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This crockpot lasagna is cheesy, saucy and loaded with layers of tender noodles, beef and Italian sausage, cottage cheese and plenty of mozzarella. With about 20 minutes of prep and no need to boil the noodles first, you get all the layers of a classic homemade lasagna without hovering over a pot of pasta or heating up the oven.
Table of Contents
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ricotta vs. Cottage Cheese in Lasagna
- Do You Have to Boil Lasagna Noodles First?
- How to Make Crockpot Lasagna
- Tips for the Best Crockpot Lasagna
- Crockpot Lasagna Troubleshooting
- What to Serve with Lasagna
- Make Ahead, Storage and Freezing
- More Crockpot Dinner Recipes
- Watch How This Crockpot Lasagna is Made…
- Crockpot Lasagna Recipe
And YES, you really can put the noodles in uncooked! They soften right in the sauce as the lasagna slowly cooks, which is exactly why this has become one of my favorite ways to make lasagna.
Why You’ll Love This Crockpot Lasagna
- No boiling the noodles: Layer them into the slow cooker straight from the box and let the sauce and steam do the work.
- Classic lasagna, less work: You still get layers of meat sauce, pasta and three kinds of cheese without boiling noodles or heating up the oven.
- Extra flavorful meat sauce: Using both ground beef and Italian sausage gives the sauce so much more flavor than beef alone.
- Creamy cottage cheese filling: Cottage cheese, Parmesan and an egg make a rich, creamy layer that holds together beautifully when sliced.
- Great for feeding a family: It’s hearty, filling and makes plenty for dinner with leftovers for the next day.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground Beef: Adds hearty, beefy flavor to the meat sauce. We combine it with Italian sausage so neither one overpowers the lasagna.
- Italian Sausage: The easiest way to add loads of flavor without measuring a bunch of extra seasonings. Mild or hot Italian sausage will both work.
- Yellow Onion: Mince it fairly small so it melts into the meat sauce as it cooks.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic adds another layer of savory flavor to the sauce.
- Marinara Sauce: This is one place where using a really good jarred sauce makes a difference. We love Rao’s, but use your favorite marinara or Bolognese sauce.
- Heavy Cream: Just a splash rounds out the acidity of the tomato sauce and makes it a little richer. It’s optional, so feel free to leave it out.
- Lemon Juice: It might sound unexpected, but a little squeeze brightens the rich meat and cheese layers.
- Cottage Cheese: Creates the creamy cheese layer in place of traditional ricotta. We love the texture and mild flavor.
- Egg: Helps bind the cottage cheese mixture so the lasagna holds its layers better when sliced.
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated Parmesan adds salty, nutty flavor to the cottage cheese filling.
- Salt: Seasons the cheese filling. Remember that Parmesan, sausage and jarred marinara are already salty, so you don’t need much.
- Parsley: Adds a little freshness to all those rich, cheesy layers. Fresh or dried parsley will work.
- Lasagna Noodles: No boiling! Regular or oven-ready lasagna noodles can be layered straight into the crockpot. Break extra noodles into pieces to fill the gaps around the edges. I tend to buy the oven-ready noodles.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Because it wouldn’t be lasagna without loads of gooey, melty cheese! We prefer freshly grated mozzarella for the best melt.
Ricotta vs. Cottage Cheese in Lasagna
We tested this lasagna with ricotta too, but it was actually drier. Cottage cheese made the filling creamier and more flavorful, so that’s what we prefer. But if you’re firmly Team Ricotta, you can absolutely swap it in.
Do You Have to Boil Lasagna Noodles First?
No! That’s one of the best parts of crockpot lasagna. The noodles go into the slow cooker completely uncooked and soften in the sauce as the lasagna cooks.
I tested both and I honestly didn’t notice a big difference in flavor or texture. I tend to get the oven-ready noodles to keep it super easy.
How to Make Crockpot Lasagna
Making lasagna in the slow cooker is really just brown, mix, layer and cook!
- Brown the meat: Cook the ground beef and Italian sausage in a skillet, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks. Add the onion and garlic and continue cooking until the meat is browned and the onion is tender.
- Make the meat sauce: Stir in the marinara, cream and a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Mix the cheese filling: Stir together the cottage cheese, egg, Parmesan, salt and parsley in a separate bowl.
- Start with sauce: Spray the crockpot with nonstick cooking spray, then spread about 1 cup of meat sauce over the bottom.
- Layer the lasagna: Add 2-3 uncooked lasagna noodles, breaking additional noodles as needed to cover the gaps. Top with 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture followed by 1/3 of the mozzarella.
- Repeat: Continue layering sauce, noodles and cheese until you’ve used all the ingredients.
- Slow cook: Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours or HIGH for about 3 hours, until the noodles are tender.
- Let it rest: Turn off the slow cooker and let the lasagna rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing. This helps the layers set so you get actual slices instead of a cheesy lasagna landslide.
- Broil (optional): I’m an eat-with-your-eyes kind of gal, so I like to pop the ceramic insert under the broiler for a minute or two at the end to get that cheese golden and bubbly. NOTE: only if your slow cooker insert is broiler-safe!
