Instant Pot Lasagna Soup [Video]

Instant Pot Lasagna Soup is an easy and flavorful meal with all the flavors of lasagna but in soup form. It’s made with ground beef, Italian spices, and a tasty tomato sauce. This easy recipe will quickly become a family favorite.

I love lasagna, and everyone in my family loves it. That is why I developed this easy-to-prepare delicious instant pot soup version, which can be made in minutes with no real prep time and big flavor. In about 30 minutes, this delectable comfort food is ready to serve.

Instant Pot recipes are a staple around here, and this Lasagna Soup is a fool-proof recipe that even beginners can make in the Instant Pot. It packs all the amazing flavors of a hearty Italian lasagna and is especially delicious when topped with cheese. Ground beef is browned to perfection and after that cooked with Italian spices and sweet San Marzano tomatoes. Lasagna noodles are added uncooked to the pot, which makes this recipe easier.

There is no reason to spend hours over a hot stove stirring and watching a pot to get delicious homemade soup when you have an instant pot. And if you love lasagna, you do not have to spend all that time layering the noodles, cheese, beef, and sauce. Just toss it all in the pot, lock it, turn it on, and let it work its magic. In less than 30 minutes, you will have saucy, cheesy, lasagna soup with tender pasta boiled to perfect texture.

Don’t get me wrong. I love to make lasagna, too. But sometimes, it is nice to just hang out with the kids and let the Instant Pot cook for me while we talk about the day or what we plan on doing that evening. I like to make a salad with it, so we usually have some easy salad. My favorite is this classic Caesar salad with homemade dressing.

Why you will love this recipe

• Fast and easy: Because it is so easy but still delicious, some call it lazy lasagna.
• More time with family: Instead of spending more time in the kitchen, you get to spend more time with the family.
• Tons of flavor: With so many herbs, this dish has a burst of flavor in every spoonful.
• Eat with a fork: Actually, this is such a hearty soup, you can eat it with a fork!

What you’ll need to make instant pot lasagna soup

Special items:

• Instant pot – I use a six-quart Duo Plus Instant Pot.
• Stirring utensils – I usually use a wooden spoon.

Ingredients:

• Oil – I prefer extra-virgin olive oil for a light and mild taste.
• Ground beef or sausage – I like the flavor of ground sausage, but it has so much grease, so I usually use ground beef. For the best flavor without too much grease, I use 80/20 ground chuck.
• Onion – I chose one medium sweet yellow onion, diced, for this soup. 
• Garlic – Do not use garlic powder. Use fresh minced garlic cloves. I keep some in the freezer in case I ever run out.
• Bell pepper – I added one diced green bell pepper after seeding and rinsing it.
• Carrot – Peel and rinse one medium carrot before chopping it into small chunks.
• Thyme – This Italian herb adds some woody and earthy hints with a touch of mint and citrus.
• Basil – Another Italian herb, this one is sweet and slightly spicy.
• Oregano – Also slightly sweet, this is one of the most famous Italian herbs and is commonly found in pasta and pizza sauces.
• Rosemary – Woody, piney, and lemony with a hint of mint is how I describe what rosemary does for your soup.
• Bay leaves – They do not add much but they add a light floral and herbal hint to give your soup a depth of flavor you may not notice but would miss if it was not there.
• Tomatoes – I always use two cans of San Marzano petite diced tomatoes. They have a robust, rich, and fresh taste that stands out.
• Tomato sauce – Same for the tomato sauce. Two cans of San Marzano tomato sauce, sometimes fire-roasted or seasoned with garlic and basil.
• Chicken broth – I like to use organic low-sodium chicken broth for less salt and no additives.
• Water – To help everything come together.
• Noodles – It is important to choose high–quality lasagna noodles for your soup. Do not cook them first. You can break them up if you like.
• Parmesan cheese – Freshly grated cheese is the only way to top this soup.
• Mozzarella cheese – Your mozzarella should also be freshly grated.
• Parsley – Like everything else, the parsley tastes best if it is chopped when it is fresh.

How do you make Instant Pot Lasagna Soup recipe?

1. Saute: First, select the sauté setting and add olive oil to the bottom of the pot. After that, add the beef and sear it until lightly browned. Make sure to drain the grease.
2. Deglaze: After that, add the onion, garlic and saute for a little. Finally, add a cup of water and using a spoon scrape down the brown bits that stuck to the bottom of the pot.
3. Combine: Add the rest of the ingredients, except the lasagna sheets and bay leaves, and stir to combine.
4. Add noodles: Now, break the lasagna noodles into a few pieces and add to the pot. Stir so they are almost covered with the liquid and add the bay leaves.
5. Pressure cook: Close and lock the lid, and point the valve to sealing. After that, cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
6. Natural pressure release: Once done cooking, do a 5-minute natural release.
7. Quick pressure release: After that, open the valve carefully to quick release the remaining pressure. Open the pot and stir.
8. Serve: Discard the bay leaves, add to bowls and serve topped with parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves. Garlic bread on the side is a nice addition.

Expert tip

Fresh or dry pasta

I have had many people ask me over the years why I do not use fresh pasta in more of my recipes. While I like fresh pasta, dry pasta is easier to use in most recipes I prepare for my readers. For one thing, it is easier to find. Also, it lasts a lot longer. Fresh stuff lasts one to three days. Dry pasta can last months. However, the cooking time for fresh pasta is shorter, too. So, if you are in a hurry to eat some pasta and cook it on the stove, fresh noodles will be done in less than four minutes.

