This is the Easiest Ever Crockpot Lasagna Recipe – it cooks hands-off all day and is super easy to assemble. Plus, it freezes well!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Extra-lean ground beef – you could also make this lasagna with ground turkey or pork.
- Yellow onion – white onion or shallots would be the best substitute here.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Jars tomato sauce – I like Classico’s sweet basil marinara sauce, but you can use any tomato sauce of your choice. If you’re feeling fancy, you can even make your own!
- Lasagna noodles – both oven-ready and normal lasagna noodles will work for this recipe.
- Ricotta cheese – cottage cheese can be used instead but it will have a different texture.
- Mozzarella cheese – use either pre-shredded or freshly grated mozzarella. Add in some parmesan for extra richness!
- Fresh basil – fresh parsley would also be good to garnish.
How to make lasagna in the crockpot
Step 1: Brown the ground beef.
In a large frying pan, brown the ground beef over med-high heat.
Step 2: Make the sauce.
When beef is almost cooked through, add onions, garlic, salt & pepper and 1 jar of tomato sauce, then stir to combine.
Step 3: Add in the meat sauce.
Spray slow cooker with cooking spray, then layer in a bit of meat sauce.
Step 4: Layer the lasagna noodles.
Add lasagna noodles (you may need to break some into pieces to make them fit).
Step 5: Spoon ricotta and cheese over top.
Add some ricotta and mozzarella cheese.
Step 6: Add another layer of sauce.
Add more of the meat sauce. All layers should be about 1 inch thick. Repeat until the slow cooker is full – usually 3 layers total.
Step 7: Finish layering the lasagna.
Pour the other jar of tomato sauce overtop of lasagna, then add mozzarella cheese to the top. Pour water in on the sides.
Step 8: Cook and then serve!
Cook on high for 3 hours, or on low for 6 hours. Garnish lasagna with basil and/or parsley, then serve and enjoy!
Additional filling ideas
If you want to up your lasagna game, you can use this crockpot lasagna as a base and add to it.
You can change the type of ground meat from beef to chicken, pork or turkey. Make it vegetarian with tofu, or just leave out the protein altogether and add a ton of veggies.
Add some of these ingredients for a flavour and nutrition boost:
- Spinach
- Mushrooms
- Zucchini
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
You can also change up the flavour by altering the type of tomato sauce you use. Adding spices such as red pepper flakes will also increase the flavor.
Try using cottage cheese instead of ricotta for a change in texture. Or add some parmesan for extra richness.
Frequently Asked Questions
This lasagna should have about three layers, but it really depends on the size of your crockpot. There are no right or wrong answers when it comes to how many layers your lasagna should have! Just make sure you’re not overfilling the crockpot and that each layer is about one-inch thick.
This recipe will cook in the crockpot on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours.
To add some complex flavours to your sauce, you can use tomato sauce with seasoning added to it such as the sweet basil sauce I recommend. This sauce is the Classico brand, but feel free to use whatever sort of pasta sauce is your favourite! If you don't want to use jarred pasta sauce, you can make your own tomato sauce by mixing together strained/crushed tomatoes, some Italian seasoning, salt & pepper, a tiny bit of brown sugar and a little garlic.
Lasagna can be heavy with all the starches of the pasta, so serving it with something light rounds out the meal nicely. Try serving this crockpot lasagna with a side salad, green beans, roasted veggies or some nice fresh garlic bread.
Storing and reheating
You can assemble this entire slow cooker lasagna ahead of time and cook it the next day. Brown the meat and make the layers in your crockpot by following the instructions listed in the recipe card below. Pop the entire crockpot in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, cook the lasagna as instructed.
This recipe gets even better after it sits for a day and you can store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. It makes a satisfying lunch or dinner!
This recipe tastes great, even after being reheated in the microwave. Be sure to sprinkle a little water over top and then reheat it in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes. Place a damp paper towel over top to minimize splattering in the microwave and to ensure that the lasagna tastes fresh and moist after reheating. You can also reheat the whole lasagna in the oven for 20 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit.
Freezing this recipe
Lasagna is a great freezer meal because it holds up so well. You can freeze lasagna cooked or uncooked for up to 3 months.
You will need to brown the meat before freezing it. After that, you can choose to freeze the entire meal. Put everything except the tomato sauce together in an airtight container and freeze. When you are ready to cook it, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then dump it in the crockpot the next morning. Your layers will not be perfect and it will be more like a casserole, but the flavour will be the same.
You can also completely cook this meal then freeze it. Lasagna can even be cut and frozen in individual portions so it’s easy to grab quickly and have a healthy, filling lunch. Let the lasagna cool in the refrigerator overnight so it’s easier to cut into even pieces then freeze each individual serving. Then, just pop a serving in the microwave for 7 to 8 minutes, sprinkling some water over top so it doesn’t dry out.
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More crockpot comfort food recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this lasagna into your weekly lunches.
- I get all my grass-fed ground beef from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
Easiest Ever Crockpot Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 lb extra-lean ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 2 (650mL) jars tomato sauce (I used Classico's sweet basil marinara sauce)
- 1 lb lasagna noodles (can use either oven ready or normal)
- 1 (475g) tub ricotta cheese
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup water
- Chopped fresh basil or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, brown the ground beef over med-high heat. When beef is almost cooked through, add onions, garlic, salt & pepper and 1 jar of tomato sauce, then stir to combine.
- Spray slow cooker with cooking spray, then layer in a bit of meat sauce. Add lasagna noodles (you may need to break some into pieces to make them fit), then add some ricotta and mozzarella cheese, and more of the meat sauce. All layers should be about 1 inch thick. Repeat until the slow cooker is full – usually 3 layers total.
- Pour the other jar of tomato sauce overtop of lasagna, then add mozzarella cheese to the top. Pour water in on the sides. Cook on high for 3 hours, or on low for 6 hours.
- Garnish lasagna with basil and/or parsley, then serve and enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Anita says
If cottage cheese is used instead of ricotta cheese what size container is needed.?
Taylor Stinson says
It should be the same size as the ricotta container