Crockpot Slow Cooker Lasagna

5 from 5 votes

Crockpot Slow Cooker Lasagna

This Crockpot Slow Cooker Lasagna is so delicious. The slow cooker does double duty: it creates a rich, meat sauce and "bakes" the lasagna in one step.

Prep Time15

Cook Time3 30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: slow cooker lasagna

Servings:

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:

I don't recommend substituting cottage cheese for the ricotta. It has a slimy texture not authentic to classic lasagna.
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