This easy slow cooker lasagna layers tender noodles with rich meat sauce and three cheeses, all with just 25 minutes of hands on prep. You get classic, cozy lasagna flavor that melds into every bite from slow cooking all day!
The Magic Behind The Melt
- Hands-off ease: Classic lasagna flavor with almost no active cooking. Load it, walk away, come back to dinner.
- Layers stay intact: The slow, steady cook keeps everything together! There are no sliding layers or soupy middles.
- All-day aroma: It fills your kitchen with that slow simmered, Italian-Sunday smell without the actual work of an Italian Sunday.
Slow Cooker Lasagna Ingredients
- Meat: Use half ground beef and half Italian sausage for a richer flavor.
- Cheese Swap: You can use ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese. I just like how cottage cheese keeps after cooking for so long.
- Noodles: No-boil or regular lasagna noodles both work; either will soften with the long cook time.
- Cheese: Freshly shredded cheese melts better than pre-shredded.
- Sauce: Use about 3½ cups homemade marinara instead of jarred if you prefer.
- Mushrooms: Sautéed mushrooms add moisture and depth.
How to Make Slow Cooker Lasagna
Lasagna always feels like a labor of love. But, for some reason, when I put it together in a crockpot, it feels so much easier! And I love how perfectly tender the noodles come out! Pair it with my Olive Garden salad and garlic bread!
- Prep & Brown Meat: Spray the bowl of a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray, then set aside. Add the ground beef to a large 12 or 14-inch skillet and cook for 7-10 minutes over medium-high heat until browned and no pink remains. Drain any grease, then add the onion and garlic to the skillet, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add Sauce Ingredients to Skillet: Stir in the marinara sauce, tomato paste, water, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper until combined.
- Combine Cheeses: Combine the cottage cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan in a large bowl.
- Assemble: To assemble the lasagna, layer ⅓ of the meat sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Layer Noodles: Layer about a third of the lasagna noodles on top of the meat sauce, breaking them up as needed.
- Layer Cheese, Repeat & Cook: Add a third of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles. Repeat the layers twice more, finishing with the last third of the cheese mixture on top. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours, until the noodles are fully tender. Turn the slow cooker to WARM and let the crockpot lasagna rest for 15-30 minutes before serving to make dishing it up easier. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Alyssa’s Pro Tip
Jar Trick: I like to add ½ cup of water to the empty sauce jar. Then I shake it up to get the remaining sauce and pour it into the dish.
Slow Cooker Lasagna
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Equipment
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1 Slow Cooker 5, 6, or 7-quart
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced onion about 1 medium onion
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic about 4 cloves
- 1 (26-ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (16-ounce) container small curd cottage cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 10 uncooked lasagna noodles
- chopped fresh parsley optional garnish
Instructions
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Spray the bowl of a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
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Add 1 pound lean ground beef to a large 12 or 14-inch skillet and cook for 7-10 minutes over medium-high heat until browned and no pink remains. Drain any grease.
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Add 1 cup diced onion and 4 teaspoons minced garlic, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in 1 (26-ounce) jar marinara sauce, 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste, ½ cup water, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt , and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, and stir to combine.
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Combine the 1 (16-ounce) container small curd cottage cheese, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, and ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese in a large bowl.
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To assemble the lasagna, layer ⅓ of the meat sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker. Layer about a third of the 10 uncooked lasagna noodles on top of the meat sauce, breaking them up as needed. Add a third of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles.
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Repeat the layers twice more, finishing with the last third of the cheese mixture on top.
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Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours, until the noodles are fully tender.
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Turn the slow cooker to WARM and let the lasagna rest for 15-30 minutes before serving to make dishing it up easier. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Video
Notes
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments.
- Freezer: Not ideal to freeze once assembled. Freeze the meat sauce only, up to 3 months; thaw before using.
- Make Ahead: Assemble up to 24 hours ahead. Reduce cook time by about half since the noodles soak in the liquid.
Nutrition
More Italian-Inspired Dinners
Italian dinners are a family favorite in our house. This is Lasagna, or these Three Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells are some of my tops! Here are a few more favorites for you to try.
