Easy Instant Pot Tortellini Lasagna—delicious flavors of lasagna with hardly any of the work. This recipe only has 6 ingredients. It is fast and easy and tastes so good! It will quickly become a family favorite.
Related: Get the SLOW COOKER tortellini lasagna recipe here
Easy Instant Pot Tortellini Lasagna
When Greg and I went shopping a couple weeks ago at Costco he plunked a double package of the refrigerated tortellini into our shopping cart. I wasn’t sad. I knew that I could use the tortellini to make my popular Tortellini, Spinach and Chicken Soup, many other 365 Days favorites or I could use it to create a new recipe. I ended up using both packages for new recipes. The first recipe didn’t turn out well enough to go on the blog but the second recipe (this one!) was so delicious!
This Instant Pot tortellini lasagna recipe takes the tasty flavors of lasagna and then deletes all those time-intensive layers. It speeds up the process of cooking by using the Instant Pot in addition to cutting down on hands-on prep time.
Because this fresh refrigerated tortellini is very tender and somewhat fragile I used a zero minute pressure cooking time. If you are confused by what that means then read this article on “what is a zero minute pressure cooking time?” Remember that even though the pot just barely comes to pressure and then turns off it is cooking the whole time the pot builds pressure (about 5-7 minutes) and the whole time it’s releasing pressure (5 minutes).
Some people have mentioned that their pots don’t have the option of going down to 0 minutes. The fix is easy. Just set your electric pressure cooker for the lowest time possible and then once the pot comes to pressure and starts counting down on the timer unplug the pot. Let the pot sit for 5 minutes and then release the pressure.
What if I want to use frozen tortellini? I haven’t tried this yet. However I would probably go with the 0 minute cooking time. The pot will take longer to come to pressure because of the temperature of the ingredients.
You’ll also like…
Instant Pot Lasagna Ravioli—a lot like this recipe except it uses frozen ravioli instead of tortellini.
Instant Pot Cheater Lasagna—a cheater recipe because it’s so easy to make but also because your family will “cheat” and eat it before dinner time.
What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?
To make Easy Instant Pot Tortellini Lasagna I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.
Easy Instant Pot Tortellini Lasagna
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground sausage (you can use plain sausage or Italian sausage)
- 2 cups water
- 1 1/2 pounds refrigerated tortellini (I got mine from Costco)
- 1 (24 oz) jar/can of favorite pasta sauce
- 1 cup ricotta or cottage cheese
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. When the display says HOT add in the ground sausage and break it up. Brown the sausage for about 5 minutes. Drain off any excess grease. (I ended up using a colander for this and then added sausage back into bottom of pot).
- Pour the water into the pot and scrape the bottom of the pot until it is clean. Pour the tortellini into the pot on top of the meat in an even layer. Pour the pasta sauce evenly over the top of the tortellini. Don’t stir.
- Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 0 minutes. When the time is up let the pot sit there for 5 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir in the three cheeses. Scoop onto serving plates and enjoy.
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Italian
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Sounds like good recipes
It is!!
Had this for dinner tonight and it was a Hit!!
My family loved it 😃
Will definitely add this to my recipe library!
★★★★★
So glad to hear it Beth!
Made this with browned turkey as my family does not care for sausage. Also used frozen tortellini. Pressure cooked for 2 mins and left on warm for 5-6 minutes. I also made the cheese combo separate and allowed everyone to decide on their own how much cheese they wanted. Perfect!!!! We found a new fave!!! Thank you for all your ideas.
★★★★★
Nice! I’m glad you found a way to make it for your family!
OMG i made this unsure as O have a picky eater in my house and it was a WINNER!!!! This was great and so easy and fairly quick to make. I think I used a little too much tortellini and probably could have used a bit more sauce, but it turned out well enough for my son to say it was really good.
That is so great to hear! I’m glad the picky eater was happy!
Making again and drew a blank for the zero cooking. When I pressed the pressure cook button the keep warm came on. I deactivated that hope it turns out
I am still new to the insta pot so not overly confident using it. But I know if it turns out then I am suppose to take some for my colleague tomorrow for lunch. So fingers crossed 🤞
How did it go! Here is info on zero minute cooking time: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/zero-minute-pressure-cooking-time/
Well not bad Might have over cooked it a bit and last time was not enough sauce this time too much so next time is should come out just right. It was edible. Thanks for the link.
Still a family favorite! I cut the sausage into ‘knuckles’ with a mix of mild and hot for a bolder flavor. Also use pasta sauce with meat and sauté onions with the sausage.
Serve with fresh baguette and salad and full meal in no time. Thank you Karen!
★★★★★
Sounds like a great meal Nikki!
Hi Karen,
I am wondering how you decide to use pot in pot. I look at this recipe and wonder how likely it would be to get the “BURN” notice, since there is not that much liquid in it.
I absolutely love you recipes, and look forward to getting them in my mailbox from now on.
Thank you for all you do!
★★★★★
Making this for dinner tonight!! 😀
★★★★★
Enjoy!
