Slow Cooker Lasagna

Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna recipe – layers of rich tomato meat sauce, noodles you don’t have to pre-boil and plenty of melty cheese. Feed a crowd or scale or 2 with a leftover lunch or freezer meal.

This Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna is everything I love about classic lasagna – layers of rich tomato meat sauce, tender noodles you don’t even have to pre-boil, plenty of melty cheese and those lightly crispy edges around the sides that I always sneak first.

Make it classic with ricotta or swap pureed cottage cheese for a Midwest style twist. Either way, your whole house will smell incredible.

It’s cozy, comforting, hearty and tastes like you spent all day making it, but the slow cooker does most of the heavy lifting for you. Assemble, turn it on and whether you’re home or have stuff to do – dinner will be ready in about 3 hours.

Why this recipe hits home:

• Great for busy weeknights – layer, turn it on and in a few hours dinner is ready.
• Keep it classic with ricotta or swap cottage cheese for a higher-protein Midwest-style twist. Either way, this is the kind of comforting dinner you’ll want to make on repeat all year long.
• Perfect for entertaining because it stays warm in the crockpot for hours.
• Tastes (texture too!) like classic lasagna but can cook even while you’re not home.
• Flexible – ideal family dinner – or scale for two people with leftovers for lunch or a freezer meal.

Ingredients needed to make Slow Cooker Lasagna:

• lean ground beef
• yellow onion
• garlic powder
• salt and black pepper
• Italian seasoning
• worcestershire sauce
• tomato paste
• ricotta cheese (see subs and variations below – high protein option)
• large egg
• grated parmesan cheese
• fresh parsley
• mozzarella cheese
• jar marinara sauce
• regular lasagna noodles – not oven-ready noodles
• nonstick cooking spray

How to make Lasagna in a slow cooker:

In a large skillet over medium heat brown ground beef. Season with salt, black pepper,  garlic powder and italian seasoning. Add onion and continue cooking 2-3 minutes or until onions are tender tender and beef is no longer pink.

Stir in worcestershire sauce and tomato paste. Continue cooking 2 minutes. Drain any excess fat.

Pour sauce into the meat mixture. Add a splash of water, red wine OR beef stock to to the jar. Cover, shake and pour into the skillet to get the rest of the sauce out. Cook 5 minutes to let flavors come together.

To a medium bowl, blend ricotta, egg, parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella and chopped parsley and set aside.

Assembly:

Lightly coat the bottom and sides of the crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Add about 1/2 cup of meat sauce or enough for a thin layer. Top with a layer of uncooked noodles, breaking them to fit in a single layer.

Add spoonfuls of ricotta blend over the top then spread to mostly cover the noodles.

Repeat layers:

• sauce
• noodles
• cheese
• ending with the sauce. 

Top with remaining mozzarella.

Cover the crockpot with a clean dish towel then add the lid. The dish towel traps excess moisture so the lasagna isn’t watery.

Cook on LOW about 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until noodles are tender. Let the lasagna rest 10 minutes before cutting into it.

Note: Every slow cooker heats and cooks differently – total time may vary. My lasagna was done in just over 2 1/2 hours on LOW. Yours may take more or less time.

Tips for the best Slow Cooker Lasagna:

• Grate your own cheese if time allows. It melts better than pre-packaged.
• Use regular lasagna noodles – not oven-ready, no-boil ones.
• Don’t skip the dish towel hack. It keeps the lasagna perfectly moist without becoming watery.
• Cut the recipe in half and use a smaller crockpot if that fits you best.
• Shred your own mozzarella cheese if time allows. It melts better than prepackaged.
• Lightly grease the crockpot with non-stick cooking spray to prevent it from sticking.
• Drain any excess grease from the meat after cooking it and before you add the sauce.
• Cook on LOW – cooking on too high temperatures may cause the noodles to dry out.
• Be sure the noodles are covered in sauce so they don’t dry out.

Can I make Slow Cooker Lasagna ahead of time?

Yes – you can prep – the lasagna ahead – cooking the beef and making the sauce but wait to assemble until you’re ready to turn the crockpot on. If it sits too long before cooking, the noodles may soak up to much of the sauce.

Subs and variations:

Ricotta or cottage cheese? it’s personal preference – and maybe a Midwest thing. I usually use cottage cheese (note: puree it before mixing with other cheeses). It’s less expensive, I buy it weekly anyway, it has way more protein than ricotta and you won’t taste the difference.

Italian sausage cooked – use instead of ground beef or do a 50/50 mix of the two.

Add other vegetables to the sauce – sauteed mushrooms, shredded zucchini, spinach or diced tomatoes would all be delicious.

Other meats work well too like ground chicken or lean ground turkey.

Fresh basil garnish finished dish with a sprinkle.

Best side dishes with lasagna:

Focaccia Bread (from pizza dough)

Antipasto Salad

Cheesy Garlic Bread sticks

Storage and reheating:

Cool leftovers completely then store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at 30 second intervals – makes a great lunch the next day.

Why make lasagna in a crockpot instead of the oven?

• No boiling noodles: use regular uncooked lasagna noodles.
• Set-it-and-forget-it convenience: You don’t even have to be home while dinner cooks – perfect for busy days!
• Uniform cooking: low, consistent heat makes sure the lasagna noodles cook evenly – but you still have those lightly crispy edges we all love!
• Great for entertaining because the crockpot can keep the lasagna warm for hours.

More easy Italian recipes:

20 Minute Italian Sausage Tortellini

One Pot Sausage Rigatoni

20 Minute Chicken Tortellini Alfredo

4 Ingredient Pesto Pasta

Enjoy this easy Crockpot Lasagna recipe! Full details in the printable recipe card below.