CrockPot Lasagna - Spend With Pennies

Nothing is as good as a ready meal after a busy day!

Crockpot Lasagna has all of the rich zesty flavors, creamy cheese, and tender, juicy ground beef found in a traditional lasagna recipe!

The slow cooker is an easy way to prepare this favorite and let it cook all day while you’re busy.

Crock pot lasagna on a plate with garlic bread in a basket.

An Easy Crockpot Meal

We love any and all Crockpot recipes, but this one has a special place in our kitchen!

This recipe is easy to put together and no pre-cooking of the noodles is required.
It’s great to make ahead (even the day before) and cook while you’re out or at work.
It’s the perfect entrée to add to a potluck or dinner party since all you need to do is plug the Crockpot in to keep it warm.
It’s versatile, too, and can easily be changed up with other favorite lasagna ingredients.

Lasagna Ingredients

3 Cheese Filling – Traditional lasagna uses ricotta cheese, but cottage cheese works, too. Parmesan adds flavor while mozzarella makes it gooey and cheesy.

Sauce – This easy ground beef version uses a marinara sauce that’s already seasoned, but we add some of our own homemade Italian seasoning. If you have the time, make your own easy marinara sauce, too! Leftover meat sauce can be used, too.

Optional Add-Ins –

Add some fresh or frozen spinach to the cheese mixture.
Layer in cooked veggies like peppers or mushrooms.
Swap half of the ground beef for Italian sausage.

meat sauce and cheese with noodles to make Crockpot Lasagna

How To Make Crockpot Lasagna

Let the slow cooker do all the work for this delish dish!

Brown ground beef, onion, and garlic. Add sauce, tomatoes, and seasonings.
Combine cheese filling.
Layer cheese mixture, meat sauce, and noodles until the final layer is pasta sauce topped with cheese.
Cover and cook per recipe below.

Important Tip: Once cooked, be sure to let the lasagna rest with the lid ajar for at least 30 minutes (or up to 40 minutes). This allows it to cool slightly and the layers to set up.

adding noodles to pot to make Crockpot Lasagna

adding ricotta and seasonings to pot to make Crockpot Lasagna

adding meat sauce to pot to make Crockpot Lasagna

adding cheese to pot to make Crockpot Lasagna

What To Serve With Lasagna

Lasagna doesn’t need much more than a fresh, crispy salad and garlic toast! Here are a few of our favorites!

Salads: Tossed salad, Italian salad, Caesar salad

Bread: Homemade garlic bread, dinner rolls, French Bread, no knead bread

How to Store Leftovers

Lasagna keeps very well in the refrigerator for about 4 days. Make sure it is covered tightly. Sprinkle a little extra mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on top and reheat in the microwave.

As with any lasagna, this recipe freezes great as well!

We Love Lasagna!

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Crock Pot Lasagna

Crock Pot Lasagna is an easy set-it-and-forget-it meal that tastes just like the oven version!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Resting Time 30 minutes

Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Cook ground beef, onion, and garlic in a large saucepan until no pink remains. Drain fat.
Stir in sauce, diced tomatoes with juices and seasoning. Simmer 5-7 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, mix cheese filling ingredients.
Spread 1 ½ cups sauce in the bottom of a 6 qt slow cooker. Top with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (break them to fit in the slow cooker as needed).
Create layers of cheese mixture, sauce, and noodles. End with pasta sauce and finally top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
Cover and cook on low for 3 to 3.5 hours or until pasta is cooked through (the edges will be brown and crispy). Turn the slow cooker off, open lid slightly to allow steam to escape and let rest 30 minutes to set.

Layering order (you may or may not be able to fit 3 whole noodles on each layer depending on the shape of your slow cooker):
1.5 cups of sauce- 2 ½ to 3 noodles- 1/3 of cheese mixture
1.5 cups of sauce- 2 ½ to 3 noodles- 1/3 of cheese mixture
1.5 cups of sauce- 2 ½ to 3 noodles- 1/3 of cheese mixture
remaining sauce – mozzarella
Be sure to let the lasagna rest uncovered at least 20 minutes (or up to 30 minutes). This allows it to cool slightly and the layers to set up.

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Beef, Casserole, Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Pasta, Slow Cooker

Cuisine American, Italian

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