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April 29, 2021

Instant Pot Cowboy Lasagna

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Instant Pot Cowboy Lasagna—a hearty, meaty lasagna that can be made fast in your Instant Pot or slow in the Crockpot.

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Note: the SLOW COOKER instructions are listed in the recipe card below

lasagna with ground beef, Italian sausage and pepperoni on a plate

Instant Pot Cowboy Lasagna

Have you tried making lasagna in your Instant Pot or slow cooker yet? If not I highly recommend it! This cheesy, meaty lasagna with three types of meat and three types of cheese will hit the spot for sure.

We didn’t get home until late last night because we were watching Skyler’s track meet. I had made this lasagna before we left and just left it in the Instant Pot on warm. Three hours later when we got home it tasted absolutely perfect! We were all starving and took the whole pan down quickly! That’s what is so great about the Instant Pot–the food is ready when you are!

What you’ll need to make Instant Pot Cowboy Lasagna

  • ground beef–I used lean ground beef. You can also try ground turkey.
  • ground Italian sausage–I used the store brand of ground Italian sausage but I also like using Jimmy Dean Italian Sausage in the roll too. I like mild but if you want to kick up the heat then use hot.
  • ricotta cheese–if you don’t like ricotta cheese try cottage cheese. I’ve made lasagna with both and they work great!
  • egg–the egg serves as a binder. It makes the ricotta cheese more spreadable, and solidifies the layers together when it is heated.
  • pasta sauce–I used Classico Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce. There are all sorts of great sauces out there so use your favorite brand and flavor!
  • lasagna noodles–in the Instant Pot I have had the best success with the no boil/oven ready lasagna noodles. If you can’t find the no boil noodles give this recipe a go with regular lasagna noodles. I would increase the pressure cooking time by 3-4 minutes if you try that.
  • pepperoni–the pepperoni brings this lasagna to a whole new level!
  • parmesan cheese–for best results grate off the block. I also like buying the big bag a shredded parmesan cheese from Costco and keeping it in my freezer for recipes like this one.
  • mozzarella–for best results grate mozzarella off the block rather than buying the pre-shredded mozzarella. Off the block melts better and is creamier.

How to make Instant Pot Lasagna

You can make cowboy lasagna in the Instant Pot or the Crockpot. Both methods work great! For the Instant Pot version you’ll use the pot-in-pot method with a deep dish*. So you’ll layer everything 3 times. For the slow cooker version you’ll only layer everything 2 times if you use a large oval 6 quart slow cooker. However if you use a small, round 3 quart pot you can layer everything 3 times.

Instant Pot Instructions:

  1. Brown the ground beef and the Italian sausage together and drain off excess grease. I did this step on my stove top but you can also use the sauté setting of your Instant Pot to brown the meat. 
  2. You’ll need a deep pot-in-pot dish for this recipe. I used a Fat Daddios 7 inch by 4 inch pan*. Another choice is to use the 3 quart Instant Pot liner inside the 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot liner.  Spread a few spoonfuls of pasta sauce into the bottom of the dish to prevent the noodles from sticking. Mix the ricotta cheese and the egg together until smooth. The egg helps the spreadability of the ricotta and it binds everything together.
  3. Begin layering the ingredients as follows: 2 lasagna noodles (break in half to fit), ⅓ of the pasta sauce, ⅓ of the meat, ⅓ of the pepperoni, ⅓ of the ricotta, ⅓ of the parmesan and ⅓ of the mozzarella. Repeat two more times. 
  4. Cover the pan with foil. Pour 1 ½ cups water into bottom of Instant Pot. Place the lasagna dish on top of a sling/trivet*. The OXO sling is my favorite because it serves as a sling and a trivet and it works great in the 6 or 8 quart pot. Lower the dish into the Instant Pot. 
  5. Cover Instant Pot* and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 20 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for at least 10 minutes and then move valve to venting and release any remaining pressure. My lasagna sat in the pot for over 3 hours on warm and it came out beautifully. The pot-in-pot protects it from burning and getting crusty.
  6. Remove the lasagna dish and remove the foil. Let sit for a few minutes before slicing and eating. This allows the lasagna to solidify a bit.  

Slow Cooker Instructions:

  1. Brown the ground beef and the Italian sausage together and drain off excess grease. If you have a slow cooker with a stove top button you can do this step inside your slow cooker.
  2. Spread a few spoonfuls of pasta sauce into the bottom of slow cooker. This helps the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the crockpot. Mix the ricotta cheese and the egg together until smooth.
  3. If you are using an oval 6 quart crockpot then begin layering the ingredients as follows: 3 lasagna noodles (break to fit), ½ of the pasta sauce, ½ of the meat, ½ of the pepperoni, ½ of the ricotta, ½ of the parmesan and ½ of the mozzarella. Repeat one more time. If you use a round 3 quart crockpot then you can layer everything 3 times instead of 2 times.
  4. Cover and cook on LOW for about 4-6 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours. 
  5. Unplug the slow cooker and let it sit 10 minutes before serving. This allows the lasagna to solidify a bit.  

