the timer goes off, quick release the pressure and stir in a cup of cottage cheese. I suspect you could also use ricotta cheese, if that’s your preference. Then sprinkle a thick layer of shredded mozzarella over the top of the mixture and put the lid on for a few minutes, just to let the cheese get all nice and melty. Then grab some bowls and serve it immediately. It might not have the shape or structure of traditional lasagna, but if you’re feeling very lazy and still want lasagna, give it a try.

Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Lazy Lasagna from Meal Plan Addict

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

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