When cooking, fresh pasta absorbs more liquid than dried pasta, so it will soak up a lot of sauce. But with lasagna, fresh noodles often end up being too liquidy on the inside, giving you watery lasagna. Nobody wants watery lasagna. Overall, the flavor of fresh pasta is much better than dried, though, especially if you make it yourself. But that is a whole other recipe.

Cooking lasagna soup, you do not want to use fresh pasta because it will turn mushy. Fresh noodles are just not made for cooking in the instant pot. I use high-quality pasta noodles, typically De Cecco or Rao’s, because of their rough-cut surface. They help hold onto the sauce to give each bite a tremendous amount of flavor.

Recipe variations and add-ins:

• Heat it up: I sometimes make spicy lasagna for my husband when the kids are not home because he loves it. Just add chopped jalapenos and red pepper flakes.
• Other meat: Instead of sausage or beef, you can use ground turkey, pork, or chicken.
• More cheese: Regarding lasagna, my family thinks you can never have too much cheese. Lasagna soup is no exception. I toss in whatever I have. Besides parmesan and mozzarella, I sometimes add shredded Swiss, pepper jack, and cheddar.
• Other veggies: You can always add more veggies, too. Some of the ones that I have had compliments on include zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, and squash.
• Greens: Other delicious additions are some spinach or kale leaves.
• Crock pot version: Make slow cooker lasagna soup if you do not have an electric pressure cooker.

Serving suggestions:

Instant pot lasagna soup is delicious on its own or with other dishes. Here are some ideas I like.

• This Italian soup pairs perfectly with a red wine such as Barolo, Merlot, Rose, Barbera, or Chianti.
• Any kind of soup goes great with crusty bread for dipping, like my quick and easy beer bread. This recipe only requires six ingredients! 
• Quick dinner rolls are another great option.
• Imagine their eyes when they see you serving their soup in these awesome bread bowls or with Italian breadsticks on the side.
• Top it with your favorite cheese like mozzarella, parmesan, fontina, Swiss cheese, white cheddar cheese.
• The kids love it when I serve this with their favorite Italian dessert, strawberry tiramisu.

Topping suggestions:

• Bacon crumbs or chopped bacon
• Cheddar cheese or Mozzarella cheese
• Chopped green onion
• A dollop of sour cream
• A dollop of ricotta cheese
• Cottage cheese
• Chopped fresh parsley or basil

Frequently asked questions

How long does an instant pot take to pressurize when making soup?

Many people who have never used an instant pot do not realize that it has to build up pressure before it starts cooking. It does not automatically go into cook mode and start cooking. So, when you lock the lid and set your soup to cook, it takes time to build pressure before the timer even starts. Although the time varies depending on the brand, size, how full the pot is, and whether there are frozen ingredients in it, it typically takes between five and 20 minutes. 

Why are my noodles falling apart?

If you are going by the time on the package, you must consider the time it takes to come to a boil. It will end up overcooked and mushy if you cook it for the time it says on the box if you do not add the other times. For example, I would set the five-minute timer if the package calls for 10 minutes of cooking time. The rest of that time will be spent coming to pressure and releasing pressure. Better yet follow my easy recipe for this instant pot lasagna soup.

Why is my lasagna soup so watery?

It is possible that you added too much liquid. Use a liquid measuring cup instead of a dry one and measure carefully. Or you used a lot of vegetables that are mostly water, like celery, zucchini, spinach, and bell peppers. If your soup is too soupy after it cools down, make a roux or cornstarch slurry to thicken it up. Roux is made with flour and butter and cooked together on the stove. Cornstarch slurry is easier. All you do is mix cornstarch and water until the cornstarch dissolves. Then, add it to the soup and stir, with the pot on saute, until it thickens to your liking.

Can you reheat instant pot lasagna soup in the instant pot?

Yes, you certainly can. It is simple to do and only takes a few minutes. Just pour it in, ensure it does not go over the MAX FILL line, and close the lid. Lock it and set it to seal. Then, pressure cook for zero minutes, which will reheat as it pressurizes. The time will depend on how much soup you are reheating and the temperature of your soup. It is best to thaw the soup before reheating it because you do not want it to overflow and clog up the valve. Another option is to click on the Saute function, stir the soup until it reheats.

How to store leftovers:

• Refrigerate: First, let the meal cool to room temperature. After that, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
• Freeze: I recommend using quart bags for this soup. Use a cup to transfer the soup from the pot into the bag. Squeeze out excess air and seal the bags. The bags can nicely be stored in the freezer for up to 3-4 months.
• Thaw: To thaw this easy instant pot lasagna soup, remove it from the freezer the night before serving, or put the sealed bag in warm water to thaw it faster.
• Reheat: Heat in a soup pan and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

More Instant pot soup recipes:

Recipe Tips:

• Another way to save time is to use my Italian seasoning instead of the individual spices.
• Make sure you use high-quality tomatoes and tomato sauce. San Marzano is my pick because they taste the freshest and come in many flavors.
• Deglaze your pot after you saute your beef and onions so you do not get the dreaded BURN notice.
• Another way to avoid a BURN notice is to add the ingredients correctly. The broth should be added before the tomatoes, and the noodles should last so they do not stick to the bottom.
• Add cornstarch slurry or roux if your soup is too watery.
• Remember that your instant pot must build up pressure before it cooks. This could take five to twenty minutes.
• If you are following the instructions on the box, cook the pasta for half the time it calls for so it does not become mushy.