Crockpot Lasagna is juicy, cheesy, beefy, and tastes just as good as a Classic Lasagna, but easier! There is no need to pre-cook noodles, you just add them raw and they cook up perfectly tender in the slow cooker. This is also a make-ahead lasagna that can be assembled a day ahead for convenient meals (hello Sunday lunch).
Slow cookers have been a little neglected with the popularity of Instant Pots and air fryers, but let’s not forget why we love them in the first place – you can set it and forget it until dinner time (like Crockpot Chili), so it’s ready when you are.
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You’ll Love this Crockpot Lasagna
Lasagna in the slow cooker is one of my favorite Sunday lunch ideas. You can assemble it a day ahead and refrigerate, then turn it on before heading off to church and have it ready when you get home. It works perfectly because we love our leisurely Sunday morning pace and it’s great to know I already have lunch figured out.
I took a crockpot of this yummy lasagna casserole over to my parent’s house one Sunday afternoon for our weekly family lunch and everyone in my family (young and old-ish) was completely smitten with it. This is a KEEPER!!
Ingredients for Crockpot Lasagna
- Ground Beef – The best beef for lasagna should have about 20% fat content
- Onion & Garlic – aromatics that give deep flavor and aroma
- Salt, Pepper & Oregano – simple pantry staples are all you need
- Red wine adds incredible flavor to the meat sauce
- Marinara – use a high quality store-bought marinara, or homemade marinara
- Parsley – added to the meat sauce and cheese sauce
- Lasagna Noodles – Use regular uncooked lasagna noodles (NOT “oven ready).
- Cheese – This lasagna combines 3 cheeses. The cottage cheese might surprise you but takes the cheese sauce to the next level.
- A little water is added to help with hot spots and to cook more evenly. If your crockpot is prone to hot spots, consider using a slow cooker liner or a different slow cooker.
How to Make Crockpot Lasagna
1. In a large deep pan over medium heat, saute the ground beef and onion for 5 min or until no longer pink, breaking it up with your spatula. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute then add 1/4 cup red wine and simmer until nearly evaporated (5 min).
2. Add 3 cups marinara, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp sugar and 2 Tbsp chopped parsley. Mix well, cover and simmer 5 min while you stir together your cheese sauce.
3. For the cheese sauce: In a medium bowl, combine 15 oz ricotta, 16 oz cottage cheese (un-drained), 1 large egg, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and 2 Tbsp parsley. Mix well.
4. Lightly oil your slow cooker. Spread 1 cup marinara on the bottom then add 3 noodles, breaking to fit. Top with 1/3 of the Meat Sauce, sprinkle on 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, then spread with 1/2 of your cheese sauce and repeat until you have 3 layers of noodles. Top with remaining meat sauce, 3/4 cup mozzarella and pour 1/2 cup water around the edges, allowing some of it to go down the side of the dish into the lasagna.
5. Cover and cook on LOW 3 1/2 to 4 hours**. If desired, soak up any excess oil with a paper towel then sprinkle on the remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella, cover and cook for 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
Let the lasagna rest 15 minutes before serving, otherwise, it will be blazing hot and too loose to serve.
What’s the best slow cooker? We used a 6 Quart programmable slow cooker when I took these photos. We have since upgraded to an 8 Quart crockpot. Note: If you use a 3 quart, you will need to cut the recipe in half and break the noodles in half so they fit easier into the crockpot.
Crock Pot Lasagna Layers
Here is a visual reference on how to assemble a slow cooker lasagna in order of adding to the crockpot. I follow this list every time.
- 1 cup marinara – spread on the bottom
- 3 noodles (broken to fit)
- 1/3 of the meat sauce
- 3/4 cup grated mozzarella
- 1/2 ricotta cheese sauce
- 3 noodles
- 1/3 meat sauce
- 3/4 cup of grated mozzarella
- 1/2 ricotta cheese sauce
- 3 noodles
- 1/3 meat sauce
- 3/4 cup of grated mozzarella (refrigerate remaining cheese)
- 1/2 cup water around the edges
- After 4 hours, top with 3/4 cup of grated mozzarella
Common Questions
Yes, you can substitute with beef broth if you prefer. If alcohol is a concern, keep in mind, it’s mostly cooked out on the stove.
Spinach is delicious in lasagna. We used it in our Chicken Lasagna recipe. One of our readers reported great results using chopped fresh spinach here. You could stir it into the cheese sauce.
You can use oven-ready noodles, but they will cook faster than regular lasagna noodles which can get too soft, which is why I prefer uncooked lasagna noodles.
We have tested this with Gluten-Free lasagna noodles but they did become mushier than traditional noodles.