Tips for the Best Crockpot Lasagna
- Don’t boil the noodles first. They need the moisture from the sauce to soften as the lasagna cooks. Pre-cooking them can leave you with mushy noodles.
- Start with sauce. A layer of sauce underneath the first noodles helps them cook evenly and keeps them from sticking to the bottom.
- Break the noodles to fit. Your layers don’t have to look perfect! Fill larger gaps with broken pieces so you get noodles throughout the entire lasagna.
- Grate your own mozzarella. Freshly grated cheese melts much more smoothly than the pre-shredded kind.
- Don’t skimp on the sauce around the edges. Any exposed pasta is more likely to dry out instead of becoming tender.
- Stick with just 3 layers. I tried a batch with 4 layers and it was just too much pasta. It made the lasagna drier and less flavorful.
- Watch it toward the end. Slow cookers vary quite a bit. Start checking the noodles at the early end of the cooking range rather than assuming they need the full five hours.
- Let it rest before slicing. This is the secret to getting those beautiful lasagna layers instead of having everything slide apart as soon as you scoop it out.
Crockpot Lasagna Troubleshooting
There may be excess liquid from the meat or cottage cheese, or the lasagna may simply need time to set. Drain any excess grease after browning the meat and let the finished lasagna rest before slicing. The noodles will continue absorbing some of the moisture as it sits.
The noodles need to be surrounded by enough sauce to soften. Make sure there aren’t large areas of exposed pasta, especially around the edges. If the noodles are still firm, cover the crockpot and continue cooking until they’re tender.
The lasagna probably cooked too long. Slow cookers can vary significantly in temperature, so begin checking your lasagna at the earliest recommended cooking time.
The sides of the slow cooker get hotter than the center, so the outer edges can cook faster. Make sure there’s plenty of sauce around the outside of each noodle layer and don’t let the lasagna cook longer than necessary.
I wouldn’t recommend intentionally extending the cooking time. Unlike many slow cooker recipes, pasta doesn’t get better the longer it cooks. Once the noodles are tender, continued cooking can make them overly soft and dry out or burn the edges.
What to Serve with Lasagna
Is it even allowed to have lasagna without a side of garlic bread?! It’s not allowed at our house. Besides the garlic bread, I like to make…
Make Ahead, Storage and Freezing
One of the best things about lasagna is that the leftovers are almost as good as the first night! Here’s how to make it ahead and keep leftovers tasting their best.
Make Ahead
Prepare the meat sauce and cottage cheese mixture up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate separately. Wait to assemble until you’re ready to cook so the noodles don’t absorb too much sauce and become soft.
Storing
Store leftover crockpot lasagna in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Individual slices are especially easy to reheat.
Freezing
Cool the lasagna completely, then freeze individual portions in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheating
Microwave individual portions until hot, or cover with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven. A spoonful of marinara helps keep leftovers from drying out.
This crockpot lasagna has everything we love about classic lasagna with hearty meat sauce, tender pasta and layer after layer of melty cheese, but the slow cooker makes the whole process so much easier. Skip boiling the noodles, layer everything right in the crockpot and let it do the rest. Add garlic bread and a simple salad and dinner is DONE.
More Crockpot Dinner Recipes
- Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast
- Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken
- Crockpot Chicken and Rice
- Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
- Cafe Rio Crockpot Shredded Chicken
Watch How This Crockpot Lasagna is Made…
Crockpot Lasagna
Ingredients
- ½ Pound Ground Beef
- ½ Pound Italian Sausage
- ½ Yellow Onion, minced
- 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 24 Ounce Jarred Sauce, like marinara or bolognese (we like Rao's best)
- 2 Tablespoons Cream, *optional
- 1 Squeeze Lemon Juice
- 2 ½ Cups Cottage Cheese
- 1 Egg, large
- ¾ Cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Parsley, chopped or 1 tablespoon dried
- Lasagna Noodles, oven ready or regular
- 3 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, grated
Instructions
- Spray a crockpot with nonstick spray.
- In a skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef and sausage. Cook, breaking up the meat until it's in crumbles, about 1-2 minutes.½ Pound Ground Beef, ½ Pound Italian Sausage
- Add the onion and garlic and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the meat is browned and onions caramelized.½ Yellow Onion, 3 Cloves Garlic
- Add the jarred sauce, cream and lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Set aside.24 Ounce Jarred Sauce, 2 Tablespoons Cream, 1 Squeeze Lemon Juice
- In a bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, egg, Parmesan, about 1/2 teaspoon salt and parsley. Set aside.2 ½ Cups Cottage Cheese, 1 Egg, ¾ Cup Parmesan Cheese, ½ teaspoon Salt, 2 Tablespoons Parsley
- Spread 1 cup of the sauce mixture on the bottom of the crockpot.
- Place 2-3 lasagna noodles and break 1-2 more to fill in the sides.Lasagna Noodles
- Spread 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture on top and then 1/3 of the mozzarella.3 Cups Mozzarella Cheese
- Repeat layers until all ingredients are used.
- Cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 3 hours.
- Place just the ceramic insert under a broiler at the end if you want a browned top.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
