Lasagna just got so much easier with this Slow Cooker Lasagna! Layer everything in the crockpot–even UN-COOKED noodles!
Want to hear something sad? My Dad and oldest brother don’t eat cheese! They wont touch it. No cheddar, no mozzarella, no parmesan…nothing! How can you live a life without cheese??!
That means that Lasagna, one of the most delicious meals of all time, was a rare specialty at our house. Whenever my mom would make it, (usually when Dad was out of town) the rest of us would be SO excited! It was gobbled up in minutes!
She’d typically make this Classic Italian Lasagna recipe. It’s a totally authentic lasagna that uses a simple béchamel white sauce instead of ricotta cheese or cottage cheese. It’s amazing, but takes a little bit of prep and work.
Now that I have a family of my own I’m always looking for ways easy meals or meals I can prep in advance or throw in my crock pot.
This slow cooker lasagna is a WINNER! All of the time consuming parts of lasagna–the many dishes and all the prep, are taken away.
I love that this recipe doesn’t even require you to cook the lasagna noodles before hand. You can use regular lasagna noodles, and then just layer the sauce, noodles and cheese. Lasagna takes about about 4-5 hours to cook on low. If you are really in a rush, you could could slow cooker lasagna on high and it would be done in about half the time!
Who knew you could make delicious homemade lasagna in the crock pot.
How to make Slow Cooker Lasagna:
Prepare the red sauce, first. I make my mom’s awesome homemade spaghetti sauce for the sauce, but you could use any bottled marinara sauce you like.
Add a little sauce to the bottom of the slow cooker.
Top with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. Break them if necessary, to make a single layer.
Spread some of the white cheese sauce mixture over the top.
Repeat for two more layers, ending with red sauce. Sprinkle more cheese all over the top.
Cover and cook on LOW in the slow cooker for 4-5 hours or until the noodles are tender.
TIP: Use slow cooker liners to make clean-up a breeze!
Consider serving this with:
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Recipe
Slow Cooker Lasagna
Video
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage (I use hot)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large onion , chopped*
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons dried parsley flakes
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauces
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 29 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 8 ounces lasagna noodles , uncooked
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat brown the ground beef, Italian sausage and onion.
- Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, tomato sauce, sugar, and water. Stir and simmer 15-20 minutes. (You could make the sauce in advance!)
- Spread a fourth of the meat sauce into the bottom of your slow cooker. Arrange a third of the noodles over the sauce (break the noodles to fit, if necessary).
- Combine the mozzarella, cottage cheese and parmesan cheese; spoon a third of the mixture over noodles. Repeat layers twice.
- Top with remaining meat sauce and sprinkle with extra mozzarella cheese, if desired.
- Cover and cook on low for about 4-5 hours or until noodles are tender.
- Serve with Homemade Olive Garden Breadsticks or a salad.
Notes
Nutrition
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I first shared this recipe February 2015. Updated March 2018.
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This is my go to recipe for lasagna now!! I used to make it in the oven for decades but this is so easy to make and I love preparing it the night before and just cooking it the next day. My husband is a big fan of this dish too. Just go ahead and guess what we’re having tomorrow? Lasagna! Haha It is so delicious and the sauce is amazing!! So happy I found this recipe years ago. Thank you, for sharing!
This is my go-to lasagna recipe! The leftovers are even better than having it fresh 🙂 serve it with some garlic bread, and our kids even love it!
Tho I can’t speak for myself bc I am vegan my family did like it and ask for seconds so that’s a win… I left out the sausage and did…
Ground beef, onion and lots of garlic
Added whole tomatoes over canned
Free handed thyme, oregano, Italian seasoning and 2 bay leafs with extra dry garlic salt and pepper
Added zuchinni and celery
And used jalapeño cheese and a little bit of ampules Gouda
My slow cooker was done at 2.5-3 hours on high
I also broke the noodles into bite size pieces so it was easier for little mouths
Over all a win and I will make again
Accidently bought cream cheese instead of cottage cheese, luckily I had enough cottage cheese on hand. I’ve made many mistakes in my life, this may have been the most delicious one ever!!! lol
Also added minced mushrooms and spinach to the meat sauce mixture!
Would this work with GLUTEN FREE noodles you think? I typically do lasagna in the oven and cook the gluten free noodles, but would love a recipe that my teen daughter can do independently without any issues. She has celiac disease and we are always looking for recipes she can learn to do when she moves out. Thanks for sharing and any input.
I love this recipe and just got an instant pot. Any chance someone knows how to cook this recipe in the instant pot?