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Koysas Need an easy recipe for Lasagna and don't want to spend a whole day making it? I've got you covered with this Double Decker Lasagna in the Ninja Foodi!
Lasagna is one of those meals I love to eat, yet dread making! Not only is it time consuming, I really dislike boiling those noodles prior to baking. So, when I do make it... I want to make a lot of it and freeze it for several other meals.
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Not only does this recipe eliminate the need to boil the noodles, it makes at least 8-10 servings! Serve it with a salad and a piece of garlic toast and you can easily get 12 servings out of this Double Decker Lasagna!
Can I make a Double Decker Lasagna an Instant Pot?
Of course! I happen to love the ease of the Ninja Foodi because you can pressure cook the lasagna and then crisp up the cheese all in one appliance, but you can certainly make this in the Instant Pot or any other electric pressure cooker.
If you want to learn more about the Ninja Foodi and its functions, here is my article on How to Use the Ninja Foodi.
Just make sure you have two pans that will stack in your pressure cooker and allow the pressure lid to close.
The only change you need to make is adding the cheese and browning in the oven. You can use the broil on low or bake on 400° F to get that cheese nice and browned.
Do I need any special pans to make a Double Decker Lasagna in the Ninja Foodi?
You can make this lasagna with any 7" x 3" pan as long as they can stack together and give enough clearance to close the lid. Please test that out beforehand, so there aren't any surprises when you go to pressure cook your lasagna.
The pans I used are MaxRock stackable stainless steel pots, but they are no longer available. I searched for a similar item that is stainless steel and these Stackable pans from Koysas seem to fit the requirements.
The other thing that comes in handy is this OXO sling for setting the pans on. While the MaxRock pans come with a rack, I find it very difficult to use and I worry that the metal will bounce around and scratch the inner pot.
If you don't have an OXO sling, try to find something that is heat resistant silicone that is no more than one inch in height to put on the bottom of the inner pot to protect your pot. I have this silicone waffle maker (I haven't figured out how to make a good waffle in the Foodi) and use it sometimes, but the sling is much more handy and helps get the pans out of the Foodi.
I always recommend looking around your kitchen to see what you can make work before you buy any accessories. If you want to read about the accessories I use most, here is my article on 11 Best Ninja Foodi Accessories.
Can I make this recipe without meat?
Absolutely! I would add in an extra ½ cup of broth (veggie or water) in the sauce to make sure you have enough liquid to cook the noodles.
Or you can use vegetables like zucchini that have a high water content and will provide the noodles with extra liquid to cook through.
Can I make Double Decker Lasagna with Ground Beef?
Of course, you can use whatever meat combination you want. Just use 1 ½ pound and drain the fat if you need to. I like to cook the meat at least ½ way through to ensure it finishes cooking completely during the PC time.
I also recommend increasing the seasoning because the ground meat will not have as much seasoning as the sausage. A good place to start with a seasoning blend is the one I use in this recipe for Spaghetti in the Ninja Foodi.
Can I Freeze Lasagna?
Yes! It freezes wonderfully. A few tips when freezing any leftovers.
Make sure the food has cooled completely before wrapping and freezing. Warm food sweats, creating condensation that then freezes and forms ice crystals on the food.
Wrap the cooled food in plastic wrap. This protects the food from air and air is the cause of freezer burn.
Squeeze as much air out of the bag as you possibly can. Air trapped in a container can lead to freezer burn rather quickly.
Use within 6 months. Freezer burn can happen even when you store the food correctly and is more likely to happen if food is kept too long in the freezer.
Foods that show signs of freezer burn are safe to eat, but might not taste as wonderful as they would have without it. If you want to read a little more about freezer burn, here is an article: 5 Things to Know About Freezer Burn.
How can I reheat the Lasagna in the Ninja Foodi
Reheating foods is so easy in the Ninja Foodi and they turn out great whether they are frozen or in the fridge.
Reheating Lasagna in the Ninja Foodi from the fridge
I have found that the best way to reheat any pasta is by using the steam function to heat the pasta without over cooking it. Put two cups of water or any thin liquid in the inner pot and make sure the valve is to vent.
For individual servings of lasagna:
Place the lasagna in a covered pan and place on the rack in the low position. Set the steam function for 15-20 minutes. You can use the same pan you made the lasagna in or any pan that is heat resistant.
After the lasagna is heated through, use the Air Crisp function on 325° F to get the top nice and bubbly again. You can even add a little more cheese if you want... more cheese is always welcome!
For a whole pan of lasagna:
Place the lasagna in a covered pan and place on the rack in the low position. Set the steam function for 30 minutes. After the lasagna is heated through, use the Air Crisp function on 325° F to get the top nice and bubbly again. You can even add a little more cheese if you want... more cheese is always welcome!
Reheating Lasagna in the Ninja Foodi from frozen
Pasta is notoriously difficult to heat from frozen and usually takes forever! Not in the Ninja Foodi! Put two cups of thin liquid into the inner pot and put the frozen lasagna in a covered pan on the rack in the low position.
For individual servings of lasagna:
Use the steam function and make sure the valve is set to vent. Steam the lasagna in the Ninja Foodi for about 30 minutes. When it is heated through, use the Air Crisp function on 325° F to brown the top. Feel free to add more cheese!
For a whole pan of lasagna:
Place the lasagna in a covered pan and place on the rack in the low position. Pressure cook on high for 15 minutes. After the lasagna is heated through, use the Air Crisp function on 325° F to get the top nice and bubbly again. You can even add a little more cheese if you want... more cheese is always welcome!
It's Lasagna time in the Ninja Foodi and here is how you make it!
The first thing I like to do is make my own Ricotta cheese for this recipe. It's super easy to do and quick! Here is the video on how to make Ricotta at home just using milk, heavy cream and vinegar. I haven't done a recipe post on it, but there is so much interest I will do that soon. In the meantime, you can find the written instructions in the video description.
Of course, you don't have to make your own Ricotta, you can use store-bought. It really is fun to make though!
The second thing I usually do is prep and gather all of my ingredients. This really helps to keep a recipe moving along nicely.
Dice your onions into ¼" inch dice. Shred the cheese you want to use. Measure out your spices and beef broth.
Turn the Ninja Foodi on sear/sauté on high. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Remove the casings from the Italian sausage. The easiest way to do this is by twisting in the middle and push the sausage out. Add the sausage to the inner pot and break up with a non stick safe kitchen tool like the Mix N Chop.
Add in 1 cup of onion and continue to sauté until ½-way cooked through. This takes about 5 minutes or so. Make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot. I like to scrape with this scoop & spread from Pampered Chef.
Add in 1 teaspoon of sea salt, 1 teaspoon of basil, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 cup of beef broth. Stir to combine.
From this point on, do not stir.
Add in 1 bulb of roasted garlic, 24 oz of spaghetti sauce or 2 ½ cups of your favorite red pasta sauce. Add in 1 can 14.5 oz of fire roasted tomatoes.
How to Roast Garlic in the Ninja Foodi: Cut the top off of the garlic bulb and drizzle with oil olive, wrap in foil. Put it on the Ninja Foodi rack on the low setting and set the bake to 325° F for 35 minutes.
Put the pressure lid on the Ninja Foodi and set on high pressure for 3 minutes. Make sure the black valve is to seal. Immediate release the pressure when the 3 minutes is up.
For the Ricotta Cheese:
Lightly scramble 2 eggs in a medium to large mixing bowl. Add 2 cups of Ricotta cheese, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon basil, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Add ¼ cup of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese and 1 bulb of roasted garlic. Mix to combine all the ingredients.
How to assemble the Lasagna
Place a light layer of pasta sauce in the bottom of the pan
Break up lasagna noodles to cover the bottom. It does not matter how you do this; just break them so they fit nicely and you don't have to overlap too much
Add ½ cup of Ricotta cheese and spread around
Add in ¼ cup of shredded Italian cheese
Cover with 1-2 scoops of sauce
Add another layer of lasagna noodles
Add ½ cup of Ricotta cheese and spread around
Add ¼ cup of shredded Italian cheese
Cover with 1-2 scoops of sauce
Add a third layer of lasagna noodles and cover with sauce
Repeat the process for the second pan.
*Don't add the final layer of shredded cheese until after pressure cooking.
Cover the bottom pan with parchment and stack the two pans together. Cover the top pan with a lid that has vent holes or cover with foil.
Place stacked pans on the OXO sling. Add 2 cups of beef broth or water to the inner pot and lower the pans into the Ninja Foodi.
Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes, make sure the black valve is to seal. When the pressure cooking time is up, allow to natural release for 5 minutes. Then manually release the remaining pressure and remove the lid away from you.
Remove the pans from the Ninja Foodi and remove the lid from the pan. Dump the liquid from the inner pot.
Place one pan of the lasagna on the rack in the low position, add shredded cheese and return to the Ninja Foodi. Air Crisp on 400° F for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. I recommend opening the lid every 2- 3 minutes to check on the cheese so it doesn't burn.
Repeat for the second pan.
Allow the lasagna to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. This will help it hold together when you slice it.
Turn the Ninja Foodi on sear/saute on high. Add 1 tablespoon of Olive oil. Remove the casings from the Italian sausage. Add the sausage to the inner pot and break up
Add in 1 cup of onion and continue to saute until ½ way cooked through. This takes about 5 minutes or so.
Add in 1 teaspoon of sea salt, 1 teaspoon of basil, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 cup of beef broth. Stir to combine
From this point on, do not stir.
Add in 1 bulb of roasted garlic, 24 oz of spaghetti sauce or 2 ½ cups of your favorite red pasta sauce. Add in 1 can 14.5 oz of fire roasted tomatoes.
Put the pressure lid on the Ninja Foodi and set on high pressure for 3 minutes. Make sure the black valve is to seal. Immediate release the pressure when the 3 minutes is up.
For the Ricotta Mixture
Lightly scramble 2 eggs in a medium to large mixing bowl.
Add 2 cups of Ricotta cheese, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon basil, and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
Add ¼ cup of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese and 1 bulb of roasted garlic. Mix to combine all the ingredients.
Lasagna Assembly
Place a light layer of pasta sauce in the bottom of the pan. Break up lasagna noodles to cover the bottom.
Add ½ cup of Ricotta Cheese and spread around. Add in ¼ cup of shredded Italian cheese.
Cover with 1-2 scoops of sauce. Add another layer of lasagna noodles.
Add ½ cup of Ricotta Cheese and spread around. Add ¼ cup of shredded Italian cheese.
Cover with 1-2 scoops of sauce. Add a third layer of lasagna noodles and cover with sauce.
Repeat with second pan. *Do not add a final layer of shredded cheese until after pressure cooking.
Cooking Instructions
Cover the bottom pan with parchment and stack the two pans together. Cover the top pan with a lid that has vent holes or cover with foil. Place stacked pans on the OXO sling.
Add 2 cups of beef broth or water to the inner pot and lower the pans into the Ninja Foodi. Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes, make sure the black valve is to seal. When the pressure cooking time is up, allow to natural release for 5 minutes. Then manually release the remaining pressure
Remove the pans from the Ninja Foodi and remove the lid from the pan. Dump the liquid from the inner pot.
Place one pan of the lasagna on the rack in the low position, add shredded cheese and return to the Ninja Foodi.
Air Crisp on 400° F for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. I recommend opening the lid every 2- 3 minutes to check on the cheese so it doesn't burn.
Repeat for the second pan. Allow the pans of lasagna to cool for at least 10 minutes.
I REALLY HOPE YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE AS MUCH AS I DO! PLEASE LEAVE ME A COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW!
ABOUT THE RECIPE AUTHOR, LOUISE LONG
Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full time.
Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and getting the most out of the Ninja Foodi.
Seeing the need for easy, delicious, and high quality recipes, she is focusing all of her efforts creating recipes specifically for the Ninja Foodi. Her recipes are easy for the home cook to follow and provide step-by-step instructions.
I LOVE this recipe - it is always delicious! Here is my challenge. I need to make one of the “decks” vegetarian for an upcoming family dinner. I think I can substitute zucchini, mushrooms, and spinach along with a vegetable broth for the “meat sauce”, but one of the sauces (this one or the beef version) will need to be done separately/ahead of time. Can I make make the veggie sauce on the stovetop - still using all the same ingredients (sans the sausage) and if so, how long should I simmer it? I have no idea how the 3 minutes in the pressure cooker translates to the stovetop. Thank you for your advice!
Thank you for this awesome technique! I am vegan, so I used different ingredients (followed the recipe at https://rainbowplantlife.com/vegan-instant-pot-lasagna/comment-page-2/#comment-37013). But I so appreciated being able to cook two trays at the same time. Didn't know my Ninja could do that. I used two Ninja round trays, covered with foil.
Louise, been making this recipe for some time now. Fantastic, I use a springform cake pan that has high sides so in place of 2 pans, I get about 3 layers in one pan which is enough for say 4-5 people. All I do is brag about you and my ninja Foodi.
Do you have any recipes for dehydrated potatoes to store and make Idaho hash browns? Difficult to get here in the UK. Thank you for your fantastic recipes. You make cooking fun!
I'm so glad you enjoy it! I have done sliced dehydrated potatoes, but only tested them once so I don't have a recipe yet. In fact, I don't think I wrote it down and don't remember the dehydrate temp, but I know I par cooked them first. I think the ones you want to do would be shredded though. I'll have to work on that one and the sliced ones!
I made this recipe last night for family dinner today, EasternSunday. I pressure cooked it in an older model 6 qt Instant Pot. Didn’t have stacking pans so filled a 7” x 3” pan, cooked it then cooked a 6” x 3” pan. After church, reheated them both at same time using an additional 3 qt Instant Pot. Then used broil function on each of them, separately of course, using an Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid for the 6 qt pressure cooker. The family thoroughly enjoyed the meal. The Lasagna set up perfectly so I was happy with presentation and such great flavor. Thank you Louise. This is the first recipe I have tried of yours and your praises are well deserved. Just a comment - by no means a complaint - as a cook with not so good meal prep skills, this took me a few hours from beginning to end last night. I’m sure as I make this more frequently it won’t be as time consuming. One day I will own a Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker but until then, as Louise always says, I will use what I have.
Debbie N
I LOVE this recipe - it is always delicious! Here is my challenge. I need to make one of the “decks” vegetarian for an upcoming family dinner. I think I can substitute zucchini, mushrooms, and spinach along with a vegetable broth for the “meat sauce”, but one of the sauces (this one or the beef version) will need to be done separately/ahead of time. Can I make make the veggie sauce on the stovetop - still using all the same ingredients (sans the sausage) and if so, how long should I simmer it? I have no idea how the 3 minutes in the pressure cooker translates to the stovetop. Thank you for your advice!
Louise
Yes, you can do that! I would simmer for about 15 minutes or so. Give it a taste and as long as it tastes good, it's done.
Giselle
Thank you for this awesome technique! I am vegan, so I used different ingredients (followed the recipe at https://rainbowplantlife.com/vegan-instant-pot-lasagna/comment-page-2/#comment-37013). But I so appreciated being able to cook two trays at the same time. Didn't know my Ninja could do that. I used two Ninja round trays, covered with foil.
Louise
I'm so glad it was helpful!
Nancy T
Louise, been making this recipe for some time now. Fantastic, I use a springform cake pan that has high sides so in place of 2 pans, I get about 3 layers in one pan which is enough for say 4-5 people. All I do is brag about you and my ninja Foodi.
Do you have any recipes for dehydrated potatoes to store and make Idaho hash browns? Difficult to get here in the UK. Thank you for your fantastic recipes. You make cooking fun!
Louise
I'm so glad you enjoy it! I have done sliced dehydrated potatoes, but only tested them once so I don't have a recipe yet. In fact, I don't think I wrote it down and don't remember the dehydrate temp, but I know I par cooked them first. I think the ones you want to do would be shredded though. I'll have to work on that one and the sliced ones!
Cathy Carmer
I made this recipe last night for family dinner today, EasternSunday. I pressure cooked it in an older model 6 qt Instant Pot. Didn’t have stacking pans so filled a 7” x 3” pan, cooked it then cooked a 6” x 3” pan. After church, reheated them both at same time using an additional 3 qt Instant Pot. Then used broil function on each of them, separately of course, using an Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid for the 6 qt pressure cooker. The family thoroughly enjoyed the meal. The Lasagna set up perfectly so I was happy with presentation and such great flavor. Thank you Louise. This is the first recipe I have tried of yours and your praises are well deserved. Just a comment - by no means a complaint - as a cook with not so good meal prep skills, this took me a few hours from beginning to end last night. I’m sure as I make this more frequently it won’t be as time consuming. One day I will own a Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker but until then, as Louise always says, I will use what I have.
Louise
That's wonderful! I'm so glad everyone liked it!
Denise
I have made this lots of times love it. I also use ground beef with the sausage. My sister and brother in-law pay me to make them a batch.