Make the best slow cooker lasagna ever for dinner tonight. It's cheesy, gooey, and delicious lasagna goodness in every bite. With just a few quick steps, you'll love this lazy lasagna recipe!
Take one bite and you'll know that this is the best slow cooker lasagna you've ever tasted. And you won’t believe how easy this classic comfort food is to make in your slow cooker!
Making lasagna this way is so much easier, you may never go back to the oven!
Slow Cooker Lasagna
I found out you could do pasta in the Crock Pot when I came up with my Crock Pot Baked Ziti recipe, so I figured it only made sense to try it with lasagna next. And oh boy, am I glad it did! What happened was simply amazing.
The best part? You don’t even have to cook the pasta before putting it in the crock pot.
If you are like me and think the noodles will turn to mush you are wrong! The cook time is shorter than a typical slow cooker meal so it doesn’t cook all day which would likely make the noodles fall apart. They came out just right with this recipe!
There are actually tons of Italian recipes you can make in your slow cooker, two other easy ones are Creamy Italian Chicken and Bruschetta Chicken, if you aren’t feeling pasta.
How to Make Lasagna in the Slow Cooker
Are you ready for the secret to this slow cooker lasagna recipe? Here it comes...
The secret is that you don’t add any water to the pasta- the tomato sauce slowly cooks the pasta for you! It does all the work so you can enjoy a delicious meal that's cooked perfectly every time.
This recipe is so simple that all you have to do is mix a few ingredients together and then layer them all together in your slow cooker. Then just like that- you have a traditional lasagna ready for dinner that your whole family will love.
How to Layer Lasagna
The key to a good lasagna is all in the layering.
You want to make sure that each layer has enough sauce so the noodles don’t dry out, but not too much, or else your lasagna will be soupy.
I have found that the perfect amount is ½ cup of sauce for each layer.
When you are layering the lasagna, start with a layer of sauce on the bottom of your slow cooker, then add a single layer of noodles.
Break them so they fit snugly in the crock pot.
Top the noodles with half of the ricotta mixture and ½ cup of mozzarella cheese. Continue with a second layer of sauce, noodles, ricotta mixture and mozzarella cheese.
Finish the lasagna with one final layer of noodles, then cover it all with tomato sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Can I Make Lasagna Ahead of Time?
You can absolutely make this lasagna recipe ahead of time!
Just follow all of the instructions up until you are ready to cook it. Instead of cooking it, cover the slow cooker and place it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
When you are ready to cook it, let it sit out on the counter for 30 minutes to come to room temperature. Then cook it according to the recipe instructions.
Cheese, Cheese, and More Cheese!
The triple cheese blend makes this lasagna a melty cheesy masterpiece. All of these cheeses add a unique flavor and gives you that real Italian restaurant lasagna experience.
- Ricotta
- Parmesan
- Mozzarella
Mix it Up and Make It Your Own
One of my favorite parts of lasagna is that you can cater it to any tastes or diet. I went with my classic lasagna recipe which is ground beef, ricotta (part of my famous three cheese combo) and red sauce. But if you don’t like ricotta swap it for cottage cheese. If you are looking for a vegetarian recipe leave out the meat and add more veggies like spinach. Ground beef isn’t your favorite meat use Italian sausage or turkey. The sky is the limit on what you can do with this classic slow cooker lasagna.
Types of Pasta to Use
I actually used these gluten free lasagna noodles instead of traditional noodles. These are no-boil noodles so they do cook faster than regular lasagna noodles. If you are using the regular ones or “boil” you will want to cook the pasta for at least 4 hours. Any type of lasagna noodle will work for this recipe.
Ingredients to Make Slow Cooker Lasagna
- Ground Beef or Crumbled Italian Sausage
- Jarred pasta sauce or homemade sauce
- Lasagna Noodles (see note on no boil noodles)
- Ricotta cheese
- Egg
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Basil
- Salt and Pepper
Step by Step Directions for Slow Cooker Lasagna
Step 1. Spray Slow Cooker with Non Stick Spray or oil.
Step 2. Mix Ricotta Cheese with egg and spices.
Step 3. Add ground beef to a large saute pan, and cook over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through.
Step 4. Add pasta sauce and diced tomatoes and stir.
Food Allergies
Our favorite pasta is the Gluten Free Barillla Pasta line. It doesn't have the aftertaste of some pasta made with beans. I find that it is the best one at staying together while cooking. Some brands disintegrate especially when used in this kind of recipe where the pasta is soaking in sauce soaking.
If you are not gluten free swap the gluten free pasta for any lasagna noodles.
Need A New Crock Pot?
My favorite is this Crock Pot 7 quart Programmable Slow Cooker. First and foremost, I love being able to set the timer in case I'm not home when the food is finished cooking and it just switches to warm. Plus you can lock the lid and just carry it to a party. Not only is it easy to carry but also you will never lose another Tupperware or serving dish again at a potluck party!
Lazy Slow Cooker Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or Italian sausage
- 15 oz ricotta
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon basil
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup grated parmesan plus more for topping
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes with liquid
- 10 oz lasagna noodles no boil
- 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Spray entire slow cooker insert with non-stick spray.
- Add ground beef to a large saute pan, and cook over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through. Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Stir together. This will make your sauce.
- In large bowl, mix Ricotta with egg, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, basil, salt, and pepper.
- Cover bottom of slow cooker with sauce.
- Layer pasta on top of sauce. Layer about 4 lasagna noodles — breaking them into smaller pieces as needed to fit — evenly over the sauce to cover the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Take 5 scoops of the ricotta mixture and drop onto noodles and spread evenly over noodles.
- Top with a layer of mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat these steps two more times. Sauce, noodles, ricotta, mozzarella.
- Cook on high for 2 ½ hours. (see note for boil or traditional noodles)
- Serve with grated parmesan cheese on top.
Notes
Nutrition
More Casseroles
Looking for more easy casseroles? Try this easy Mexican Casserole.
Slow Cooker Enchilada Casserole
Becca says
Hi! The recipe says to add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, but there’s only marinara sauce (no diced tomatoes) in the ingredients. Do you use one regular can drained?
Kris says
I would also like to know! This recipe looks so good, and I really want to try it, but I would like to make it correctly.
Allison Treadwell says
Hi Kris! It is 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes. Sorry for that I'm not sure how they got left out.