Instant Pot Lasagna Soup

A familiar, cozy and nourishing meal is something we're craving in this busy season of life. Anyone else looking for simple and healthy recipes to prep and store? We're definitely in that season with a newborn at home.

This Instant Pot Lasagna Soup checks all the boxes of easy, healthy, comforting and delicious (as does our Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup).

I hope it warms your home, brings your family together and helps ease the weeknight scramble too!

3 Things to Love About Instant Pot Lasagna Soup

1. It's made entirely in the Instant pot, so it's an easy, dump and go recipe that you can prep in advance.
2. It's loaded with protein and a few extra vegetables.
3. Easy to keep it gluten-free and dairy-free, if you choose (keep reading)!

Ingredient Notes + Swaps

• Onion: every good Italian recipe starts with a sweet onion to develop the flavor.
• Bell peppers: not all lasagna calls for bell peppers, but I think a red bell pepper works really well in a soup, plus it adds extra nutrients! Mushrooms are another great veggie to add.
• Garlic: don't skip on the fresh cloves, if you can.
• Ground beef: my favorite classic lasagna is made with ground beef. We use grass-fed 90% lean ground beef in this recipe. You could also use ground chicken or ground turkey.
• Italian sausage: this adds SO much extra flavor. You could also use a spicy Italian sausage to give it a little kick. We like to look for sausage without added corn syrup. If you can't find any, ground pork works great because it naturally adds more fat (aka flavor).
• Low sodium beef broth: low sodium allows you to control how much salt you want in your soup. Use chicken broth or vegetables stock if you have those on hand.
• Tomato paste: a classic Italian ingredient that helps thicken the soup and deepen the tomatoflavor.
• Crushed tomatoes: rather than a marinara sauce in traditional lasagna, we're using crushed tomatoes to get the same affect.
• Italian seasoning: this is a pre-made mix of all the best Italian seasonings like basil, thyme, and oregano.
• Pasta: we used 10 ounces of gluten-free lasagna noodles, but feel free to choose whichever lasagna noodles you have on hand. I find the noodles with the squiggly edges look prettier in the finished soup.
• Cream: this cuts the acid from all of the tomatoes and really brings a creaminess to the soup. Use full fat canned coconut cream for a diary-free option or heavy cream or whole milk work well too.

How to make Instant Pot Lasagna Soup

1. Sauté: add the onion and peppers to the Instant Pot on the sauté mode and cook until soft and translucent. Next, add the minced garlic cloves and cook until fragrant. Add the ground beef and sausage and cook, breaking it up, until no pink remains. 
2. Pressure cook: stir in the salt and Italian spices then the broth. Turn the vent to the sealing position and pressure cook (manual cook) on high pressure for 8 minutes. It will take 8-10 minutes to come to pressure before it beeps and begins to count down.
3. Stir: the Instant Pot will beep when the time is up, then quick release it. Use a wooden spoon or utensil to turn the knob to the venting position. This will allow all of the steam to quickly release at once.
4. Cook the noodles: Carefully open the lid and stir in the cream then the broken lasagna noodles. Set the Instant Pot to the sauté mode again and allow the noodles to cook until al dente for 8-10 minutes. 

Toppings

The best toppings for this Instant Pot Lasagna Soup recipe are ones you would typically think of when you think of traditional lasagna, like fresh herbs and cheeses. Here are some of our favorites!

• Parmesan cheese
• A dollop of ricotta
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Fresh basil
• Red pepper flakes or black pepper

Expert Tips

• This soup is thick, so consider adding a cup or two more broth to the soup if you want it to be thinner. 
• Use the noodles with the squiggly edges simply because they look prettier! Also, make sure you grab the lasagna noodles that need cooked. No no-boil noodles!

Storage Instructions

Leftover Instant Pot lasagna soup can be stored in the refrigerator up to 5 days in an airtight container. 

Reheat: warm leftover lasagna soup on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated all the way through.

Meal prep tip: if you're making it in advance and want the pasta to remain al dente, don't stir the noodles into the soup. Instead, boil/cook the noodles separately and store them in a separate container and mix them together when you're ready to eat.

Freeze: Allow the soup to cool completely then store it in the freezer in a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and follow the instructions above to reheat.