Slow Cooker Lasagna

Sharing is caring!

Inside: This easy slow cooker lasagna will amaze you with its delicious flavor but speedy preparation made right in your crock pot.

You will love this slow cooker lasagna recipe for the ease and convenience. With a 4 – 5 hour cooking time, this is the perfect meal for after church on a Sunday.

Or prepare the lasagna on a Saturday at lunch and come home to a delicious meal after running errands or hanging out with the family.

Using the slow cooker is also a great way to have lasagna during the summer without heating up your kitchen. My guys actually prefer this crock pot lasagna to oven-baked lasagna.

a plate with a piece of slow cooker lasagna and a salad and a fork

Slow Cooker Lasagna

You will find a printable copy of the recipe at the bottom of the post.

Ingredients : 

  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 26 oz. spaghetti sauce, store-bought or homemade
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups water – see notes
  • 16 oz. ricotta or cottage cheese
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp. dried parsley
  • 8 lasagna noodles, uncooked
the meat sauce layer of lasagna in the slow cooker

Instructions: 

  1. Brown ground beef and onion in a skillet. Drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water.
  2. In a medium bowl combine ricotta or cottage cheese, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parsley. Mix well
  3. To assemble the lasagna in the slow cooker: Pour 1 cup of the meat sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place 4 noodles on top of the sauce, breaking them up to fit. It is okay if they overlap a bit. Cover with half of the ricotta mixture. (You may have to spoon it on and spread it around gently. It may not quite cover all the noodles, depending on the size of your slow cooker.)
  4. Top with 2 cups of sauce, another layer of 4 noodles, the rest of the ricotta mixture, and the rest of the sauce.
  5. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, depending on your slow cooker. (Store the remaining mozzarella cheese in the refrigerator.)
  6. About 15 minutes before serving, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over the lasagna. Cover and continue to cook until cheese is melted. Serve.
    the ricotta cheese layer of lasagna in the slow cooker

    Notes:

    All slow cookers cook differently. This was perfectly cooked in my slow cooker at the 5-hour mark. If possible, you may want to make this a day when you can check the lasagna after 4 hours. You can always switch the slow cooker to warm if you aren’t quite ready to eat yet.

    I prefer to use oven-ready lasagna noodles for this recipe. It will also work with regular lasagna noodles, but they may be a bit chewier. To help with that, you can add an additional 1/2 cup of water to the sauce.

    slow cooker lasagna in the crock pot

    I’m Julie…

     I enjoy creating (mostly from scratch) slow cooker recipes to help busy families get dinner on the table in a hurry. I use my slow cookers year-round and have even had 3 going at once!

    Slow Cooker Lasagna

    This easy slow cooker lasagna is a great way to serve lasagna when you won't be home to cook it.
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 5 hours
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 6

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 lb. ground beef
    • 1 medium onion, chopped
    • 26 oz. spaghetti sauce, store-bought or homemade
    • 1 to 1 1/2 cups water – see notes
    • 16 oz. ricotta or cottage cheese
    • 2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
    • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
    • 1 egg
    • 1/2 tsp. salt
    • 1/2 tsp. pepper
    • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
    • 1 Tbsp. dried parsley
    • 8 lasagna noodles, uncooked

    Instructions
     

    • Brown ground beef and onion in a skillet. Drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water.
    • In a medium bowl combine ricotta or cottage cheese, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parsley. Mix well
    • To assemble the lasagna in the slow cooker: Pour 1 cup of the meat sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place 4 noodles on top of the sauce, breaking them up to fit. It is okay if they overlap a bit. Cover with half of the ricotta mixture. (You may have to spoon it on and spread it around gently. It may not quite cover all the noodles, depending on the size of your slow cooker.)
    • Top with 2 cups of sauce, another layer of 4 noodles, the rest of the ricotta mixture, and the rest of the sauce.
    • Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, depending on your slow cooker. (Store the remaining mozzarella cheese in the refrigerator.)
    • About 15 minutes before serving, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over the lasagna. Cover and continue to cook until cheese is melted. Serve.

    Notes

    All slow cookers cook differently. This was perfectly cooked in my slow cooker at the 5-hour mark.
    I prefer to use oven-ready lasagna noodles for this recipe. It will also work with regular lasagna noodles, but they may be a bit chewier. To help with that, you can add an additional 1/2 cup of water to the sauce.

    Sharing is caring!

    Similar Posts

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating