Slow cooker lasagna is the perfect meal to feed a crowd with hardly any prep! Our slow cooked lasagna cooks on its own- just pop it in the crockpot and walk away for a beautiful lasagna with beef and Italian sausage sauce and three types of cheese with no fuss.
The best part about this easy lasagna recipe is that it only requires 15 minutes of prep time. No boiling noodles and no long simmer for the tomato sauce. It’s the easiest lasagna recipe you will ever make.
The flavors in this slow cooker lasagna marinate and build all day long as it cooks in the crockpot. You won’t even have to call the family to dinner! The wonderful smell of this cheesy lasagna recipe will do it for you. Crockpot lasagna is perfect for an easy weeknight dinner or slow cooker Sunday supper!
Ingredients for Lasagna
Our easy crockpot lasagna requires just a few simple ingredients, similar to a traditional lasagna recipe. Here is all you need to make the best lasagna recipe ever:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef (we recommend 80/20 blend)
- 1 pound ground mild Italian sausage (if you can’t find ground sausage, use sausage links and remove casing from sausage)
- 1 medium onion, chopped very fine
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 teaspoon of minced garlic)
- 6 cups of marinara sauce
- 2 cups of water
- 32 ounces of ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup of parsley, very finely chopped
- 1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 pound Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 pound lasagna noodles, uncooked
- salt and pepper to taste
What’s the best cheese for lasagna?
We use three types of cheese in our slow cooker lasagna, including a lightly seasoned ricotta mixed with freshly chopped parsley, shredded mozzarella, and grated Parmesan.
Be sure to set aside mozzarella and Parmesan for the topping. Once the lasagna has finished slow cooking, top it with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover, and cook for another 10 minutes in the slow cooker to allow the mozzarella to melt. This ensures a cheesy lasagna recipe everyone will love!
How to Make Lasagna in the Slow Cooker
This easy Italian slow cooker recipe is created by layering uncooked lasagna noodles with a meat sauce and three types of cheese. We are going to show you how to make lasagna the easy way, step by step.
- Lightly grease the interior of a large slow cooker.
- In a large pan, drizzle olive oil over medium heat. Cook the ground beef and sausage, breaking up the pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned. Stir in the onion and garlic. Continue to cook until the onions have softened. Discard any excess grease.
- Stir the marinara sauce and water into the cooked meat. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.
- How to Layer Lasagna:
- Cover the bottom of the greased slow cooker with 2 cups of the meat sauce.
- Top with a layer of lasagna noodles, breaking them as needed to fit the entire surface.
- Cover with 1/3rd of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan.
- Repeat the layers again: sauce, noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan.
- Repeat the layers a third time, then, for the final layer, top the cheese with one last layer of noodles and cover with about 1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce.
- Set the slow cooker to high and cook for 3-4 hours, until the mixture is bubbly and the noodles have cooked through. The lasagna can also cook on low for 6-8 hours. At the end of cooking, add a last sprinkling of mozzarella and Parmesan, cover, and cook for another 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Remove from heat and allow the lasagna to rest 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Tips for Making Homemade Lasagna
- How much salt and pepper you add to the meat sauce will depend on how much is in the marinara sauce. Adjust the seasonings as needed.
- Set aside mozzarella and Parmesan for the topping. Once the lasagna has finished slow cooking, top it with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover, and cook for another 10 minutes in the slow cooker to allow the mozzarella to melt.
- Save time by cooking the meat the night before and refrigerating until ready to assemble the lasagna.
- Be sure to drain any fat from the sausage and ground beef that may have accumulated in the pan before adding the marinara sauce and water.
- Make sure to let the lasagna rest for 15-20 minutes before serving. This will ensure the lasagna doesn’t fall apart.
Do you have to cook the meat before adding to the slow cooker?
Yes. The meat needs to be cooked on the stove-top before layering with the noodles and cheese in the slow cooker. You can save time the day of serving the Italian lasagna by cooking the meat the night before and refrigerating until needed. Be sure to drain any fat that may have accumulated in the pan before adding the marinara sauce and water.
We love to use a combination of ground beef and crumbled mild Italian sausage for personal taste, but you can also use purely ground beef or even ground turkey for a lighter option.
Best Lasagna Recipes
If you prefer an alternative way to cook lasagna rather than using your slow cooker, check out our other favorite lasagna recipes!
- Cast Iron Skillet Lasagna
- Healthy Make Ahead Lasagna
- Mexican Lasagna with Corn Tortillas
- Lasagna for Two
The Best Slow Cooker Recipes
- Easy Slow Cooker Roast Beef Recipe
- Add a Spanish flair to your dinner table with our Slow Cooker Carne Picada!
- Slow Cooker Creole Chicken Chicken and Sausage
- Slow Cooker Cinnamon Almonds
📌 Pin Slow Cooker Lasagna to save for later!
Did you try this easy lasagna recipe? We would love to know what you think! Let us know in the comments below and with a rating.
Slow Cooker Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound Italian sausage ,removed from casing
- 1 medium onion ,finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic ,minced
- 50 ounces marinara sauce ,2 (25 ounce) jars of favorite store-bought or homemade
- 2 cups water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 32 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly chopped parsley ,plus more for topping
- 1 pound low-moisture mozzarella ,shredded, set aside 1/3 cup for topping
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese ,set aside 3 tablespoons for topping
- 1 pound uncooked lasagne noodles
Instructions
- Lightly grease the interior of a large slow cooker.
- In a large pan, drizzle olive oil over medium heat. Crumble in the ground beef and sausage and cook, breaking up the pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned. Stir in the onion and garlic. Continue to cook until the onions have softened. Discard any excess grease.
- Stir the marinara sauce and water into the cooked meat. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover the bottom of the greased slow cooker with 2 cups of the meat sauce. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles, breaking them as needed to fit the entire surface. Cover with 1/3rd of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan. Repeat the layers again: sauce, noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Repeat the layers a third time, then for the final layer top the cheese with one last layer of noodles and cover with about 1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce.
- Set the slow cooker to high and cook for 3-4 hours, until the mixture is bubbly and the noodles have cooked through. The lasagna can also cook on low for 6-8 hours. At the end of cooking, add a last sprinkling of mozzarella and Parmesan, cover, and cook for another 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Remove from heat and allow the lasagna to rest 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Save time by preparing the meat for the lasagna ahead of time. Make sure to drain any excess fat before cooking into the lasagna.
Nutrition
This post was updated on October 16, 2019.
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