Fully assemble and cook, then cool to room temperature, transfer to a freezer container, and freeze. To serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and reheat portions in the microwave or oven until roll-ups are heated through and cheese is melted.
You can substitute it with some more ricotta.
A great big cheesy slice for me, please! I hope your whole family falls in love with this Crockpot Lasagna recipe. It’s one of the easiest dinners and one that the kids always enjoy. Meat sauce, cheese sauce, melty cheese between the layers – what’s not to love?
More Crockpot Recipes
- Pork Carnitas – Mexican pulled pork
- Slow Cooker Beef Chili – it doesn’t get any easier
- Crockpot BBQ Chicken – delicious in sandwiches
- Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce is perfect over any pasta
- Crockpot Pulled Pork is so tender and saucy
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos for taco Tuesday
Easy Crockpot Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
For the Meat Sauce
- 1 lb ground beef, (80/20 fat content)
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1/4 cup red wine, or beef broth
- 32 oz marinara sauce
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 4 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped and divided
For the Cheese Sauce:
- 15 oz reduced fat ricotta cheese
- 16 oz low-fat cottage cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 lb mozzarella cheese, (4 cups shredded), divided
For Assembling Lasagna:
- 9 lasagna noodles, uncooked, NOT “oven ready”
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- In a large deep pan over medium heat, combine ground beef and onion. Cook, breaking up meat with a spatula until no longer pink (5 min). Add garlic and sauté 1 to 2 mins. Add 1/4 cup red wine and simmer until nearly evaporated (5 min).
- Add 3 cups marinara, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp sugar and 2 Tbsp chopped parsley. Mix well, cover and simmer 5 min.:
- Make the cheese sauce: In a medium bowl, combine: 15 oz ricotta, 16 oz cottage cheese, 1 large egg, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and 2 Tbsp parsley. Mix well.
- Lightly oil a 6 qt slow cooker. Spread 1 cup marinara sauce on the bottom then top with 3 noodles, breaking them to fit. Top with 1/3 of the Meat Sauce, sprinkle with 3/4 cup of your mozzarella cheese, then spread the top with 1/2 of your ricotta cheese mixture and repeat until you have 3 layers of noodles. Top the third layer of noodles with remaining meat sauce, 3/4 cup mozzarella and pour 1/2 cup water around the edges, allowing some of it to go down the side of the dish into lasagna.
- Cover and cook on LOW 3 1/2 to 4 hours** then top with reserved mozzarella, cover and cook 10 mins or until cheese melts. Let the lasagna rest 15 mins for easier serving.
Notes
**Cook 3 1/2 hours on low if slow cooking right away and 4 hours on low if slow cooking after having the lasagna assembled and refrigerated overnight.
Nutrition Per Serving
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
It came out okay. However, the cheese sauce to meat sauce ratio was all wrong. All I can taste is the noodles and cheese sauce, not meat sauce when eating it. I would use at least 48oz marinara sauce or half the cheese sauce, if I made it again. Also, the recipe doesn’t say to drain the ground beef. But make sure you do.
Hi Katherine, Did you use a different size crockpot? Also, if using a higher fat ground beef that releases alot of fat, it’s a good idea to remove excess oil.
I am so used to making regular lasagna I didn’t pay any attention about dividing things up on the cheese mixture but instead, just threw it all together and spread it on top of the meat sauce. Will that be a problem now? I’ve just put it all in the crock pot and am waiting 🙁
I think it will turn out okay. I hope it does!
Can I increase the layers? Instead of 3 layers, can I make 6 layers or more? I have a 10 Qt. Crockpot that will hold a lot of layers.
Hi Walter, I don’t have a 10 quart to say it will work, but it just might. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Instead of Marinara red sauce….how do you think it would taste with white Alfredo sauce?
Hi Brent! I haven’t tried this recipe with alfredo sauce. If you give that a try, we’d love to know how it turns out!
It say to not use oven ready noodles. What about home made lasagna noodles?
That’s great too!
I am just in the process of making 4 batches for my daughter’s hockey team. I was curious if I am reading it wrong. The recipe calls for 32 ounces of marinara sauce but in the notes below it mentions add 3 cups? Do I add the 4th cup somewhere? Also between the ricotta and cottage cheese this would be 31 ounces also just under 4 cups? Thank you for clarifying. I don’t want to mess up this many batches of lasagna.
Hi Leslie. See step 4 in the recipe card for where the 4th cup of marinara sauce is used.
The cottage cheese/ricotta cheese measurement is based on weight not volume, so that would be the weight in ounces.
I hope that clarifies and I hope this recipe is a hit!