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easy no boil lasagna

What should I serve with lasagna?

Serve Instant Pot cowboy lasagna with Crazy Bread or garlic bread and a green salad.

More Instant Pot Lasagna Inspired Recipes…

Instant Pot White Chicken Lasagna

Instant Pot Lasagna Soup

Instant Pot Chicken Queso Lasagna

Instant Pot Dump And Go Meatball Lasagna

Easy Instant Pot Tortellini Lasagna

Instant Pot Spinach And Ravioli Lasagna

Instant Pot Lasagna

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Instant Pot lasagna in a round pan

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Instant Pot Cowboy Lasagna


★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

  • Author: 365 Days of Slow and Pressure Cooking
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
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Description

A hearty, meaty lasagna that can be made fast in your Instant Pot or slow in the Crockpot.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
  • 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 (24 oz) jar of pasta sauce (I used Classico brand)
  • 6 lasagna noodles (the no boil/oven ready kind)
  • 3 oz package of pepperoni
  • 3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella

Instructions

Instant Pot Instructions:

  1. Brown the ground beef and the Italian sausage together and drain off excess grease. I did this step on my stove top but you can also use the sauté setting of your Instant Pot to brown the meat. 
  2. You’ll need a deep pot-in-pot dish for this recipe. I used a Fat Daddios 7 inch by 4 inch pan*. Another choice is to use the 3 quart Instant Pot liner inside the 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot liner.  Spread a few spoonfuls of pasta sauce into the bottom of the dish. Mix the ricotta cheese and the egg together until smooth.
  3. Begin layering the ingredients as follows: 2 lasagna noodles (break in half to fit), ⅓ of the pasta sauce, ⅓ of the meat, ⅓ of the pepperoni, ⅓ of the ricotta, ⅓ of the parmesan and ⅓ of the mozzarella. Repeat two more times. 
  4. Cover the pan with foil. Pour 1 ½ cups water into bottom of Instant Pot. Place the lasagna dish on top of a sling/trivet. Lower the dish into the Instant Pot. 
  5. Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 20 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for at least 10 minutes and then move valve to venting and release any remaining pressure. 
  6. Remove the lasagna dish and remove the foil. Let sit for a few minutes before slicing and eating. 

Slow Cooker Instructions:

  1. Brown the ground beef and the Italian sausage together and drain off excess grease.
  2. Spread a few spoonfuls of pasta sauce into the bottom of slow cooker. Mix the ricotta cheese and the egg together until smooth.
  3. Begin layering the ingredients as follows: 3 lasagna noodles (break to fit), ½ of the pasta sauce, ½ of the meat, ½ of the pepperoni, ½ of the ricotta, ½ of the parmesan and ½ of the mozzarella. Repeat one more time. 
  4. Cover and cook on LOW for about 4-6 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours. 
  5. Unplug the slow cooker and let it sit 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Loaves and Dishes

  • Category: Pasta
  • Method: Instant Pot

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cheesy layered lasagna

*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.

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10 Comments Filed Under: All Recipes, Beef, Sausage, Instant Pot, Pasta, Slow Cooker Tagged With: pot-in-pot

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Comments

  1. Tabitha says

    February 4, 2023 at 8:37 am

    Do you think this would fit in a Fat Daddio’s 7×3 pan instead of the 7×4 pan you suggested?

    Reply
  2. Diane says

    June 10, 2021 at 6:09 pm

    Another hit! Thx Karen.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 11, 2021 at 11:41 am

      Thanks for the 5 stars Diane!

      Reply
  3. Jessica says

    May 25, 2021 at 1:06 am

    Can you use small curd cottage cheese instead of ricotta?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      May 25, 2021 at 12:48 pm

      Yes that would be just fine!

      Reply
  4. Michelle says

    May 15, 2021 at 3:34 pm

    Looks delicious! How would I do this with gluten free lasagna noodles if they take less time?

    Reply
  5. Lynda says

    April 29, 2021 at 3:33 pm

    Haven’t made this but am wondering if you have made lasagna with cheese ravioli as a sub for noodles and ricotta? Had some at a funeral Sunday that the family bought at Costco. Looks simple I might try it if you haven’t developed one like that. Really simplifies prep and tasted great.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      May 3, 2021 at 1:10 pm

      Oh yes I have done that and it is so good!

      Reply
  6. Emily says

    April 29, 2021 at 1:25 pm

    Is there a good substitute for the egg? We are an egg allergy family.

    Reply
    • Karen Redlin says

      April 29, 2021 at 1:50 pm

      Flax seed. Also the liquied from cooked beabs

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Karen. I know that dinner time can be less than relaxing. Busy schedules and cranky kids and a hundred other things can lead to weariness when it comes to putting dinner on the table. I can help! I make homemade, family-friendly slow cooker and Instant Pot dinners and share the recipes with you.

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