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Instant Pot Lasagna Soup

Instant Pot lasagna soup with rich red tomato broth, broken lasagna noodles, and sausage crumbles—finished with a gooey ricotta mozzarella dollop. Pressure-cooked for a quick 4-minute High cook, then tuned to the perfect thickness with a short Sauté simmer if needed.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 620

Ingredients
  

Italian sausage
  • 1 lb Italian sausage
onion
  • 1 onion diced
garlic
  • 4 garlic minced
crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
chicken broth
  • 4 cup chicken broth
tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried basil
red pepper flakes
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
lasagna noodles
  • 8 lasagna noodles broken into 2-inch pieces
ricotta
  • 1 cup ricotta
mozzarella
  • 1 cup mozzarella
parmesan
  • 0.25 cup parmesan
basil
  • 1 basil for the cheese dollop
salt and pepper
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sear sausage and build the base
  1. Set your Instant Pot to Sauté, then brown the Italian sausage and drain off the fat. Cook just until browned with visible crumbles.
  2. Add the diced onion to the pot and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened and slightly translucent. Visual cue: onion looks glossy and starts to brown lightly.
  3. Stir in the minced garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Visual cue: tomato paste darkens slightly and smells fragrant.
Pressure cook the soup
  1. Add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, dried basil, and red pepper flakes, then stir to combine. Visual cue: broth turns a deep, even red.
  2. Press the broken lasagna noodles under the liquid so they are submerged. Visual cue: noodles disappear beneath the surface.
  3. Seal the Instant Pot and pressure cook on High for 4 minutes. Visual cue: timer counts down and the pot comes to pressure.
  4. Quick release the pressure after cooking. Visual cue: steam vents and the float valve drops promptly.
Finish and serve
  1. Stir the soup, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Visual cue: flavor looks balanced and the broth tastes complete.
  2. If the soup is too thick, add a splash of broth; if too thin, set to Sauté and simmer briefly until thickened. Visual cue: surface clings slightly to a spoon.
  3. Mix the cheese dollop ingredients by combining ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, and basil. Visual cue: mixture becomes thick and scoopable.
  4. Serve in bowls with a generous dollop of the cheese mixture in the center. Visual cue: dollop softens and begins to melt as it meets the hot soup.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the lasagna noodles fully submerged before pressure cooking to prevent sticking, and after cooking stir immediately to redistribute noodles. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 days; reheat on the stove with a splash of broth if thickened. Freezing is not recommended because the noodles can soften further. For a lighter swap, use turkey sausage instead of Italian sausage.