Wonderful Crock Pot Lasagna (straightforward + flavorful)

This crockpot lasagna recipe has 5-stars for a reason! It cooks in the slow cooker and is made with uncooked lasagna noodles, a creamy cheese layer, and a simple meat layer made with marinara.

Lasagna gets a bad rap for being a time-consuming dinner recipe that, though delicious, has too many steps to make for a quick meal during the week. I am here to tell you that you can have your lasagna and eat it too with this crockpot lasagna recipe!

Our crockpot lasagna is easy to assemble and even easier to cook! Simply layer uncooked noodles with a cheese layer and meat sauce layer and let your slow cooker work its magic!

What You Need for Crockpot Lasagna

• Lasagna Noodles- We used classic uncooked lasagna noodles for this recipe. Any brand will do. Some lasagna noodles are longer than others (we used shorter noodles) and any variety will work for this recipe. Just know you may have to break your lasagna noodles to fit your crockpot.
• Ground beef: we used an 80/20 ground beef.
• Marinara Sauce- feel free to buy your favorite jarred marinara sauce or make our homemade marinara sauce.
• Tomato Sauce- We use both marinara sauce and tomato sauce because we wanted a really saucy lasagna sauce that had both flavor and enough sauce to cook the noodles! If you want your lasagna to be even saucier than this one, feel free to add more tomato sauce.
• Carrots + Celery- Every good Italian recipe is made from a base that contains carrots and celery. Carrots and celery add complex flavor AND crunch to this tasty lasagna recipe.
• Onion + Garlic- We used one full-onion and delicious garlic to flavor the meat sauce. Trust me, you won’t regret the onion and garlic in this recipe.
• Cheese Mixture- Say hello to the most delicious cheese mixture known to man. This cheese mixture is made with ricotta cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, and our favorite Italian seasoning.

Ingredient Swaps & Substitutions for Crockpot Lasagna

We understand that everyone is different and that you may need to make substitutions to your crockpot lasagna recipe! Here are some easy substitutions to make this lasagna your own!

Ground Beef—> ground pork, ground chicken, or ground turkey

Tomato Sauce–> Alfredo sauce or cashew cream sauce

Carrots + Celery –> sweet peppers, zucchini, squash or eggplant

Onions–> shallot

Cheese —> vegan cheese, dairy-free cottage cheese

Lasagna noodles –> Feel free to use regular lasagna noodles or whole wheat noodles. We have NOT tested this recipe with gluten-free noodles, but that is another option for you!

Storage

Let the lasagna cool completely and then cut it into pieces. Place the lasagna pieces in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Can I freeze this crockpot lasagna?

1. Yes, you can freeze crockpot lasagna. To freeze crockpot lasagna–> cook lasagna by following the directions in the recipe card. Let the lasagna cool completely and then cut it into pieces.
2. Transfer the lasagna into a freezer safe storage container (or gallon-size plastic bag) and remove as much air as possible.
3. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Serving Suggestions

This lasagna makes for a fabulous weeknight main or holiday dinner recipe. Serve it with a Caesar salad, sautéed green beans, and cheesy garlic bread.

CrockPot Lasagna Recipe

This crock pot lasagna is made with mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and ricotta cheese. Cooked together with noodles, sauce, and more in the slow cooker. It is the perfect weeknight meal.

Prep:30 minutes minutes

Cook:2 hours hours

Total:2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Fat 31

Carbs 45

Protein 32

Ingredients

• Cheese Layer
• 15 oz. full-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Meat Sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium white onion finely diced
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 large carrots finely diced
• 2 large celery stalks finely diced
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 24 oz. jar marinara sauce any kind
• 15 oz. tomato sauce
• Other
• 12 oz. uncooked lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese for topping
• Fresh parsley for serving

Instructions 

• First, prepare the cheese layer. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1 cup parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and salt. Mix well and set aside for later.

• Prepare the meat sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or saucepan over medium/high heat.

• When olive oil is fragrant, add onions, salt, carrot, and celery to the pan. Saute on medium/high for 5-7 minutes.

• Next, add ground beef to the pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes until the beef is almost cooked fully.

• Add the marinara sauce and tomato sauce to the pan and mix until all ingredients are combined. Bring to a boil and then immediately remove from the heat.

• Assemble the lasagna. Begin by greasing the slow cooker with olive oil or cooking spray.

• Using a 1/3 cup scoop, scoop 1/3 cup of the sauce onto the bottom of the slow cooker. Spread the sauce around evenly.

• Next, place two lasagna noodles onto the bottom of the slow cooker, lengthwise. Break a separate lasagna noodle into fourths and place 1/4 of a noodle at each end of the long lasagna noodles.*

• Spoon 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture over the noodles and spread it out evenly using a spoon or spatula. Finally, spread out 2/3 cup of sauce on top of the cheese.

• Repeat this process until all of the sauce, cheese, and noodles are gone. Make sure that the last layer is a layer of sauce and that the noodles are fully coated. If you let the noodles cook without sauce on top, they will end up hard.

• Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours. With 30 minutes left, add the last half cup of mozzarella cheese to the top of the lasagna.

• Uncover the slow cooker and cut the lasagna into even lasagna pieces and enjoy!

Tips & Notes

• How you arrange the lasagna noodles may vary depending on what brand of lasagna noodles are used. The most important thing is that the lasagna noodles create a noodle layer.

Nutrition facts

Calories: 586kcal Carbohydrates: 45g Protein: 32g Fat: 31g Fiber: 4g Sugar: 8g