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Our Slow Cooker Lasagna recipe is the ultimate set-it-and-forget-it comfort food! All the rich, cheesy, meaty layers of classic homemade lasagna made effortlessly right in your crockpot.
The Slow Cooker Lasagna That Practically Makes Itself
Using your crockpot/slow cooker is without a doubt the easiest way to make lasagna! You don't even need to pre-cook the noodles! Regular lasagna noodles cook right in the slow cooker as everything simmers together. Just layer them in (break the noodles to fit, as needed) and they turn out perfectly tender every time. I love a good classic homemade lasagna, but when I'm in a time crunch or don't want to turn on the oven, this crockpot lasagna saves me every time!
I whip up a quick homemade pasta sauce using canned tomatoes, since it's way less expensive (and tastes better) than a jar of spaghetti sauce. Cook the ground beef and sausage ahead of time to make this meal even quicker.
Try more of my Italian recipes, like Instant Pot Spaghetti, Pink Sauce Pasta, Meatball Subs, or One Pan Chicken Alfredo!
How to make Slow Cooker Lasagna:
Brown the Meat: Cook ground beef (or Italian sausage) with onion and garlic until browned. Drain, then stir in your favorite marinara sauce and set aside.
Cheese Mixture: In a mixing bowl, combine mozzarella, cottage cheese, and parmesan cheese.
Assemble: Spread a thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom of the slow cooker, then layer in uncooked lasagna noodles (broken to fit), meat sauce, and ricotta cheese mixture. Repeat the layers.
Cook and Serve: Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours until noodles are tender. Add shredded mozzarella in the last 20 minutes, then serve this crockpot lasagna topped with fresh basil and parmesan. Make sure to try my Skillet Lasagna if you need something quicker.
Slow Cooker Lasagna
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage, or pork sausage
- 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 sauce
- 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, (or ricotta)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Brown Meat: In a large skillet over medium heat brown the ground beef, Italian sausage and onion.½ pound lean ground beef, ½ pound ground Italian sausage, 1 large onion
- Make Red Sauce: 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!)1 ½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 2 Tablespoons dried parsley flakes, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 6 ounce can tomato paste, 29 ounces tomato sauce, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 ¼ cups water
- Assemble: 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).8 ounces lasagna noodles
- Add Cheese Mixture: Combine the mozzarella, cottage cheese and parmesan cheese; spoon a third of the mixture over noodles. Repeat layers twice.4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 ½ cups cottage cheese, ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Finish Layers: 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I first shared this recipe February 2015. Updated March 2018, September 2023 and August 2026.
This was great. Unfortunately for me 5 hours was too long for it to cook, but still good and will make it again and cook for 4 hours.
I’ve made this lasagna twice and it’s amazing! Just wondering, could it be made in the oven? Instead of the crock pot? I’m trying to find a way to make it in a disposable pan so I could make it to take to people when they’ve had babies, illnesses, etc. Thanks!
Yes you could. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.
Do the noodles need to be cooked first?
No :-). Enjoy.
I make this with ricotta instead of cottage cheese and it’s amazing. It’s our favourite lasagna recipe and I love that I don’t have to pre-cook the noodles for a change!
Does it have to be oven ready noodles?
The recipe calls for regular lasagna noodles.
Can I make the sauce the night before and layer it in the morning? I don’t want the lasagna noodles to become mushy?
Yes, that’s a great idea!
This lasagna turned out delicious! I already had lasagna ingredients on hand bc I planned to bake it in a casserole dish, but I could see my schedule was not going to allow that to happen. I really had a taste for lasagna and found your crockpot recipe. I was afraid it would turn out like soup, but it was terrific and my family loved it! I deviated slightly by using the sausage I had on hand (italian chix) and my own version of pasta sauce (but I made sure to add the 1-1/4 cup of water), I added an egg to the cheese mixture and smoothed out the cottage cheese curds with my food processor (as I usually do–I love using cottage cheese bc ricotta is so expensive and I often can’t find organic). I don’t think I’ve ever cooked pasta in my crockpot before this. This recipe is a keeper for sure! 🙂
Can I assemble the ingredients in the crockpot and keep it in the fridge overnight? I leave early in the morning and usually prepare everything in the crock insert so I just have to drop and go in the morning.
That would be fine. Enjoy!
This is the best lasagna recipe, my boyfriend loves it! I made other recipes but we always come back to this one.
I made this lasagna and shared it with my step dad and husband (with plenty of leftovers). All of us loved it! A comment above said “simple tasting”… my husband and step dad both love stouffer’s meat lasagna and said it was a way better version of that. I’ll have to say, though, I decided not to go the slow cooker route. Instead, I cooked noodles according to package and made the sauce without the added water. I assembled and left it in the fridge overnight before I baked it in the oven at 350F for 45 mins or so. I also used small curd whole milk cottage cheese. I probably will try this recipe with the slow cooker at some point…but know that it’s good baked on the oven too! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Sounds Delicious…..
This was yummy! Turned out perfect following the recipe as is.