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

SaveSaved Pin Print

Slow Cooker Lasagna

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: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Equipment

• 6 or 7-quart slow cooker

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ ½ pound ground beef
• ▢ ½ pound spicy sausage
• ▢ 1 cup diced onion about 1 medium onion
• ▢ 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• ▢ 2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ salt to taste
• ▢ ground black pepper to taste
• ▢ 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• ▢ ½ cup parmesan cheese
• ▢ 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• ▢ 9 oven ready lasagna noodles

Instructions 

• Spray the bowl of a 6 or 7-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a 12-inch skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add ½ pound ground beef and ½ pound spicy sausage and cook for 7-10 minutes until browned and no pink remains.
• Add 1 cup diced onion and 4 teaspoons minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in 2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce, 1 cup water, and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste
• To assemble the lasagna, layer ¼ of the meat sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker. Break up 3 of the 9 oven ready lasagna noodles so they fit evenly on top, overlapping them if needed. Add a third of the 16 ounces ricotta cheese, ¼ cup of the ½ cup parmesan cheese, and ½ cup of the 2 cups mozzarella cheese.
• Repeat the layers twice more, until you use up the remaining ingredients, reserving the last ½ cup of mozzarella cheese for topping before serving.
• Cook on LOW for 4 hours, until the noodles are fully tender. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of mozzarella on top and cover to melt the cheese, about 5 minutes.
• Turn the slow cooker to WARM and let the lasagna rest for 15-30 minutes before serving to make dishing it up easier.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 479kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 29gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 1056mgPotassium: 652mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 956IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 368mgIron: 3mg

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!