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This Healthy Instant Pot Lasagna with Cottage Cheese is a delicious recipes that is so easy to cook! Cottage cheese boasts some great health benefits when compared to ricotta, so we’re taking advantage of cottage cheese in this recipe!
No boiling noodles, no watching the oven. Everything cooks together right in the pot – even the meat! Nothing beats a homemade lasagna on a busy night.
Where is the recipe?
I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen, and I receive a lot of questions about recipes. To better serve everyone here at My Crazy Good Life, I’ve made a commitment to put a ton of helpful information and tips in my posts.
If you’d like to skip over the information about freezing, swapping ingredients, and how this fits into popular diet plans, please simply scroll to the bottom of the page, where you will find the recipe for this healthy Instant Pot Lasagna with Cottage Cheese.
Instant Pot Lasagna Ingredients
This recipe is full of minimally processed ingredients. Whole grain lasagna noodles, homemade pasta sauce, and lean ground turkey are some of the ingredients that make up this dish.
You’ll find some substitutions mentioned in the ingredient section below as well as the Recipe Tips.
- Cottage cheese or ricotta cheese: This recipe and nutrition information is based on 2% cottage cheese. Cottage cheese has less saturated fat and cholesterol than ricotta. I like to rinse my cottage cheese to help lower the sodium in it. You can use ricotta cheese instead, if you’d like.
- Mozzarella cheese I prefer to buy it unshredded, as it doesn’t have as many ingredients. Shredded cheese contains additional ingredients that help the cheese no stick together or clump. You can shred cheese easily in a food processor or with a hand grater.
- Crushed tomatoes: Be sure and use crushed, not whole or diced. Crushed creates the perfect amount of liquid for your noodles to cook. If you’d like to use store bought spaghetti sauce, peek a the Recipe Tips for instructions.
- Dry spices: Oregano, Thyme, Parsley, Onion powder, Garlic powder
- Whole wheat lasagna noodles: You can use regular or oven ready lasagna noodles (also called no boil noodles), just be sure and grab whole wheat. They’re going to cook differently than regular lasagna noodles, as well. This lasagna recipe is specifically written for wheat noodles.
- Ground turkey: You can add this to the recipe cooked or raw. If using raw, please make the chunks of turkey very thin so they cook all the way through.
- Spinach: A powerhouse of fiber, vitamins A, C and K.
Recipe Tips
- This recipe is wonderful for meal prep. You can assemble it and freeze before or after cooking.
- If you’re looking for a 21 Day Fix lasagna, the container calculations below are based on using 6 whole grain lasagna noodles for the entire recipe.
- Hiding extra vegetables is super easy in this recipe. I love adding extra spinach, grated carrots, or finely chopped bell peppers.
- You’ll need to cook ground beef or ground Italian sausage and drain before adding them to this recipe. Beef releases too much liquid while cooking to use raw in the Instant Pot.
- Use fresh spinach for this recipe, not frozen, to reduce the amount of liquid.
- I love making homemade tomato sauce, but if you buy store bought look for one that has no added sugar. Do not add the tomatoes or Italian seasonings from this recipe if you use store bought marinara sauce.
- If making this recipe right in your Instant Pot liner, do not begin your layers with sauce, as it can cause a burn warning. Add 1/2 cup water to the pot, followed by turkey, then pasta, spinach, cheese, then sauce. You can make more layers, but be sure to start with water and then meat.
- Spray your foil with cooking spray before covering your lasagna to prevent the cheese from sticking to it.
- If your trivet does not have handles, you can make your own sling by folding a 20” long piece of aluminum foil in thirds, lengthwise. Set your pan in the middle of the foil and carefully use the ends to raise and lower in and out of the Instant Pot.
- Top this recipe with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired.
- Naturally releasing the pressure in your pressure cooker is important to this recipe – it allows you to let the entire cooked lasagna sit and the noodles to absorb any extra liquid from the recipe. It also allows for a few more minutes of cook time to make sure your noodles and meat are finished cooking. Skipping the natural release step can result in an undercooked and soggy lasagna.
- Refrigerate leftover lasagna in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
Instant Pot Cooking Instructions
The time estimate includes prep time, cook time, and time for your pot to come to pressure and release pressure. Of course, this changes a bit depending on the size of the Instant Pot you use and your altitude.
- Make your cottage cheese layer In a small bowl, mix together the cottage cheese and ⅔ cup shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Prepare your homemade tomato sauce Skip this step if using jarred pasta sauce. In a separate bowl, mix the crushed tomatoes, oregano, thyme, parsley, onion powder and garlic together.
- Make your layers Add half of the sauce to the bottom of a 7 inch springform pan. Break your noodles into pieces that will cover the sauce in a single layer. Top with half of the cottage cheese mixture, half the ground meat, and half of the spinach.
- Repeat Continue to layer lasagna until the pan is full. Cover the top of the pan with foil. This stops liquid from getting into the pan.
