Easy Air Fryer Lasagna

Picture layers of al dente noodles, rich meat sauce and creamy Parmesan white sauce tied together with Mozzarella cheese. Absolutely divine and much quicker than your average oven lasagna.

I have already shared a recipe for Vegetarian Lasagna made in the Air Fryer… and I got a lot of requests for a classic meaty lasagna recipe. Well folks, here it is and it was worth the wait.

Air Fryer Lasagna Ingredients

We have three elements that make up our lasagna: a beef meat sauce, a white sauce and the lasagna noodles. Let’s not forget all the cheese too… mmmm, melting mozzarella 🙂

• Meat sauce: I normally make a ragu from scratch for lasagna, until I discovered just how incredibly quick and easy it is to make the sauce in the air fryer using only olive oil, ground beef, marinara sauce and seasonings! You can also use a mix of ground beef and ground pork if preferred or the always popular Italian sausage instead.
• White sauce: a classic Bechamel sauce is a must for a creamy and cheesy air fryer lasagna. It is easy to make using butter, flour, milk and cheese but if you are pressed for time you can also buy pretty good Lasagna white sauce in certain stores.
• Fresh lasagna noodles are the best option for air fryer lasagna as it cooks quickly and doesn’t require soaking or cooking beforehand.
• And finally the cheese… I used freshly grated Parmesan and shredded Mozzarella but Gruyere cheese is also excellent.

How to Make Air Fryer Lasagna

↓ For the full ingredients and detailed method, jump to the recipe card.

Make the White Sauce

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and stir to make a roux. Cook for a minute or two, then start gradually adding the milk, stirring constantly to incorporate it into the sauce.
2. Stir in the garlic powder, mustard powder and salt. Once all the milk has been added you can stir in the grated Parmesan and season with freshly grated nutmeg. Set the sauce aside so it can cool down and thicken.

Prepare the Meat Sauce

1. Preheat the air fryer to 180°C / 350°F for 3 minutes. Add olive oil to a pan that fits in your air fryer (I used my Tefal ingenio pots that have removable handles). Stir in the ground beef, garlic powder, salt and Italian seasoning. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the beef is browned.
2. Stir in the marinara sauce and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring halfway, or until the sauce is bubbling.

Assemble the Lasagna

1. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish (or anything of similar size that fits in your air fryer) with olive oil. Add a layer of meat sauce and spread it to cover the bottom of your dish.

1. Top with lasagna noodles, cutting them to fit as needed. Spread another layer of meat sauce over the pasta then spoon some of the white sauce over it. Sprinkle with a little mozarella and repeat until you have used all of the red sauce.

1. Use all the remaining white sauce to top the lasagna then sprinkle with grated Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Cook the Lasagna in the Air Fryer

1. Cover the top of the lasagna with foil, making sure it is either clipped or wrapped around the bottom of your dish so it doesn’t fly off.
2. Cook for 25 minutes at 180°C (350°F) then carefully remove the foil and continue to cook for a further 5-10 minutes at 160° (325°F), checking to make sure the top is not browning too quickly.

Serving Suggestions

Allow the lasagna to cool down in the air fryer basket until you can easily lift it out. Leave it to stand for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving with a side salad and some garlicky dough balls.

Storing and Freezing

The glass baking dish I used for this recipe conveniently comes with a lid – perfect for storing leftovers in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes before serving.

You can also freeze the lasagna for up to three months – I like to keep a couple of portions stashed in the freezer as standby dinner for hectic days…

Recipe Variations

• There are so many ways to add your own spin to this classic Lasagna recipe.
• You can easily replace the ground beef with a vegetarian or vegan mince.
• I love adding a little pesto between the layers for an extra injection of flavor.
• Replace some of the noodles with layers of vegetable ribbons such as zucchini or squash.

Recipe Tips

• Avoid overfilling your dish when assembling the lasagna to avoid spills. If you fill it right to the top then the cheese is likely to stick to the foil anyway – you definitely want to avoid that.
• Make sure the foil is tightly wrapped or clipped to the dish, otherwise the circulating air will cause it to come off. I always use these small clips whenever needed in my air fryer.
• Different air fryer models really do vary in the way the cook. I noticed that my Cosori runs at least 5 degrees hotter than the Instant Vortex for example. It’s always worth checking on the lasagna while it cooks to make sure the top is not browning too much.

Check Out My Air Fryer Recipes!

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