Garfield’s Casserole–a lasagna casserole full of beef, pasta, cheese and red sauce that’s made quickly with your Instant Pot.
Garfield’s Casserole
Garfield, the famous comic strip cat, is known for his love of lasagna. Lasagna seems to be a main recurring theme in the comic strip and represents Garfield’s lazy, indulgent lifestyle. I think Garfield would love today’s recipe. It’s lasagna-like and it’s fast and easy to make so you can be eating faster…which I think the cat would appreciate. We loved this for a Sunday supper and it was fun that everyone could choose exactly how much cheese they wanted to sprinkle on top. Enjoy!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Lean ground beef–I used 93/7
- Onion
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Italian seasoning
- Cayenne pepper
- Beef broth–or water and Better than Bouillon beef base
- Lasagna noodles–or campanelle noodles
- Marinara sauce–I used Mezzetta brand…roasted garlic sauce
- Whole milk mozzarella cheese–ever since I discovered whole milk mozzarella it’s changed how I feel about mozzarella! It’s so good! I like the Tillamook brand.
- Cottage cheese–or ricotta cheese
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease.
Stir in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and cayenne.
Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
Break the lasagna noodles into about 2 inch pieces and lay them into the Instant Pot.
Pour the sauce over the top of the noodles. Don’t stir.
Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting and remove the lid.
Stir well. Scoop onto plates and top each serving with a 2 tablespoons or mozzarella and cottage/ricotta cheese. Top with some fresh basil, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with a green salad and garlic bread.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Variation idea: use ground Italian sausage in the place of the ground beef and the seasonings.
- Other recipes you can make with mozzarella are Lauren’s Casserole and Mountain Music Casserole.
- Can I use no boil lasagna noodles? I haven’t tried this recipe yet with no boil noodles. However, I believe it will work. You will probably just want to pressure cook for less time. I would go with 3 minutes instead of 5 minutes.
- Can I use campanelle pasta instead? Yes! Same pressure cooking time (5 minutes).
- Why do you always say not to stir? This is to avoid the burn error message.
- I don’t like ricotta or cottage cheese, what can I use instead? Just leave it out! It will taste really great even without it.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Garfield’s Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
A lasagna casserole full of beef, pasta, cheese and red sauce that’s made quickly with your Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 2 cups beef broth
- 6 ounces lasagna noodles (about 7 lasagna noodles)
- 1 (25 oz) jar marinara sauce (I used Mezzetta brand)
- 1/2 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease.
- Stir in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and cayenne.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Break the lasagna noodles into about 2 inch pieces and lay them into the Instant Pot.
- Pour the sauce over the top of the noodles. Don’t stir.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting and remove the lid.
- Stir well. Scoop onto plates and top each serving with a 2 tablespoons or mozzarella and cottage/ricotta cheese. Top with some fresh basil, if desired. Enjoy!
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot
More Instant Pot lasagna recipes…
Instant Pot Dump and Go Meatball Lasagna
A perfect dinner on those nights when you need dinner fast! This 8 ingredient pasta dish is faster than picking up pizza and it will be gobbled up in no time.
Instant Pot Disney Lasagna
A scrumptious, layered pasta dish made with ground beef, spices and sliced mozzarella cheese. A copycat recipe of what you’d find at Tony’s in Disney World.
Instant Pot Million Dollar Lazy Lasagna
All the lasagna flavors with a fraction of the work and time! With only a 1 minute pressure cooking time you’ll be enjoying this pasta dish in no time.
Olive Garden Lasagna Dip
Olive Garden Lasagna Dip can be made in your Instant Pot, Crockpot or oven. It’s got Italian sausage, marinara sauce and 3 types of cheeses. It’s a perfect companion to warm breadsticks.
*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.
My family loved this recipe, it was definitely a keeper!!! Thank you
Thanks Georgi! So glad you loved it.