Instant Pot Indian Vegetable Lasagna is coming your way in three, two…. ONE.
This vegetarian lasagna is so, so tasty! It’s made with my magic onion masala sauce, wonderful Indian spices, veggies galore and all the cheese! You will LOVE this dish.
Do you “Indian-ify” recipes too? It seems like us Indian folks (yeah, that sounds weird when I write that out… ) tend to make things our “own.”
If you’ve ever been to a fast food place in India then you’ve seen it too. Go to McDonalds and you won’t find an American hamburger – you’ll find a McAloo Tikki or McPaneer. Go to a Pizza Hut and the pizza will taste like… Indian pizza. Chicken tikka pizza, anyone? Yes, please.
That’s what I mean. We can give ANY dish a bit of Indian flair. We can turn an Italian dish like lasagna into an Indian-ish recipe. Isn’t that great? We are so creative. And yes, I just gave myself a big pat on the back.
This recipe is part of the onion masala series that I’m sharing this month on my blog. Check out this post to learn all about it. The gist: I’m sharing recipes that call for exact amounts of onion masala to help make Indian cooking easier for you on a daily basis.
This is obviously not a traditional recipe but it IS the kind of thing that Indian parents make at home. While I don’t think my mom made lasagna per say, I know she’d come up with all sorts of fusion recipes when I was a kid and now I do the same for my kiddo. This lasagna is a great way to hide veggies. You know, in mounds of delicious noodles and cheese.
These are the veggies I used but you can use whatever you like: zucchini, red bell pepper, corn, peas, carrots:
I realize that lasagna may seem like a complicated thing to make – especially if you’ve never made it before. But, trust me, it’s actually very easy. You just layer ingredients in a pan (this is the pan that I use) and then cook it in an Instant Pot.
I have tested this recipe using regular lasagna noodles (no boil/oven-ready) AND gluten-free noodles (after all, all of my recipes on the blog are gluten-free). I tested this recipe using Dellalo gluten-free lasagna noodles and it was so delicious! If you try a different brand, please leave a comment and I will be sure to include the brand in my recipe notes to help others! My husband (Roby) and son (Tony) ate the regular lasagna and they loved it too! Roby tried both versions and said they were both great (though he will always choose gluten over gluten-free).
I hope you love this vegetarian lasagna! Excuse me, I mean, Indian vegetable lasagna!
Ingredients
- 2 cups finely chopped or shredded vegetables zucchini, corn, peas, bell pepper, carrots, etc
- 1 ¼ cups fresh or thawed onion masala
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon cayenne adjust to taste
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8-9 sheets of regular no boil/oven ready or gluten-free lasagna noodles
- Cilantro garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the onion masala, salt, pepper, garam masala and cayenne. Set aside for now.
- In another bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese and parmesan. Set aside for now.
- Grease a 7-inch baking pan (this is the one I use and recommend) and spread a large spoonful of onion masala onto the bottom of the pan.
- Place a layer of the uncooked lasagna noodles in the pan, then sprinkle approx. ½ cup vegetables, ricotta mixture and mozzarella on top.
- Add the next layer of noodles, then the onion masala, vegetables and cheese. Repeat until the pan is almost full. For the final layer, just add sauce and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top (I can fit about 4 layers). Cover the pan with foil.
- Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the steel pot in the Instant Pot, place the trivet inside, then place the covered lasagna pan on top of the trivet.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 20 minutes at high pressure for regular lasagna noodles OR 15 minutes at high pressure for gluten-free lasagna noodles.
- Naturally release pressure for 10 minutes, then open the valve to release any remaining pressure.
- Place the pan in the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes to brown the cheese.
Notes
- I have tested this recipe using regular (no boil/oven ready) lasagna noodles from Trader Joe’s and gluten-free lasagna noodles made by the company Delallo. If you try this using a different brand of gluten-free noodles, please leave a comment below to help others and I’ll update the notes as well!
- The lasagna is easier to remove from the pan once it cools down.
- This is the pan that I used -> 7-inch Pan with Removable Bottom
- This recipe is part of my onion masala series – be sure to check it out!
Cheryl says
Hi, Ashley,
I love your recipes especially your ‘nomato’ masala recipes. My only concern is that you do not have serving sizes so I cannot gauge how many portions it has not can I change the portions to accommodate the number of people I am cooking for. Is there anyway you can change that? I look forward to more recipes from you especially using the Instant pot. Do you have many air fryer recipes also? Thanks so much.
D says
If it’s not no boil lasagna, what is the procedure
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
If you’re not using no-boil then you’d cook the lasagna and then layer it.
Nancy says
I tried at home,it came out well.
My Heart Beets says
Happy to hear that 🙂
Shanthi says
God knows why my lasagna didn’t get cooked at all. I followed everything
My Heart Beets says
Hi Shanthi, I’m sorry to hear that! Was your seal on properly? Did the pot come to pressure? If you can provide details, I can try to help troubleshoot.
Jen D says
Excited to try this! Hey, here’s an odd challenge for you!! There was a little diner down the road from me that was owned by an Indian couple, they made some REALLY interesting Indian/American breakfast “fusion” foods that I was so in love with. One was a curry eggs benedict. it was just like a normal benedict, but instead of a regular hollandaise sauce, it had this amazing thick curry hollandaise. I’d be really interested to see what your take on this would be.
They also did these delicious curry beef crepes
Sadly the restaurant closed abruptly! I’ve been dying for that benedict ever since.
My Heart Beets says
Can’t wait to hear what you think of this Jen! And curry eggs benedict sounds amazing – I will have to attempt this one day!!
Vidya says
Hi Ashley,
By Lasagna noodles do you mean the Lasagna sheets?
My Heart Beets says
Yes exactly 🙂
Pinks says
Hi Ashley I want to use Fresh Pasta so can you tel me how long you think I should cook this dish for please…I have made it using dried pasta but want to try it with Fresh homemade, so how long cooking time ? It is a delicious recipe by the way..
MP says
Barilla Gluten-free lasagna took longer (finally cooked at about 22 minutes) – I used jarred pasta sauce instead of onion masala (Bertolli rustic cut, which is pretty chunky). Sauteed my spinach for a few seconds, added all veggies you mentioned except peas. The recipe was a huge hit, my teens loved it!
Definitely a weekly run from now on.
My Heart Beets says
I’m so happy to hear that you and your teens loved it! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out!
Linda says
I make the onion Masala last night, delish! This morning I made a pot of lemon, cinnamon and cloves to counter the lingering reminder. Have you tried this with sliced zucchini instead of noodles?
Thank you!
My Heart Beets says
Linda, so happy to hear that! I haven’t tried it that way but it sounds delicious!
Tom says
Can this be made in a 6 inch springform? That’s all I have as it’s a more standard size.
Andy Van Arum says
Made it. Loved it.
My Heart Beets says
Andy, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Elyse says
I can’t imagine Indian seasonings with ricotta’, Parmesan and mozzarella. Really? Reassure me before I try.
My Heart Beets says
You can always use paneer if you want to 🙂
Frances says
I made this with broccoli and cauliflower. It’s delicious. I may experiment with different vegetables next time. I wanted to stick with those that I knew would not make it watery. So good!
My Heart Beets says
Frances, that’s so great to hear!! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Krithika says
How many servings does this make please? That’d be useful to know when meal planning 🙂
My Heart Beets says
I’d say it serves 5-6 people 🙂
Holly M Winchell says
I made this recipe and flavor was wonderful, but the veggies I used (zucchini, red bell pepper, and mushrooms) released a lot of moisture such that the texture was soupy. Any recommendations for reducing the water from the vegetables?
My Heart Beets says
Holly, Glad you liked the flavor! My guess is that it was the mushrooms – if you try the veggies I used then it should work perfectly. Or if you want mushrooms it may be best to cook them separately then add them in. Let me know if you try it again!
Jennifer says
If I don’t have a lasagna pan that will fit in the instant pot, can this be baked in the oven in a casserole dish? If so, what temp and how long? I’m loving your onion masala series!! I made a huge batch of onion masala in the instant pot last night and I’m so excited to now use it in recipes.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Jennifer, yes you can definitely cook it in the oven! I haven’t tested this particular recipe in the oven just yet, but I assume it’d be around the same time as a regular lasagna – about 350F for 45 minutes or so. Let me know what you think! So happy you love the onion masala series!
Sandy Natarajan says
Ashley, in this recipe do you cook the lasagna noodles first or just place them in raw?? Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Sandy! I put them in raw 🙂 Let me know what you think of the dish!