Crock Pot Lasagna
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This crock pot lasagna recipe features the delicious lasagna flavors you already know and love, but in an easier format thanks to the beloved slow cooker.
I am a HUGE lasagna fan. It was one of the first suppers I “cooked” as a kid, although I didn’t actually do anything. Mama would assemble a lasagna the night before and put it in the fridge, uncooked. Since lasagna takes so long to cook, my job was getting it in the oven when I got home from school so it would be ready in time for supper.
Whenever I make a lasagna today, I make mine in the crockpot. There is no need to cook the noodles ahead of time and I usually have pre-cooked ground beef in my freezer. So it’s just a matter of assembling it in the morning and turning the slow cooker on. Easy weeknight dinners like this are my favorite! My husband comes home to a delicious smelling house and all I have to do is serve it up. If you’ve never made crock pot lasagna, you may find yourself making it this way from here on out!
Featuring the pasta sauce of your choice, lasagne sheets, cooked ground beef, lots of mozzarella cheese, and cottage cheese, rest assured this simple crock pot lasagne recipe has those quintessential creamy cheesy and tomato-based lasagna flavors.
Recipe Ingredients
- Spaghetti sauce of your choice
- asagna noodles
- Cooked ground beef
- ozzarella cheese
- Cottage cheese
How to Make Crock Pot Lasagna
In a medium bowl, stir together both kinds of cheese.
If you haven’t browned your beef yet, now is the time to brown and drain any grease from it.
Now let’s assemble our lasagna!
Spread a layer of sauce in the bottom of your slow cooker (I use a 6-quart slow cooker for this recipe). Sprinkle about 1/3 of your ground beef over that followed by the cheese mixture. Then add more sauce. Break up the uncooked lasagna noodles to cover this (see photo) and then repeat until all of your ingredients are used.
I usually end up with three layers. For cooking, I end with sauce on top.
Cook this on low for 6-7 hours.
I like to top with more cheese right before serving, but if your brood isn’t as into cheese as mine, you don’t have to add any more.
My husband likes cheese so much that his beloved grandmother used to always accuse him of being part rat!
Put this crock pot lasagna recipe on the menu as soon as you can! You won’t regret it.
Storage
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Simply reheat in the microwave.
- You can also freeze lasagna leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating in the microwave.
Recipe Notes
- If you don’t want cottage cheese you can substitute it for ricotta cheese. Go with what makes you happy! Those are the only substitutions I’ve ever made myself to this recipe so I can’t recommend any others.
- You can also add half the shredded mozzarella cheese and half parmesan cheese, or serve your lasagna with parmesan cheese or your favorite .
- To help your lasagna come out prettier, alternate which direction each noodle layer goes. Trust me on this! You can see a demonstration of this in the photos above.
- If you’re cooking your ground beef, feel free to saute the beef with chopped onion (or green onion), , and 2 tablespoons of minced garlic to add some flavor.
- You can substitute the ground beef for ground chicken, ground pork, or ground turkey if you like. You could also use in this .
- While you can use gluten-free lasagna noodles, they can become mushier than traditional noodles.
- When I say use the pasta sauce of your choice, I mean it! Maybe you like marinara sauce, , or want to make homemade pasta sauce? The choice is yours.
- Want to add some vegetables to your ? You’re going to want to finely chop whatever you add and saute it with the beef until tender. Options include carrot, celery, zucchini, squash, eggplant, or sweet bell pepper.
Recipe FAQs
What do you serve with crockpot lasagna?
This slow cooker lasagna is the main dish as is. But if you like, serve it with some garlic bread, homemade dinner rolls, or a simple green salad or Caesar salad.
You may also enjoy these pasta recipes:
Low Carb Lasagna Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 box regular lasagna noodles
- 16 oz cottage cheese
- 2 lbs ground beef cooked and drained
- 2 cans spaghetti sauce 26 ounces each
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 1-2 cups additional mozzarella cheese to top before serving optional but wonderful
Instructions
- First, cook the ground beef if needed. Then in a medium bowl, stir together the two kinds of cheese until well combined.16 oz cottage cheese, 2 lbs ground beef, 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- Spoon a layer of sauce into the bottom of the crockpot. Add about 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top. Sprinkle a small amount of ground beef over the top of the cheese. Top with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles, breaking to make them fit. Be sure to alternate which way the noodles go with each layer. Top noodles with another layer of sauce. Repeat this process until all ingredients are used, ending with sauce.1 box regular lasagna noodles, 16 oz cottage cheese, 2 lbs ground beef, 2 cans spaghetti sauce, 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. You can also cook it on high for about 2.5 to 3 hours. It cuts better (prettier) if you turn off the slow cooker and let it sit for about 15 minutes before serving.
- If desired, top with another layer of mozzarella before serving.1-2 cups additional mozzarella cheese to top before serving
Nutrition
I once made grilled cheese sandwiches with single wrap cheese and forgot to unwrap the cheese. LOL. I love the new photos and the trick about alternating the direction of the pasta. I always spray my crock before adding food unless the recipe specifically says not to, so I spray befor making your lasagna. I miss the old blog post and how you talk about the way your Grandmama said “Eye-talian.” That link brings me back here.
My grandmother always said that, too. And, I use Pam spray on the interior of the crockpot as well unless I use the liners especially made for crockpots.
I was a young 19 year old bride. My Mom had always made beef stew with tomato sauce, I had never had it the gravy type way. So making it for my husband it was about done and needed thickened. I use the flour and water, which thickened it, but made it look rather whitish brown, not very pretty. Sooooo, I got out food coloring drops and figured I could doctor it into brown. Let me tell you, I ran out of certain colors and before I knew it and the harder I tried, I ended up with blue green looking meat, potatoes and the carrots were an odd color!!! He got home from work and sat down to eat and looked at the bowl of stew and said: “What in the hell is this stuff?” I have to laugh now, some 40 years later. It looked awful but sure tasted good. That was my first experience with food coloring and beef stew…..
I am laughing with you Claudia! LOVE it!!
I will try this Italian crockpot lasagna
I hope you enjoy it Diane!!
Hi, like you I love lasagna, and since I don’t have my moms I am always looking for something easy but delicious. I am going to make this for myself for Mother’s Day, but I have a question about the noodles. You said to make sure that the noodles are turned in different directions for each layer. What do you mean by that? Thanks so much and happy Mother’s Day. Sheryl
Hey Sheryl! I have one layer going side to side longways and one layer going perpendicular, side to side short ways. I think the pictures might help explain it. Like a cross hatch. This helps it to stay in one piece when you cut it and serve it. However, it won’t affect the taste or quality in any way if you just have them all going the same way.
My dad made chili one time with cinnamon instead of chili spice. He didn’t tell us till after we took big bites at dinner!
Oh my goodness. I can’t even imagine but I have to ask…how was it?
Well, I don’t recall finishing the entire bowl of chili. What’s funny is my dad read my comment here and then sent me a text thanking me for not using his name!
LOL!!!!!
Could you give directions for an 8 quart crock pot? Thanks Jim.
I make lasagna from time to time. Will be sure to try the crock pot version next time! Thanks, Christy!
I have used your recipe many times and everyone loves it, especially me as it requires very little work!!!
I’ve never done lasagna in the crock pot, but I think I’ll try it.
Christy, in your instructions above the recipe you say put sauce, 1/3 of meat, sauce, noodles. In the recipe, you say sauce, cheese mixture, then meat, and then noodles. I just want to make sure it works right. Lol
When I was growing up we had Egg Nog at Christmas – topped with nutmeg. One time I had an urge for Egg Nog (not during the holiday season). It seemed to me that it was very straight forward: just beat eggs in milk and add that stuff that floated on top. Salt and pepper I thought, since you put salt and pepper in everything. I had no idea the floating stuff was nutmeg! That was my first and last time to make Egg Nog from scratch, and it went out behind the lilac bush in the yard (where all our cooking mistakes ended up). That was a beautiful lilac bush, by the way.
LOL! Sounds like something I would do 🙂
Delicious. My husband and I loved this. Made it exactly as show. Lots of left overs. Will freeze for many meals to come.
I am so glad you liked it Terri!!!
This was my go to recipe as a working student.
And the portions froze well.
I am now preping for a bodybuilding competition and decided I am going to try and use veggies or wholegrain pasta in this.
Fingers crossed that it will turn out great!
I would love to hear back how it turns out!!!