Easy Instant Pot Lasagna

Today we’re going to have a vulnerable talk, ok friends? I’m going to get down and dirty about some of my darkest moments as of late and we’re going to talk through how I’m walking the fine line between mental breakdown and mental health on a daily basis. Yes, we’ll also share this recipe for Easy Instant Pot Lasagna, but if you’re one of those people who are here for the words, stick around. This is a good one. (If not, hit that Skip The Chit Chat button above and don’t even regret it for a second).

The Thing About Failure

I have been going through a period of failure lately. I don’t mean perceived failure. I mean actual failure, where I try something and don’t succeed. Sometimes it’s an epic trainwreck. Today we’re going to talk about one of those times.

For the past few months, I’ve been stepping out and trying new things, pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, especially when it comes to writing. In order to do that, I’ve been taking freelance writing jobs that are out of my norm, more journalistic writing rather than touchy-feely narratives. It is one of these jobs where I had an epic fail.

I don’t know how, but by some stroke of luck, I was offered a job writing an advertorial article about a remote dive resort in Indonesia for a Dutch Scuba Diving website (pay attention, the fact that they’re Dutch will come into play here in a bit). Yeah, not necessarily my cup of tea, but I figured I would give it my best writer’s try and trusted that my writing skills would, at the very least, provide a passable article.

Y’all. They did not.

I struggled through this piece like a champ. I couldn’t get in my flow. I felt insecure the entire time I was writing it. I knew, from the very beginning, that this was not my thing and, further, that I didn’t like this kind of writing. Yet still, I persisted, and after a bit of back and forth with the client asking for feedback (which I was told “this is a great start”), I finally submitted the article at 6:15 am on a Friday morning with my heart in my throat. I was sure it was not good enough.

Now it’s important to note that writers are an insecure bunch, and we feel that way about even our best work. But this time, I wasn’t just sure it was not good enough, I knew it as a fact. I submitted it to the editor and, for a good while, we went back and forth on the Google doc, editing and correcting areas she felt needed tightening up. This was good because, if you don’t know, the best part of writing comes in refining and I was getting real-time correction and direction. Which can only make me better.

Except she ghosted me. She disappeared from the Google doc and stopped responding to my edits. I had no idea what to make of it but assumed (wrongly) that we were done and she was satisfied with the job. Except, she wasn’t. Three days later, as the job lay open in my “work file” and I hadn’t heard back from the client, I reached out and asked for feedback and to close the job.

The response I got blew my mind. Without going into the nitty gritty, I was told that the editor just decided to use my work as a basis and rewrite the whole thing because I had missed the deadline and they couldn’t take the risk of using me any further.

I immediately felt like an idiot and a failure. I questioned everything about my process, and myself, and considered giving up writing altogether and joining a gardening club like we all know I’m eventually going to do anyway. Oh, and I also cried because I didn’t understand. I didn’t miss the deadline. I submitted it on the morning of September 30th one day early, specifically because I knew there would be edits and rewrites required. I had communicated when I was going to submit it, as in “I will submit it tomorrow morning.” And I had been working in real-time with the editor. It wasn’t my best work, but I’m not a fool. I could have made it work.

But what really happened is that I started to go down a shame spiral.

I was going from 0 to “I’m a complete failure” without stopping at GO in 10 seconds flat and I was about to combust into a pile of shame.

But, the good news is that I’ve learned through therapy that the best way to stop a spiral is to actually lean into it. To get curious about the emotions and the thoughts, to sit with the disappointment and shame and examine it.

So the first thing I did was bust out my journal and write out everything I was feeling–the good, the bad, the ugly. This allowed me to see everything from a bird’s eye view, taking a more objective look at where I dropped the ball and where the other person did. Not assigning blame or emotion to these failures, just viewing them for what they are.

The second thing I did was write out these words on a sticky note right by my computer:

You are resilient

You are growing

You are learning

You are human

These four affirmations remind me that I am not a failure, I am human. That I am growing and learning even through the failures and missteps. And that pressing into the feelings and the emotions around these “fails” allows me to become resilient instead of bitter.

I know it sounds crazy, but I will be saying these on repeat until they sink in and I am no longer labeling myself a failure.

Oh, and on a side note, the other thing this allows me to do is to take accurate, non-emotional stock of the entire situation. For this particular one, I realized that the main problem here was a time zone difference that neither party noticed nor addressed. I didn’t submit it late, as he asserted. I submitted it right on time, for my time zone. I was a full day ahead with plenty of time. Except for him, it was late in the evening the day before publication and that was not enough time for him to take a risk. Something I understand.

