Crock Pot Lasagna is such a rich, creamy, meaty and filling dish! This super easy recipe for lasagna makes for a great easy weeknight dinner. Just build it up in your slow cooker, set it and forget it, and enjoy a delicious pasta dish without all the hassle.

 

Easy pasta dinners have always been a staple in our house. Spaghetti with meat sauce seems to agree with everyone and paired up with some garlic butter spread to make garlic bread and a house salad makes for a full, filling meal for the whole family. Spaghetti dinner can get a little old after a while, which is why we like making lasagna every now and then to mix things up. Recently, we found an interesting way to make lasagna easy: Crock Pot Lasagna.

Making lasagna in a slow cooker is about as simple as it is making it in the oven. Whip up a quick easy meat sauce, layer it all up in your dish(or crock pot in this case), and let it cook. Perhaps one of the biggest benefits to our Crockpot Lasagna is that slowing things down with these longer cook times yields a better lasagna.

Everything is cooked through just right- no undercooked or overcooked spots- and it yields some of the best lasagna ever! Whether it’s a Crock Pot or a Slow Cooker Lasagna, this is a recipe you don’t want to pass up on: it’s going to make weeknight dinner easy from here on out.

Why you’ll love this Easy Crockpot Lasagna recipe

• Lasagna in a Crock Pot comes together and is just as easy to make as any sort of Lasagna Casserole or Lasagna Bake. Brown the ground beef, add the sauce, layer things up, and add a bit of extra water to help your finished lasagna stay moist and melty.
• You’ll spend most of your time on this recipe just waiting for your lasagna to cook. Use your free time to relax or take the opportunity to whip up some tasty side dishes!
• Using a slow cooker to make lasagna might yield some of the best lasagna you’ve ever tried! Like any lasagna, it also holds up really well in the fridge or freezer. Toss those leftovers in the fridge or freezer and enjoy your tasty lasagna all week long.

Crock Pot Lasgna Ingredients

The ingredients list for our Crock Pot Lasagna looks a lot like any other pasta dinner- ingredients for meat sauce, some dried pasta, the works. Here’s all you’ll need:

• Ground Beef – We went with this 85/15 ground beef. We figured some lean ground beef would work better than fatty ground beef in a recipe like this- what with all the extra moisture.
• Onion – Just a basic white or yellow onion. We’d avoid purple or red onion in this lasagna recipe- a bit too sharp tasting.
• Garlic – Minced garlic from the jar is perfectly fine here!
• Salt and Pepper
• Spaghetti Sauce – We went with a couple jars of this Classico store bought spaghetti sauce- the “Spicy Tomato & Basil.” We figured that little bit of heat would work well with all the fats and creaminess.
• Spices – Herbs, seasonings, or whatever spices you prefer to add to Italian dishes like this. You might use something like storebought or homemade Italian Seasoning. We just settled on some dried oregano and basil- simple but it works!
• Lasagna Noodles – These Barilla Lasagne Noodles did the trick for us. We’ve never done anything like homemade lasagna noodles so we can’t give you exact directions on how to use them. But we’re sure you can find some way to make them work.
• Ricotta – Full fat whole milk ricotta is going to work the best in these kinds of lasagna recipes.
• Mozzarella – Usually you’d want to use freshly shredded mozzarella in a recipe like this. We’ve found that pre-shredded mozzarella works just fine and is way more convenient!

See recipe card for quantities.

How to make Lasagna in Crock Pot

You’re going to love this easy Lasagna- if anything, just for how simple it is to prep. To make this slow cooker Lasagna easy, here’s all you have to do:

1. Add crumbled ground beef, diced onion, garlic, salt and pepper to large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain excess grease before adding spaghetti sauce and spices and stirring to combine into a meat sauce.
2. Layer sauce, uncooked lasagna noodles, then cheeses in greased crock pot 3-4 times until filled. Pour water down into the sides of the crockpot to avoid disturbing lasagna layers.
3. Set crock pot into slow cooker, cover and cook– either on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours. Avoid uncovering until finished cooking.

Feel free to garnish with extra herbs and/or Parmesan cheese.

Substitutions

If you’ve run out of some of these ingredients or can’t find them at the store- don’t worry. We’ve got a few substitutions you can use for your Lasagna:

• Ground Beef – We feel like ground beef is going to be your best bet in any lasagna. It’s affordable, easy to work with, and pairs perfectly with all that tomato sauce and cheese. However, you can try subbing it out with anything from Italian sausage, ground turkey, or even ground chicken. Chicken and turkey lasagna are great ways to cut down on the fat and calories if you’re trying to lose some weight.
• Spaghetti Sauce – Jarred spaghetti sauce (lazy sauce) from the store is definitely one of the easiest ways to go when making lasagna. It’s not your only option though: you can easily use homemade spaghetti sauce or reach for jarred marinara sauce in a pinch!
• Ricotta Cheese – That whole milk ricotta cheese is definitely one of the key ingredients that gets this Crockpot Lasagna so rich and creamy. In a pinch, you can try subbing it out for cream cheese or use some cottage cheese- especially if you’re trying to keep the calories down.

Variations

Want to mix this easy Crock Pot Lasagna recipe up? Here’s a couple of ideas you can give a shot:

• White Lasagna – One of the most interesting spins on lasagna you’ll read about is White Lasagna. Sub out the tomato-based spaghetti sauce for an alfredo sauce- maybe even make some Easy Homemade Alfredo Sauce. For the filling, go with some Italian sausage, make it a Chicken Lasagna with some veggies, or maybe even use an all vegetable lasagna filling! Don’t skimp on the cheese while you’re at it.
• Vegetable Lasagna – Sub your meat filling out for a medley of vegetables. Try using stuff like carrots, zucchini, bell peppers, and spinach
• Make-Ahead Lasagna – If you want to give all these flavors time to meld and come together, you’ll want to consider prepping a Make-Ahead Lasagna. Assemble the lasagna like the recipe says in the crock pot and, instead of cooking right away, cover and keep in the fridge. Let set overnight and continue with the recipe whenever you’re ready.

Storage / Freezing

Storage: Cover your leftover lasagna up well with plastic wrap or cling film before keeping in the fridge. Either keep whole or cut up into individual portions after its had time to set. Try to enjoy within 3-5 days, but it might stay safe to eat for up to 7 days- though, you’re pushing your luck if you go any further past that.

Freezing: Just like with storing in the fridge, you can freeze lasagna whole or in individual slices. However you decide to store it, wrap tightly in foil to prevent freezer burn. Keep frozen for up to 3 months. For best results, allow your frozen Crock Pot Lasagna to thaw before reheating.

Other Slow Cooker Recipes

Looking for other slow cooker recipes? Try these:

Consider Serving with these Recipes

Here are some side dishes to consider serving with this recipe: