No need to heat up your oven when you make this easy recipe for crockpot lasagna. This slow cooker lasagna recipe is my go-to meal for potlucks or a busy weeknight meal.
No longer worry about clean up after baking lasagna in the oven because this crock-pot lasagna cooks self-contained and there is no spillover.
This recipe inspired my Italian stuffed shells recipe and my lasagna soup recipe. For something completely different I wanted to point you to one of the most popular posts on this site that you may not have seen yet: sous vide pork shoulder. Well worth the 24 hour cook time!
🥫 Ingredients needed:
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
📝 Notes on the ingredients
- ground beef I use 80/20
- Italian Sausage - If you family is not a fan of sausage in their lasagna you can substitute in ground pork or more ground beef. We love the extra flavors!
- lasagna noodles - I use a full box of lasagna noodes for this recipe. Do not use the no boil kind.
- pasta sauce Use your favorite brand. You will need 3 jars of it.
- cottage cheese - large curd cottage cheese is what i use. The larg curds give an extra creamy, cheesy layer to the cheese mixture.
🔪 Crockpot Lasagna Instructions
- Brown the ground beef and the loose sausage.
- Remove the cooked meat to a clean plate, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings in the pan.
- Saute the onion and garlic in the pan drippings.
- Combine sauce with the browned off meat.
- Reserve 1 cup of mozzerella cheese for the topping and combine the reamining cheeses, egg and seasonings.
- Precook the lasagna noodles for 4 minutes.
- Ladle sauce/meat mixture on the bottom of the crockpot.
- Layer par-cooked noodles to cover the bottom of the crockpot.
- Layer ⅓ of the cheese mixture over the meat and sauce.
- Top with enough sauce and meat to cover the cheese layer.
- Repeat the process staring with the cooked noodle layer.
- Finish the layering with noodles and the reserved cup of mozzerella cheese.
- Turn the crockpot on low for and cook for 3-4 hours. I would not recommend using the high setting as feel it dries out the noodles on the edges.
⏲️ Can this lasagna be made ahead?
The beauty of a slow cooker lasagna is that it can be made a day or two ahead of then it will be needed. Make the lasagna and assemble it in the crockpot, store covered in the refrigerator, and bake offed a few hours before it is needed.
🧊 Can I cook a frozen lasagna in a crockpot?
While I have never tried to cook a frozen lasagna in a crock-pot, I would not advise doing it. Frozen lasagnas are meant to be cooked in the containers they are purchased in. If you have success cooking a frozen lasagna in a slow cooker, please let me know in the comments how it went.
👩🍳 Chef tips:
- Spray a large crockpot with cooking spray, for easier cleanup.
- Fill each jar ¼ of the way full with water and swish to get out every last bit of sauce and dump into the sauce/meat mixture.
🗒️ Frequently asked questions and tips:
When you are ready to take your slow cooker lasagna to your party or gathering, place your crockpot in its carrier, if it came with one, or wrap a beach or bath towel around the crockpot to catch any sauce that may bubble out. Be sure to pick up the crockpot from using the handles, not the lid, even if the lid is a locking lid.
Crockpot Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb italian sausage
- ½ medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 box lasagna noodles boiled for 4 minutes
- 3 jars marinara sauce
- 2 cups cottage cheese large curd
- 4 cups of mozzarella cheese divided
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef and the loose sausage.
- Remove the cooked meat to a clean plate, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings in the pan.
- Saute the onion and garlic in the pan drippings.
- Combine sauce with the browned off meat.
- Reserve 1 cup of mozzerella cheese for the topping and combine the reamining cheeses, egg and seasonings.
- Precook the lasagna noodles for 4 minutes.
- Ladle sauce/meat mixture on the bottom of the crockpot.
- Layer par-cooked noodles to cover the bottom of the crockpot.
- Layer ⅓ of the cheese mixture over the meat and sauce.
- Top with enough sauce and meat to cover the cheese layer.
- Repeat the process staring with the cooked noodle layer.
- Finish the layering with noodles and the reserved cup of mozzerella cheese.
- Turn the crockpot on low for and cook for 3-4 hours. I would not recommend using the high setting as feel it dries out the noodles on the edges.
Notes
- Spray a large crockpot with cooking spray, for easier clean up.
- Fill each jar ¼ of the way full with water and swish to get out every last bit of sauce and dump into the sauce/meat mixture.
Nutrition
originally published: Feb 24, 2013
Marci Schwartz Lutsky
I've never done lasagna in the crockpot. Now I want to try it with veggies!
1825 Crock Pot recipe
Awesome recipe
Sarah Mock
It IS that easy Cindy. Enjoy!
Sarah Mock
I definitely would root or grill them first. The caramelization on the veggies will give it great depth of flavor!
A Fancy Girl Must
It's incredible how easy this is! Have you ever done a veggie lasagna? I wonder if you would need to roast or grill them first? This looks really good though...
Cindy
It seems so easy! I'm going to try it!
Sarah Mock
Lasagna is yummy no matter how it is served!
Dede
I've had my friend's crockpot lasagna and it was delicious. Never tried it myself. A coworker made lasagna soup in the crockpot and I liked it even better!
Leona Wescher Heasley
An even better idea is that San Georgio makes little bite size lasagna noodles. I make with that a lot...we call it lasagna casserole
Danielle @ itsaharleyyylife
I want to make lasagna in a crockpot. I try to suggest it every week before we go grocery shopping but my mom just isn't sure about it yet. It looks so easy!