Instant Pot Easy Keto Lasagna Soup

Give the Instant Pot’s saute mode a good few minutes to preheat before adding the beef. I skipped it my first try and the meat cooked grey instead of browning, you could taste it in the final soup. Second time I waited for the HOT indicator and it was noticeably better. I’ve barely touched my IP since I got it two years ago, so I was nervous this would end in a mess, but browning to bowl was under 30 minutes. The ricotta nearly didn’t make it in. I figured cheese in brothy soup would be weird, but stirred a spoonful in and it just worked. Quick question: has anyone made this on the stovetop for a friend without a pressure cooker?

This has become my go-to weeknight IP dinner. Made it probably six times now. The Worcestershire sauce was the surprise; it adds depth that makes the broth taste like it simmered for hours instead of five minutes. One honest note: the Italian seasoning listed is the floor, not the ceiling. At the recipe amount it’s good, but I bumped it up to a full tablespoon and a half with a small pinch of red pepper flakes, and it just clicked. Worth knowing if you like your Italian food with some backbone. Solid enough to reward tinkering.

One thing that will make or break this if you’re new to shirataki pasta: rinse them really well, pat them dry, and do a quick dry toast in a hot pan before they go in. I did not do any of that my first time and there was this strange smell coming out of the pot that nearly made me scrap the whole thing. Turns out that’s just what unprepped shirataki does. Completely avoidable once you know. Second batch, five minutes under pressure, and the broth smelled exactly like a pot of lasagna filling had been going all afternoon. The ricotta and mozzarella spooned right on top while it’s still steaming is not optional in my book. That melty layer is what makes this feel like real lasagna and not just soup with beef in it.

My mom made lasagna every Sunday. Didn’t think I’d ever get that feeling back on keto. The ricotta hit different.

My husband doesn’t usually comment on weeknight meals, but after this he asked when I was making it again. The ricotta is what won him over, I think. I left a small bowl on the table and he kept adding more to his serving. Going into the rotation.

I was not sold on the idea of soup passing for lasagna, I’ll be honest. Made it anyway because I had ground beef I needed to use up and the shirataki noodles were the part I kept hesitating over. They kind of fade into the broth (in a good way) and the ricotta on top is what actually ties everything together. Wasn’t expecting that. Going in the rotation.

Threw a parmesan rind in the broth before sealing the lid and it came out way deeper than I expected from 5 minutes.

The soup itself is solid, but I wish someone had warned me to rinse and dry the shirataki noodles first. Skipped that step and ended up with a fishy smell that took a few minutes to cook off. Next batch I’ll get it right.

I went keto almost a year ago thinking lasagna was just… done for me. Made peace with it. Then I tried this on a random weeknight and when I stirred the ricotta into the broth and took that first bite, it stopped me cold. That flavor brought back every Sunday at my mom’s table. I didn’t expect a soup to do that to me, but here we are.

Used spicy Italian sausage instead of ground beef (it’s what I had) and stirred the ricotta into the broth at the end instead of putting it on top. Got so thick and creamy. Obsessed with this soup now.