Slow Cooker Lasagna

Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna layered with noodles, homemade meat sauce and three kinds of cheese! This lasagna takes only 15 minutes of prep time and couldn’t be any easier to make!

Italian dinners are a family favorite in our house. This is The BEST Lasagna or this Three Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells are perfectly paired with this .Homemade Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread.

The Best Slow Cooker Lasagna

Who would have thought you could make Lasagna in a slow cooker?! I saw the idea on Pinterest and was pleasantly surprised when I decided to make it. It is so flavorful and couldn’t be easier to make. Cooking lasagna in the slow cooker gives the cooked all day flavor with little effort.

What I love most about this crockpot lasagna is that it can be made in advance and takes only 15 minutes of prep time! Your house will smell amazing while this lasagna cooks all day.

Easy Lasagna Ingredients

• Ground beef and sausage: I chose to do a mixture of both for optimal flavor! Feel free to use one or the other or omit and substitute roasted veggies to make this dish vegetarian.
• Onions and garlic: Add so much flavor to the meat sauce.
• Tomato sauce and water: Are the base of the meat sauce. Water helps to thin out the sauce so the lasagna does not burn in the slow cooker.
• Cheese: We use three types of cheese’s in this recipe: ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella.
• Lasagna noodles: It is important to make sure to use the oven ready noodles for best results.

How to Make Lasagna in the Slow Cooker

1. Make the meat sauce: Add olive oil to a large skillet or pot. Add in sausage and ground beef and cook until golden brown and no longer pink. Add in the onion and garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes or so to develop some color. Stir in tomato sauce, water and Italian seasoning. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Assemble: Layer 1/4 of the meat sauce onto the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with 3 lasagna noodles breaking them up so they fit. It is okay if they overlap. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta on top of the noodles then sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat with two more layers or until you run out of ingredients. The last layer should be tomato sauce.
3. Cook: For 4 hours on low heat or until noodles are tender. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella on top and cover to melt the cheese. This should take only a couple of minutes.
4. Serve: I let the lasagna rest for 15-30 minutes to make slicing easier. Serve with fresh basil for garnish, if desired.

What to serve with Classic Lasagna

• Antipasto Salad
• Panzanella Salad
• Homemade Breadtwists
• Roasted Asparagus
• Parmesan Roasted Vegetables

Storage Instructions

• Store: Leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Freeze: Lasagna freezes really well and can be stored for up to 4 months in the freezer. To reheat lasagna simply thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the micorwave or covered in a skillet with a bit of water.

More Delicious Slow Cooker Dinner Ideas

• Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs
• Easy Crockpot Tomato Sauce
• Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
• Beef Bourguignon
• Jambalaya Recipe

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Slow Cooker Lasagna

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By: Kelley Simmons

Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna layered with noodles, homemade meat sauce and three kinds of cheese! This lasagna takes only 15 minutes of prep time and couldn't be any easier to make!

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Equipment

• 1 Slow Cooker 5, 6, or 7-quart

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 1 pound lean ground beef
• ▢ 1 cup diced onion about 1 medium onion
• ▢ 4 teaspoons minced garlic about 4 cloves
• ▢ 1 (26-ounce) jar marinara sauce
• ▢ 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• ▢ ½ cup water
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 (16-ounce) container small curd cottage cheese
• ▢ 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ▢ ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• ▢ 10 uncooked lasagna noodles
• ▢ chopped fresh parsley optional garnish

Instructions 

• Spray the bowl of a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• Add 1 pound lean ground beef to a large 12 or 14-inch skillet and cook for 7-10 minutes over medium-high heat until browned and no pink remains. Drain any grease.
• Add 1 cup diced onion and 4 teaspoons minced garlic, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in 1 (26-ounce) jar marinara sauce, 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste, ½ cup water, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt , and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, and stir to combine.
• Combine the 1 (16-ounce) container small curd cottage cheese, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, and ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese in a large bowl.
• To assemble the lasagna, layer ¼ of the meat sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker. Layer about a third of the 10 uncooked lasagna noodles on top of the meat sauce, breaking them up as needed. Add a third of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles.
• Repeat the layers twice more, finishing with the last third of the cheese mixture on top.
• Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours, until the noodles are fully tender.
• Turn the slow cooker to WARM and let the lasagna rest for 15-30 minutes before serving to make dishing it up easier. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 423kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 34gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 1391mgPotassium: 893mgFiber: 4gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1050IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 312mgIron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner, entree, Main Course, main dish

Cuisine: Italian, Italian American

Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!