Crockpot Lasagna

Crockpot lasagna gives you all the cheesy layers and rich flavor of classic lasagna without boiling the noodles or turning on the oven. Regular uncooked lasagna noodles, an amazing homemade meat sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan are layered right in the slow cooker for an easy, comforting family dinner.

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Crockpot lasagna gives you all the cheesy layers and rich flavor of classic lasagna without boiling the noodles or turning on the oven. Regular uncooked lasagna noodles, a homemade meat sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan are layered right in the slow cooker for an easy, comforting family dinner.

This slow cooker lasagna is everything you love about a traditional lasagna without boiling noodles or the need to be home while it cooks. This recipe comes together while you are busy dealing with other things, and is perfect to come home to. Your family will love this amazing and delicious dinner.

Reader Review

Positively the best lasagna ive ever had! Easy Peasy!! Don’t have to worry about heating up the house with the oven in the summer time!

close up side view of a piece of crockpot lasagna recipe

Why This Crockpot Lasagna Works

No boiling the noodles: Regular lasagna noodles go into the slow cooker completely uncooked.
Homemade meat sauce: The extra liquid cooks the noodles while giving the lasagna much more flavor than water would.
Three cheeses: Ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan give you a creamy filling and cheesy top.
Hands-off cooking: Once the lasagna is assembled, the slow cooker does the rest.

How to Make Crockpot Lasagna

Make the sauce. On the stove-top brown ground beef, garlic, and onion. Next add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and seasonings.

overhead photo of skillet with ground beef, onion, and garlic

overhead photo of a skillet with cooked ground beef, sauce, and seasonings

Make the filling. In a bowl mix together ricotta cheese, eggs, and Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.

overhead of a bowl of cheeses and filling for crockpot lasagna

Put it all together. Add a small amount of sauce to a greased crockpot. Layer uncooked lasagna noodles (you may have to break them up to fit). Add a layer of the cheese and egg mixture. Repeat the layers until you’ve used all the ingredients.

overhead of a crockpot with meat sauce in the bottom

overhead of a crockpot with broken up noodles in it

Add cheese to the top. Cover the last layer with more mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.

a crockpot lasagna with cheese on top ready to be cooked

Cook on low for about 4-6 hours.

Skip Boiling the Noodles

One of the things we love about this recipe is that there is no need to cook the noodles before layering the lasagna. There is enough liquid in the tomato sauce mixture to cook the noodles thoroughly. A huge bonus is that they take on the flavor of the delicious sauce. Everything bakes up brown and bubbly right there in the crockpot.

What Size Crockpot to Use for Crockpot Lasagna

You’ll need at least a six-quart crockpot or larger for this recipe. You’ll notice that the lasagna fills the whole crockpot pictured here. If you have a smaller slow cooker, you can cut the recipe in half for a smaller batch.

How to Know When Crockpot Lasagna is Done

Your crockpot lasagna is done when the noodles are tender when pierced with a fork and the cheese is fully melted. Slow cookers can vary quite a bit, so start checking the lasagna at the four-hour mark. Mine is typically finished after about four hours on low.

Crockpot Lasagna Tips, Tricks, and Notes

Make the sauce: While you might be tempted to use canned spaghetti or sauce store-bought marinara sauce, the sauce in this recipe is amazing. It is part of what makes this recipe so special and is absolutely worth your time.
Shred your own cheese: Melty cheese is one of the stars of the show here, and freshly grated cheese (vs. pre-shredded cheese) melts significantly better.
Taste the sauce before adding it: Be sure to taste the sauce at the end of making it and add more salt and pepper if needed.

piece of crockpot lasagna on a plate garnished with parsley

Substitutions and Variations

Change out the ricotta. I have so many readers who don’t like ricotta cheese. While I love ricotta, if you don’t, I’ve been told that cottage cheese makes a great replacement. You may consider blending it so it has the same consistency as ricotta.
Make the recipe gluten free. One of my readers told me that they made it with no cook gluten free noodles and it turned out perfect.
Change out the meat. If you don’t like ground beef, you can substitute it with ground turkey or ground chicken. You will likely need to add oil in step one to keep the meat from sticking. Alternatively, you could also make this with Italian sausage.

FAQ

Can I use no-boil lasagna noodles?

This recipe was developed with regular lasagna noodles, and I’ve only tested it with those. I’ve had readers use no-boil lasagna noodles with great success.

Do I need the eggs in the ricotta mixture?

The eggs are what help hold the layers of the lasagna together. They aren’t necessary for flavor, and can be left out, but you may notice some structural differences without them.

Can I double crockpot lasagna?

No, I wouldn’t recommend doubling this recipe as it won’t fit in your slow cooker.

Storing and Freezing Leftovers

Since first publishing this, I’ve been told two important things. First, so many readers have told me that this is even better when it is made the day before. Second, readers have told me that this freezes very well.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to four days in an airtight container. If you’d like to freeze the lasagna, cut it into individual portions and flash freeze it four eight hours before transferring it to an airtight container. Frozen lasagna can be stored for up to three months. Please use your best discretion when it comes to leftovers.

overhead view of easy crockpot lasagna in a slow cooker

What to Serve with Crockpot Lasagna

Garlic Bread is the perfect pairing with lasagna and can be made in a snap.
Parmesan Roasted Broccoli is one of our family’s favorite sides and perfect for this recipe.
Mediterranean Salad is a light side dish that comes together very fast.
Caesar Salad if you are serving guests, this is a great option. It is upscale but so easy to make.

I can’t wait for you to enjoy this cozy crockpot lasagna with your family. Please leave a comment below with questions or comments on this or any of my other recipes. Enjoy!

Recipe Video

4.76 from 102 votes

Crockpot Lasagna

Author: Lisa Longley

Serves: servings

(tap # to scale)

Prep: 40

Cook: 4

Total: 4 40

Crockpot Lasagna is a delicious slow cooker meal. Make this recipe and come home to a delicious and comforting meal.

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Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (453.6 grams)
1 small yellow onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
44 ounces tomato sauce 29 ounce and 15 ounce can of just tomato sauce, not spaghetti sauce with seasoning (1247 grams)
6 ounces tomato paste (170 grams)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (if you only have table salt, start with less)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
12 ounces lasagana noodles the regular kind, not the no boil kind (340 grams)
15 ounces ricotta cheese (425 grams)
2 large eggs
16 ounces mozzarella shredded, read here why shredding your own cheese is so key (452 grams)
1 cup Parmesan cheese (100 grams)

Instructions

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef. Cook until it begins to brown, breaking it up as you cook. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Drain the excess fat.
Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, oregano, basil, and pepper to the meat mixture and set aside. Taste and add more salt and/or pepper to taste.
Set aside 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese. This will be for topping at the end.
In a large bowl mix together the ricotta, eggs, and the remainder of the mozzarella and Parmesan.
Spray your 6 to 8 quart crockpot with cooking spray. Add a ladle full of the sauce and meat mixture to the bottom. Add a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. You will need to break them and rearrange them to fit. Top the noodles with some of the cheese mixture and then more sauce and meat. Repeat until you have used all the ingredients (save the set aside cheese). Top with the set aside cheese.
Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Cooking times on crockpots vary greatly. It was finished in my crockpot after four hours.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving Calories: 520kcal (26%) Carbohydrates: 30g (10%) Protein: 36g (72%) Fat: 28g (43%) Saturated Fat: 15g (94%) Monounsaturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 155mg (52%) Sodium: 2137mg (93%) Potassium: 743mg (21%) Fiber: 5g (21%) Sugar: 10g (11%)

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian