Easy Air Fryer Lasagna
Description
Easy air fryer lasagna with Italian sausage, three cheeses, no-boil noodles, and a golden bubbly top. Ready in under an hour with no oven needed — perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- ½ pound ground Italian sausage
- 24 ounces marinara sauce, Rao's, Victoria, or your favorite
- 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 sheets no-boil lasagna noodles, Barilla or Ronzoni Oven-Ready
- 6 fresh basil leaves
- 2 cups low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Brown the sausage. In a small skillet over medium heat, cook the Italian sausage, breaking it into crumbles, until no pink remains, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain excess fat. Remove from heat and stir the marinara sauce directly into the pan with the sausage. Set aside.
- Make the ricotta filling. In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, parmesan, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until smooth. Set aside.
- Assemble the lasagna. Spray an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread ¼ of the meat sauce on the bottom. Top with 2 sheets of lasagna noodles (break to fit). Spread on ⅓ of the ricotta mixture, tear 2 basil leaves over the top, and sprinkle with ¼ of the mozzarella. Repeat layers two more times. Finish with a top layer of noodles, the remaining sauce, and the rest of the mozzarella.
- Preheat the air fryer to 360°F for 5 minutes.
- Cook phase one. Place the lasagna dish in the air fryer basket and cook at 360°F for 30 minutes, uncovered. This browns the top.
- Cook phase two. Reduce the temperature to 280°F. Cover the dish tightly with foil, tucking the edges under the rim of the dish so the foil does not lift in the airflow. Cook for another 20 minutes. This softens the no-boil noodles all the way through.
- Rest before slicing. Remove the lasagna from the air fryer and let it rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Garnish with extra parmesan and fresh basil. Slice and serve.
Equipment
- Air fryer (5-quart or larger)
- 8×8×2.5-inch oven-safe baking dish
- Small skillet,
- Mixing Bowl
- Aluminum Foil
- Cooking Spray
Notes
- If your air fryer runs hot (Paula Deen, compact basket-style models), flip the phases: cover with foil for the first 25 minutes at 360°F, then uncover for the last 5 minutes to brown. Same total time, no burnt cheese.
- For frozen or refrigerated make-ahead lasagna, see the time and temperature chart in the post above.
- Pan size: If your basket cannot fit an 8×8, use a 7-inch round cake or springform pan, or divide between 8-ounce ramekins.
- Internal temperature should reach 165°F at the center for food safety.
- Make ahead: assemble up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate. Add 5 minutes to the first cook phase when going from cold.
- Storage: refrigerator up to 4 days; freezer up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1ServingCalories: 376kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 20gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 1010mgPotassium: 469mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 737IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 303mgIron: 2mg