Made this tonite. Great flavor but mine too came out very “soupy”. Disappointing. Not sure what I did wrong.
Hi Michele, I’m not sure what happened there. Did you by any chance use any substitutions?
Thank you for this one! It was even better as leftovers since the flavors melded together so well.
Even with my big blunder of using no boil (oven ready) noodles, I was able to rescue the dish by removing the excess liquid a number of times as it cooked.
With all my lifting of the lid, I was surprised how it still cooked up nicely before the minimum time recommended.
Once the noodles were tender and everything was heated through, I turned off the heat and we ate.
I think if I hadn’t added the liquid in the last step, and if I had cooked off more of the moisture in the sauce/meat mixture on the stove, I could have used the oven ready noodles just as well, as long as I didn’t overcook them.
Thx again!
Thanks for sharing your experience trying this recipe! Good to know that you liked it!
I absolutely love this lasagna recipe. I use 2 16 oz containers of ricotta instead of the cottage cheese and I add a sprinkling of grated Romano at each layer. It tastes almost like my Italian Mother’s lasagna (except she made the noodles & tomato sauce from scratch.) I can whip this up in less than 20 min, clean up before the meal & feed a crowd.
Hello Joan, good to know that the substitutions that you used worked well in this recipe Thank you for sharing and for the review!
I already cooked my noodles can I still do lasagna in the crock pot…and how would you cook it?
Hi Nona, it’s best to use uncooked in this recipe. It will probably still taste good but the noodles might be mushy and falling apart.
This recipe yielded the most delicious lasagna! I was pleasantly surprised that the top layer of cheese turned out perfectly (a little browned). I didn’t have any ricotta cheese on hand; just, used cottage cheese, and it still turned out, beautifully. I also added mushrooms, while browning the meat. Appreciated the tip to add water on the sides of the crockpot.
It really is delicious! I’m happy you enjoyed it Margaret! Thank you for sharing your review with me.
Really like this recipe. Not rating down because of the substitutions I made are likely the culprit! It was overall really good, but came out soupy when I used Classico spaghetti sauce instead of marinara sauce, so I think it’s really important to use marinara as instructed. Will make again though, especially in summer weather (hearty dinner that uses no oven!!)
Delicious!! Did add some spinach to the cheese mixture! My go to lasagna recipe!
Awesome, so glad you enjoyed it!
I love this recipe. I have made it several times and it might be the best lasagna I’ve ever made. HOWEVER, don’t believe it can be prepped in 30 minutes. For me it takes a minimum of 1 hour. Allow 1 1/2 hours the first time.
It’s worth the time.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Jennifer!
That’s been my experience, too! Takes close to an hour to prepare and layering instruction La could be a little clearer. But it’s a family favorite and so delicious!
HI Stacey, I updated the recipe to reflect a longer prep time (I had accounted for some of the prep time in the cooking time but I can see where that could be confusing if you are only considering cooking time to be slow cooker time)
Excellent – absolutely delicious! I tried it based on the reviews and I am so glad I did. Yes, I made small tweaks just to use something on hand (a little grated parmesan in the cheese sauce, 1 drained can of diced tomatoes in the meat sauce plus favorite spices such as garlic salt and a garlic chicken herb one we love) but I am sure it would have been just as perfect without my additions. It cooked so beautifully and in the time suggested (4 hours + 15 minutes with more mozzarella + 15 minutes to rest). We love leftovers so this is providing 3 meals for hubby and me. I’m thrilled to finally find THE best CrockPot lasagna recipe!
Hi Stella! Thank you for the feedback. So glad you loved it, even with the “small tweaks.” 😉
Hi Natasha,
I found the recipe to be a little confusing but the Lasagna still tasted great.
Your directions say to “repeat until you have three layers” but then it also says to “Top the third layer of noodles with remaining meat sauce, 3/4 cup mozzarella and pour 1/2 cup water around the edges”. You have another section on this page that shows that the second layer has no Marinara sauce, and the third layer has none of the cheese mixture.
Thanks for the great tasting recipe.
Hi Steve, I’m so glad you enjoyed the slow cooker lasagna recipe. Regarding the photo collage – if I had included all the steps it would have been about 20 photos long so I included the layers in order: noodles, meat sauce, shredded cheese, cheese sauce then you repeat until you get to the last layer where you pour water around the edges. I hope that helps.
If I make a half recipe, should I reduce the egg? Or just use the one egg called for in the original recipe? Thanks! Looks like a good recipe. Looking forward to making it for two.
Hi Lisa, I would halve the entire recipe and all the ingredients. To get half an egg, I like to put the egg into a small bowl, mix it slightly and then pour half of it into the mixture.