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The best crockpot slow cooker lasagna recipe
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5 from 9 votes

Crockpot Lasagna Recipe (Easy, Cheesy + DELICIOUS!)

This Crockpot Lasagna recipe is delicious and SO easy. The Crockpot creates slow-simmered rich flavor and "bakes" the lasagna in one step.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time3 hours 30 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Crockpot lasagna, Crockpot lasagna recipe, slow cooker lasagna
Servings: 6
Author: Jennifer Pallian BSc, RD

Ingredients

For Lasagna Meat Sauce

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2 tsp kosher salt divided use
  • ½ tsp crushed chili flakes
  • 1 6-oz can tomato paste
  • 1 28-oz can whole or diced tomatoes (not unsalted or low sodium)

For Ricotta Filling

  • 1 lb ricotta
  • 1 oz parmesan cheese grated
  • 1 ½ tbsp minced fresh parsley plus more for topping

To Assemble Lasagna

  • 10 uncooked regular lasagna noodles (not "no boil" or fresh)
  • 8 oz grated mozzarella cheese (3 cups packed)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Start the meat sauce

  • Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and 1/4 tsp of the salt and cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook a minute more.
  • Add ground beef and sprinkle with 1 tsp more salt plus the chili flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, until no longer pink.

Make ricotta filling

  • While beef cooks, stir together ricotta, parmesan and parsley in a large bowl. Set aside.

Finish meat sauce

  • Add the tomato paste to the cooked beef mixture and cook until it turns a shade darker and the oil shimmers on top (this toasting step creates a ton of rich flavour!). Stir in whole/diced tomatoes and 1/4 tsp more salt. Turn off heat.

Assemble lasagna in the slow cooker

  • Add one cupful of the sauce to Crockpot™ 4-Quart Slow Cooker. Top with 2 lasagna noodles (you will have to break them to fit) and another layer of sauce. Add a layer of ricotta filling, a handful of mozzarella, and repeat until you run out of ingredients. The top layer should be sauce with a generous handful of mozzarella.
  • Set the slow cooker to cook for 3 1/2 hours on low. Top with more parsley and serve.

Notes

Tips

  • See more details in post for how to layer lasagna.

Substitutions: 

  • Substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta if you like.
  • You may substitute fresh basil for the parsley to top the finished lasagna, however I really recommend parsley in the ricotta filling. 
  • You may substitute italian sausage (casings removed) for 1/2 of the ground beef if you like. 
  • I don't recommend substituting ground turkey for the beef as it tends to dry out with a long cook time. 
  • To simplify this recipe, swap in 2 x 22-oz jars of storebought marinara sauce. Skip the onions, garlic, tomato paste, and tomatoes. Cook the beef in the oil, then add the marinara sauce and proceed. 

Nutrition

Calories: 388kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 975mg | Potassium: 304mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 427IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 217mg | Iron: 2mg