However, because I was able to take the emotion out of it, while I was able to express to this client my apologies for not recognizing the time zone difference and adjusting accordingly, I could also express that the onus was on them, as the client, to communicate with me that they were going in a different direction and not leave it to me to reach out and close the job days later. It was the professional equivalent of ghosting and that’s not ok, every writer or freelancer deserves more. I never heard back, of course, and didn’t expect to. But I can rest in the fact that I stood my ground while also admitting my error.

It was the only way I could get closure, and it had nothing to do with their response.

Anyway, failure is part of being human. If you aren’t failing, you’re not trying very hard. The truth is that this failure taught me a valuable lesson: I suck at and DO NOT LIKE Advertorial journalistic writing. But the important part is not to let the failures win. Be curious but not judgemental. Press into them. Learn from them. And use these affirmations until the sting is gone and the lessons are learned.

Now, for the recipe.

In no way is this recipe for Easy Instant Pot Lasagna related to failure. In fact, it was a pretty easy recipe to create and pretty fun to perfect. It only took three tries to get it where I wanted it, and after test-driving it on my very patient family and getting the thumbs up, I knew it was time to share.

The truth is that my life is so hectic right now with kids and sports and carpooling that Instant Pot and CrockPot meals are the only things standing between me and the drive-thru lane. On certain nights (I’m looking at you Monday and Thursday) if I don’t have something prepared and waiting for me, there is a 100% chance I am getting takeout. And I just really don’t want to do that, especially considering I’m trying desperately to take my health back.

So I’ve been on a mission to use all of my creative juices to get some easy make-ahead meals going, and this is the best one of the bunch so far. There is nothing not to love about noodles, rich meats, and decadent cheeses in a layer cake fashion. Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food that way. But to have it ready in the Instant Pot is next-level dreaminess for busy parents.

A few recipe notes: I added chopped mushrooms to cut down on cost and add a sneaky vegetable. If you don’t like mushrooms, use 1 1/2 pounds of turkey instead of 1. This can easily be adapted to a crockpot. While I haven’t tried this because if I need it made far in advance, I just cook it and let it stay warm until I’m ready for it, if you’re on “team crockpot” this is a great resource that might help you convert cooking times correctly. Just make sure to only add the dairy at the end, maybe the last 30 minutes, so it doesn’t break down during slow cooking.

No matter how you slice it, though, this recipe for Easy Instant Pot Lasagna is a busy parent’s dream. Kids love the cheesy goodness and you’ll love that it is budget-friendly. Add a green vegetable and you might even win “Parent of the Year.” No promises, just saying.

Peace, love, and failures,

Meg

Easy Instant Pot Lasagna

October 7, 2022

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By: Meaghan Dawson

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey
1 8 ounce package of mushroom, roughly chopped
1 onion, minced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oregano, basil, or a combination of both (fresh is best)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
crushed red pepper
1 24 ounce jar pasta sauce of your choosing
2 cups water
11 lasagna noodles (no boil)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions

Step 1 Turn your instant pot to saute and heat.
Step 2 Add a drizzle of oil and the turkey. Cook, breaking apart as you go until it’s almost completely browned.
Step 3 Add onions, garlic, mushrooms, and basil/oregano.
Step 4 Cook, stirring to incorporate, until turkey is brown and vegetables are softened.
Step 5 Add tomato paste and a pinch of red pepper, stirring until well incorporated.
Step 6 Add pasta sauce and 1 cup of water.
Step 7 Breaking the noodles apart if necessary, layer them on top of each other, pressing gently down into the liquid.
Step 8 Add remaining cup of water and press until the noodles are submerged but still visible.
Step 9 Close and seal the lid. Set to High Pressure and cook for 5 minutes.
Step 10 In the meantime, combine the ricotta and the parmesan with a pinch of salt and stir.
Step 11 When done cooking, allow pot to naturally release for 10 minutes.
Step 12 Do a quick release and then drop ricotta mixture by the spoonful on top of the noodles. Sprinkle with mozzarella, cover, and cook on “warm” for 10 more minutes or until completely melted through.
Step 13 ENJOY!

Easy Instant Pot Lasagna

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Easy Instant Pot Lasagna

The Thing About Failure

Y’all. They did not.

But what really happened is that I started to go down a shame spiral.

It was the only way I could get closure, and it had nothing to do with their response.