HELP!! I only have an 18 oz bg of refrigerated tortellini. How much water do I use with this?? I don’t want it to be watery. Thanks, I want to do this for dinner tonight.
use 1.5 cups water
Bless your heart! Thanks so much for always answering our questions so promptly.
😊
WHOA! Did exactly what you said & VOILA! MAGIC in a bowl! Perfect. U Rock! Too bad there aren’t 10 stars.
★★★★★
Yay!!! 👏
This has to be one of my family favorites!
I used sausage IN the casing and cut into pieces in addition to ground sausage.
Find what 2 cups of water makes the sauce very watery.
Glad your family enjoys this tortellini recipe!
I don’t see anything about removing the 2 cups of water. Is that being used to to clean the bowl or is it supposed to stay in when cooking?
It’s to cook the pasta, the pasta soaks it all up 🙂
Can I double this recipe? If so, how long cooking time?
Hi Christina, keep the same cooking time when doubling recipes (most of the time). Here is an article that will really help you understand it better: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-double-instant-pot-recipes/
My family cannot get enough of this amazingly easy and delicious meal that I usually serve with a salad or steamed broccoli and warm crusty garlic bread. I live in Canada where many of the brands of pasta sauce jars are smaller than the size called for in this recipe. To compensate for less sauce, I add a small can of diced tomatoes over the tortellini and before adding the jar of pasta sauce – perfect every time 😄
This is so fast, easy and delicious that I will probably never make “traditional” layered and baked lasagna ever again!!!
★★★★★
So glad that you and your family loved it Donna! It’s so tasty I agree 🙂
You can set the pressure setting to 0 minutes? It cooks the food like that? I really want to try this recipe.
Yes Liz! It’s quite cool! https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/zero-minute-pressure-cooking-time/
LOL… I too live in Canada where yes, alot of jars and cans are smaller in size and more expensive.
I haven’t tried this one yet. The wife says my instant pot stuffed shells are better than her conventional lasagna(which she is famous for family get togethers)
My family loved it! Next time II would mix with hot/spicy sausage. A great easy recipe. Thank you!
★★★★★
That sounds like a great idea!
Just made it and it was delicious. I used mushrooms instead of meat because that is what I had. I use frozen tortellini. The zero time was perfect. It was super easy and a must add to my recipe list. Thanks 🙂
★★★★★
AWesome! and good idea about the mushrooms!
This was amazing! Followed as written for Instant Pot – using low fat ricotta cheese and mild Italian sausage and good quality marinara sauce. Keeper recipe!
★★★★★
So glad that you liked it Sue!
Sorry I can’t give more than 5 stars!
★★★★★
Haha Sharon! Thank you!
OMG! I made this today after church for my family. Everyone loved it. I mixed my cheeses together with a beaten egg and layered between the tortollini as was suggested by another reader. This was so easy and absolutely delicious. I am using my instant pot more and more since finding your recipes. They are amazing. Thank you so much for sharing them
How awesome! I am glad you liked it.
This sounded perfect for a busy working girl but I thought it would be a bit bland for cajun taste. I sauteed onions and fresh garlic, browned hamburger rather than sausage. Seasoned with garlic power, onion power, red pepper, Italian seasoning blend, S&P. Then followed the recipe. We all loved it, 25 mins fridge to plate for a hearty meal!!
★★★★★
Sounds like a great version Betsy!
instantpot doesn’t have “seal” on it
Turn lid clockwise to lock (seal) it and enable pressure build-up.
Usually on the lid there is a knob that has the words “sealing” and “venting.”
It is very hard to see the sealing/venting because they are black just like the lid. To solve this problem I marked them on the lid and the pot with a little dot of White Out.
★★★★
Great idea Sandy! Thanks for sharing!
Perfectly delicious “as is”…quick, easy and so few ingredients.
Because I had a bag of fresh spinach to use up (and I can never leave things well enough alone – lol)…I stirred in several big handfuls until wilted 🙂
Thank you Karen for all your wonderfully easy recipes and inspiration!!!
★★★★★
How long would you cook it if you are using dried tortellini?
Based on other Instant Pot pasta recipes that I make that call for dried pasta, I would suggest a cook time of 4 minutes on “High Pressure” with a careful “Quick Release” of the pressure.
Hope that helps 🙂
Cook for 0 minutes?
Yes, JonI…”cook for 0 minutes” – that is not a typo! have made this exactly as written and it turns out perfectly. The reason for 0 minutes cook time is so the tortellini will not overcook to mush (as the recipe calls for refrigerated fresh tortellini). By setting the Instant Pot to 0 minutes, it will take several minutes to heat up and build pressure…then it will immediately beep that it is done as it is not counting down any minutes. At this point, leave it as is for 5 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove lid and stir in the three cheeses.
A quick and easy dinner that my picky kids gobble up – enjoy! 🙂
Thank you Donna your explanation is perfect.
That’s right! https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/zero-minute-pressure-cooking-time/