This easy crockpot lasagna layers meat sauce, a ricotta and mozzarella cheese mix, and regular lasagna noodles that go in dry and soften right in the slow cooker. No boiling and no babysitting the oven. Just layer it at lunchtime and dinner is ready in about 5 hours.
Look, I don’t want to throw my mama under the bus here or anything, but I have to tell you something…
The only lasagna I ate as a kid was the frozen kind.
I mean, I get it.
She just hadn’t discovered crock pot lasagna and didn’t really know how truly easy lasagna can be!
Now we’re all lasagna snobs over here. Homemade or bust, my friends! 😉
We love this crockpot lasagna recipe because it’s so simple to throw together. There’s no need to boil the noodles first. Regular lasagna noodles go in dry and soak up the sauce as everything cooks together.
Slow cooker lasagna is made just like traditional lasagna. The big difference is that you don’t boil the noodles, and you can start it well before the dinner rush so it’s ready when you are. I use a 6 to 7 quart crockpot for this recipe.
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- No boiling noodles. Regular lasagna noodles go in dry and cook right in the sauce, so there’s one less pot to wash and no floppy noodles to contend with.
- Hands-off dinner. Assemble it at lunchtime and it’s ready by dinner. The oven stays free for garlic bread.
- Real-deal lasagna. Meat sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Readers say it tastes like the oven-baked kind.
Crock Pot Lasagna Ingredients:
Lasagna Noodles – Use regular lasagna noodles, uncooked, straight from the box. Skip the oven-ready (no-boil) noodles. Readers who tried them found they turned the lasagna soggy, since they’re thinner and soak up the sauce too fast. You’ll need 12 ounces, which is about 3/4 of a standard 16-ounce box.
Meat Sauce – You’ll make a quick meat sauce with ground beef, garlic and onion, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, and tomato paste. Jarred spaghetti sauce works in place of marinara, too. The tomato paste adds rich tomato flavor, and the cup of water gives the dry noodles enough liquid to soak up as they cook. If you’re feeling ambitious, make our homemade spaghetti sauce.
Cheese Mix – The cheese layer is a mix of ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan, plus minced garlic and fresh parsley. You can swap the ricotta for cottage cheese. If you don’t love the curds, one reader tip is to blend the cottage cheese until smooth first.
Crockpot Recommendation!
In the market for a new slow cooker? We love this 7 quart Crockpot. It’s simple to use, cooks evenly, and is very budget friendly. Plus, it has a 4 1/2 star rating with over 60,000 reviews on Amazon!
How to Make Lasagna in the Crockpot:
Meat Sauce: Brown the beef with the onion and garlic. Drain off any excess fat once the meat is cooked through, then stir in the marinara, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and 1 cup of water. The sauce should be a little looser than usual. That extra liquid is what cooks the noodles.
Cheese Mix: Prep your cheeses by combining ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, garlic, and parsley. You can use cottage cheese in place of ricotta if that’s more your speed.
PICKY KID Tip!
Cut the onions very small or even blitz them in a blender or food processor. You’ll still get the flavor without the chunks that kids seem to hate!
Layer: Crockpot lasagna layers just like traditional lasagna: meat sauce, noodles, cheese, repeat. Start with 1/4 of the meat sauce in the bottom of the crockpot. Top with noodles, breaking them into pieces to fit. Don’t worry if they overlap a bit. Then add 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Repeat for three layers total.
Slow Cook: Cover and cook on low for about 5 hours, until the noodles are tender when you poke a knife through the center. Every crockpot runs a little different. Readers have reported anywhere from 3 1/2 to 5 hours, so start checking around the 4-hour mark and set to ‘warm’ until ready to serve.
Try serving this easy Crockpot lasagna recipe with some of my favorite cream cheese garlic bread!
FAQs:
Make the meat sauce up to a day ahead and refrigerate it, then layer everything right before cooking. I don’t recommend assembling the whole lasagna the night before, because the dry noodles soak up liquid while it sits and the timing gets tricky.
Cut leftovers into servings and refrigerate in a covered dish for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave, or in a 350°F oven covered with foil for 10 to 15 minutes, until heated through. You can also freeze leftovers for 2 to 3 months.
Regular lasagna noodles, uncooked. They go in dry and cook in the sauce. Don’t use oven-ready (no-boil) noodles. They’re thinner and readers found they made the lasagna soggy.
About 5 hours on low. Slow cookers vary, so start checking around 4 hours. It’s done when a knife slides easily through the noodles in the center.
MORE ITALIAN INSPIRED RECIPES!
- Baked Spaghetti: Similar to a lasagna, but with spaghetti.
- Homemade Italian Dressing: An easy and low carb salad dressing!
- Homemade Alfredo Sauce: So creamy and so easy!
- Pork Tenderloin: Topped off with a garlic butter sauce.
- Eggplant Parmesan: This classic Italian recipe is so easy in the air fryer!
- Turkey Meatballs: Serve these with some spaghetti and marinara for a healthier take on spaghetti and meatballs.
- Baked Ziti with Meat: The white sauce makes this recipe extra special.
Crockpot Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 sweet onion minced
- 5 cloves garlic minced, divided
- 24 ounces marinara or spaghetti sauce
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella divided
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces regular lasagna noodles uncooked (not oven-ready), about 3/4 of a standard 16 ounce box
Instructions
- Add the ground beef, onion, and 3 cloves of garlic to a skillet over medium heat, crumbling the meat as it cooks. Drain the grease from the skillet and add the marinara, tomato paste, Italian seasoning and 1 cup of water to the beef. Stir well to combine.
- Add the ricotta, 1 cup of mozzarella, Parmesan, parsley, salt, and reserved 2 cloves of minced garlic to a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Spray a 6-7 quart slow cooker with non-stick spray.
- Place ¼ of the meat sauce into the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Layer 1/3 of the noodles over the sauce, breaking them up to cover the entire area. The noodles will overlap a bit.
- Spoon 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Repeat layers twice, ending with meat sauce.
- Sprinkle with the reserved cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or until noodles are tender. Slow cookers vary, so start checking around 4 hours and set to 'warm' until ready to serve.
Tips & Notes:
Video
Nutrition Information:
This recipe was originally published in January 2020 and has been updated with new photos, tips, and answers to your most common questions. Original photos below.
Karen Prine says
I have been making quarts of the “Chili’s copycat salsa” weekly for family and friends. It is to die for delicious and so easy. It’s EXACTLY like Chili’s and my husband could eat Mexican food 6 days a week. Recently tried the Mediterranean Chicken with the amazing marinade cooked on the grill. Now that is a game changing marinade! Thank you, Carly!
Karly Campbell says
I’m so glad you like the recipes! Thanks, Karen! <3