- Prepare your pot Place a trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot insert and pour 2 cups of water in the bottom.
- Pressure Cook Place the uncooked lasagna on top of the trivet and close and lock the lid. Turn your pressure valve to sealing. Select high Pressure Cook and set the cook time for 20 minutes.
- Natural Release Once the cooking time is complete, allow pressure to naturally release. If after 20 minutes the pressure has not completely released, then quick release the remaining pressure. Once the pressure valve drops, remove the lid and carefully remove your cooked lasagna.
- Broil This step isn’t necessary, but it only takes a couple of extra minutes and really does make the lasagna look and taste better. Remove the foil cover from the lasagna and place the pan under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to brown the cheese. Keep a close eye on your lasagna – the broil setting on most ovens is very fast.
Oven Instructions for this Cottage Cheese Lasagna Recipe:
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- In a small bowl, mix together the cottage cheese and ⅔ cup mozzarella cheese.
- Make your homemade marinara sauce by mixing crushed tomatoes, oregano, thyme, parsley, onion powder and garlic together in a separate bowl to make your tomato sauce. If using jarred sauce, you can skip this step.
- Add half of your sauce to the bottom of an oven safe casserole dish. Place a layer of noodles on top of the sauce, top with half of the cottage cheese mixture, half the ground turkey, and half of the spinach, repeat. Top your lasagna with remaining ⅓ cup of mozzarella cheese, then cover your pan very tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 60 minutes. Remove the foil and check your noodles by sticking a sharp knife into the lasagna. If it moves to the bottom of the pan quickly, the noodles are soft enough to eat.
- Turn your oven to the broil setting and broil your lasagna for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is lightly browned. Keep a close eye on the lasagna when you do this, as the broil setting works fast.
- Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil, if desired, and serve!
Healthy Eating Plans
This lasagna recipe is perfect for special diets like 2B Mindset and the 21 Day Fix! I’ve given a ton of helpful information about making this lasagna for the 21 Day Fix, and trust me–your family and friends will love it too, and they won’t even know it’s healthy!
21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix
These counts are based on using 6 lasagna noodles for the entire recipe: 6 Red Containers, 6 Yellow Containers, 6 Green Containers, 3 Blue Containers.
A serving is ⅙ of the lasagna. Per serving: 1 Red Container, 1 Yellow Container, 1 Green Container, ½ Blue Container.
2B Mindset
Eat with additional vegetables for a complete lunch.
More healthy Instant Pot recipes
- Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
- Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
- Instant Pot Spaghetti with Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
- Vegan Minestrone Soup
- Quinoa Tacos
- Instant Pot Spanish Rice
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Instant Pot Lasagna
Approximate Serving Size: 1/6th of lasagna
Servings 6
If you're looking for a healthy Instant Pot lasagna, this recipe is the one for you! Whole wheat pasta, homemade sauce, and layers of green spinach are a delicious way to beat your craving. Use cottage cheese or ricotta in this recipe!
Equipment
- Instant Pot 6 qt
- Springform Pan
- Olive Oil Spray
Ingredients
- 1 cup 2% cottage cheese or ricotta
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese I use mozzarella
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes Do not use full or diced tomatoes–they have too much liquid in them. For instructions on using jarred pasta sauce, please read the post.
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 1 tbsp parsley
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic
- 6 whole wheat lasagna noodles
- 1 lbs ground turkey
- 3 cups spinach fresh
Instructions
Instant Pot
- In a small bowl, mix together the cottage cheese and ⅔ cup mozzarella cheese. 1 cup 2% cottage cheese
- Skip this step if using jarred sauce. In a separate bowl, mix the crushed tomatoes, oregano, thyme, parsley, onion powder and garlic together. 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp thyme, 1 tbsp parsley, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp garlic
- Add half of the sauce to the bottom of a 7 inch springform pan. Break your noodles into pieces that will cover the sauce in a single layer. Top with half of the cheese mixture, half the ground turkey, and half of the spinach, repeat. Finally, top your lasagna with the remaining ⅓ cup of mozzarella cheese, then cover your pan tightly with aluminum foil. 6 whole wheat lasagna noodles, 1 lbs ground turkey, 3 cups spinach,
- Place a trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot insert and pour 1 cup of water in the bottom.
- Place the lasagna on top of the trivet and close and lock the lid. Turn your pressure valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cook time for 20 minutes.
- Once the cooking time is complete, allow pressure to naturally release. If after 20 minutes, the pressure has not completely released, turn the handle to quick release. Once the pressure valve drops, remove the lid and carefully remove your lasagna.
- This step isn’t necessary, but it only takes a couple of extra minutes and really does make the lasagna look and taste better. Remove the foil cover from the lasagna and place the pan under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to brown the cheese. Top with fresh basil if desired and serve.
