Brown The Meat And Soften The Aromatics Set your Instant Pot to Sauté. Add a drizzle of olive oil if your meat is lean. Add the sausage, beef, or turkey and cook for about 5–7 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon. When it’s mostly browned, stir in the diced onion and cook 3–4 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant. If there’s a lot of grease, you can tilt the pot slightly and spoon off some of the fat. The soup will feel cleaner and less heavy.

Deglaze And Build The Flavorful Broth This step is small but important. It helps prevent the dreaded “burn” warning. Hit Cancel to stop the sauté. Pour in about ½–1 cup of broth. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Those are flavor, but they can also trigger the sensor if left stuck. Once the bottom feels smooth, add the rest of the broth, the can of diced tomatoes, marinara sauce, salt, and pepper. Give it a gentle stir. At this point the soup already smells like something you’d happily eat with good bread.

Add Noodles And Veggies Break the lasagna noodles into pieces and scatter them over the surface of the liquid. Gently press them down with the spoon so they’re submerged. Try not to stir too deeply; you want most of the tomato-heavy mixture a bit higher up to avoid burning. If you’re using zucchini or mushrooms, you can add them now on top. Leafy greens like spinach or kale are better saved for after cooking, so they stay bright. It’s a little messy-looking at this stage, but that’s completely fine. The pressure cooking evens everything out.

Pressure Cook Lock the lid and set the valve to Sealing. Choose Pressure Cook (or Manual) on High for 3–5 minutes: 3 minutes if you like your noodles with some bite or plan to reheat leftovers. 4–5 minutes if you want very soft, “baked-lasagna” noodles. Once the cook time is done, let it sit for 5–10 minutes naturally, then carefully flip the valve to Venting to release the remaining steam. That short pressure time might seem too quick, but remember the pasta keeps softening in the hot liquid.

Adjust Thickness And Taste Carefully remove the lid. Stir the soup; the noodles should be tender and scattered throughout. If it looks too thick (almost like a stew), stir in a bit more hot broth or water until it reaches your favorite soup consistency. If it feels a bit thin, turn on Sauté (Low) again and let it simmer gently for 3–5 minutes, stirring now and then. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and herbs. Sometimes just a pinch more salt and a crack of black pepper wake everything up. A small splash of balsamic vinegar or a squeeze of lemon can brighten the flavor too. If you’re adding spinach or kale, stir it in now and let it wilt for 1–2 minutes.

Build The “Lasagna” Bowl While the soup rests for a minute, make your cheese mixture: In a small bowl, mix the ricotta with a little salt and pepper if you like. Keep the shredded mozzarella and Parmesan nearby. To serve: Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Add a spoonful (or two) of ricotta right in the center. Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan over the top. Finish with fresh basil or parsley and maybe a pinch of red pepper flakes. The cheese melts into the hot soup and gives you that stretchy, creamy lasagna experience with every spoonful. It’s pretty magical for a Tuesday night.