Oven
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, mix together the cottage cheese and ⅔ cup mozzarella cheese. 1 cup 2% cottage cheese
- Mix crushed tomatoes, oregano, thyme, parsley, onion powder and garlic together in a separate bowl. If using jarred sauce you can skip this step. 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp thyme, 1 tbsp parsley, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp garlic
- Add half of your sauce to the bottom of an oven safe dish. Place a layer of noodles on top of the sauce, top with half of the cheese mixture, half the ground turkey, and half of the spinach, repeat. Top your lasagna with remaining ⅓ cup of mozzarella cheese, then cover your pan very tightly with aluminum foil. 6 whole wheat lasagna noodles
- Bake for 60 minutes. Remove the foil and check your noodles for doneness.
- Broil your lasagna for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil, if desired, and serve!
Video
Notes
Healthy Eating Plans
- 21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix: These counts are based on using 6 lasagna noodles for the entire recipe: 6 Red Containers, 6 Yellow Containers, 6 Green Containers, 3 Blue Containers. A serving is ⅙ of the lasagna. Per serving: 1 Red Container, 1 Yellow Container, 1 Green Container, ½ Blue Container.
- 2B Mindset: Eat with additional vegetables for a complete lunch.
- Looking for WW Lasagna? Click here
- This recipe is wonderful for meal prep. You can assemble it and freeze before or after cooking.
- If you’re following the 21 Day Fix program, the container calculations below are based on using 6 lasagna noodles for the entire recipe.
- Hiding extra vegetables is super easy in this recipe. I love adding extra spinach, grated carrots, or finely chopped bell peppers.
- If you choose to use ground beef instead of turkey you will need to brown and drain before adding. Beef released too much liquid while cooking to use raw in the Instant Pot.
- Use fresh spinach for this recipe to reduce the amount of liquid.
- I love making homemade spaghetti sauce, but if you buy store bought look for one that has no added sugar.
- If you’re not a fan of cottage cheese you can swap out for skim ricotta in its place.
- Spray your foil with cooking spray before covering your lasagna to prevent the cheese from sticking.
- If your trivet does not have handles, you can make your own sling by folding a 20” long piece of aluminum foil in thirds, lengthwise. Set your pan in the middle of the foil and carefully use the ends to raise and lower in and out of the Instant Pot.
Nutrition
Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 499mg | Potassium: 830mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1974IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 215mg | Iron: 4mg
Make This Recipe?
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I am confused by the instructions. The pictures and video don’t seem to match the instructions. Are there just two layers of everything? The video seems to be showing 3 layers of some of the ingredients such as the cheese blend and turkey.
Hi Barb!
It’s going to depend on how thick your layers are and how thick your pan is. If you’re on the Fix and watching portions, you’ll want to stick within the ingredient measurements. You can fill the pan with as many layers as you’d like, as long as your measurements are correct.
Hi Nicole, Yes I used a 7 inch springform pan for this recipe but since then I’ve switched to the Instant Pot cake pan.
When I mentioned fitting in as many layers as possible, I meant that using the ratio of ingredients I gave, don’t stress about making the perfect amount of layers–just get all of the ingredients in.
Recipe says to use 6 noodles buy if I break them up to fit in the pan, I only use two. What is wrong?
Hi there, when we’ve made this recipe 6 noodles broken up (and layered) fit just right into a 7″ pan. Maybe your pan is smaller?
What size pan do you recommend using for the oven given the ingredient amounts? Thanks!
A 7 inch round pan (a deep one) or a 9×12 pan :)
The 9×12 was almost too small for me!
You say to use oven ready or regular lasagna noodles… If using regular whole wheat do I need to cook the noodles first? Won’t they be crunchy if they aren’t oven ready?
Nope, they won’t be!
Is the spinach noticeable in this? If so can I use more tomatoes or a different veggie in this.
Spinach is great because it doesn’t release too much liquid when cooking. If you don’t care for it, I’d dice it small before adding! My teenage boys eat it all the time without complaining about the spinach when I chop it :)
I put all the ingredients in my pot and now you tell me to add the trivet and 2 cups of water? This recipe is flawed.
Step 3: Place a trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot insert and pour 1 cup of water in the bottom.
Step 4: Place the lasagna on top of the trivet and close and lock the lid. Turn your pressure valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cook time for 20 minutes.
I’m confused about where the recipe is flawed.
You put the ingredients in the springform pan first, not the pot. The recipe isn’t flawed, you just need to read it thoroughly. 😊
The family loves this! I’ve recently switched to making this directly in the metal liner instead of a springform pan. Both times I’ve done this my instant pot doesn’t come to pressure. What could be wrong? I’ve checked the seal etc and it’s fine, and it comes to pressure just fine with other recipes. Any suggestions?
When I make this right in the pot, I add the water to the bottom–that seems to help. It could be that there is a large amount of solid food at the bottom of the pot and the sensor isn’t recognizing the pressure. Maybe try and layer differently–meat on the bottom with water, then pasta, sauce and cheese?
Thanks! I added a little more water to the it and it made all the difference.
Should the turkey be browned first ??
It doesn’t need to be, but you absolutely can cook it first if you prefer!