This easy Crockpot Lasagna recipe has all the flavor of a traditional homemade lasagna but without the mess and prep! It’s perfect for a busy weeknight and a meal everyone enjoys!
Want more slow cooker recipes? Try Hawaiian Meatballs, Pork Carnitas, Beef Gyros, or Chicken Tortilla Soup!
Why I love this meal:
- Quick – This recipe skips all the time consuming parts of homemade lasagna and is practically mess-free, especially with these slow cooker liners.
- Uncooked Noodles – No need to boil the noodles beforehand, making this recipe even faster.
- Crowd Pleaser – I have never heard a complaint on lasagna night! Serve with easy homemade breadsticks or garlic knots and a wedge salad.
How to make Slow Cooker Lasagna:
Make Red Sauce: In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, Italian sausage and onion. Remove some of the grease. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, tomato sauce, sugar, and water. Stir and simmer 15-20 minutes.
Combine Cheese: Mix the mozzarella, cottage cheese and parmesan cheese together.
Layer Lasagna: Spread a fourth of the meat sauce into the bottom of your slow cooker. Arrange a third of the noodles over the sauce (break the noodles to fit, if necessary). Spoon a third of the cheese mixture over noodles. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce and sprinkle with extra mozzarella cheese, if desired.
Serve: Cover and cook on low for about 4-5 hours or until noodles are tender. Serve the best crockpot lasagna with easy homemade breadsticks or garlic knots and a wedge salad.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: The meat sauce can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge up to a few days ahead, until ready to assemble the easy slow cooker lasagna recipe.
To Freeze: The meat sauce can be frozen in advance in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 4 months. Let thaw then assemble the lasagna.
Serve With:
- Homemade Breadsticks
- Best Homemade Rolls
- Classic Wedge Salad
- Garlic Knots
- Beet Salad
- Three Bean Salad
- Brussels Sprout Salad
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Recipe
Slow Cooker Lasagna
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage or pork sausage
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large onion , chopped*
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons dried parsley flakes
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 29 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 8 ounces lasagna noodles , uncooked
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat brown the ground beef, Italian sausage and onion.
- Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, tomato sauce, sugar, and water. Stir and simmer 15-20 minutes. (You could make the sauce in advance!)
- Spread a fourth of the meat sauce into the bottom of your slow cooker. Arrange a third of the noodles over the sauce (break the noodles to fit, if necessary).
- Combine the mozzarella, cottage cheese and parmesan cheese; spoon a third of the mixture over noodles. Repeat layers twice.
- Top with remaining meat sauce and sprinkle with extra mozzarella cheese, if desired.
- Cover and cook on low for about 4-5 hours or until noodles are tender.
Notes
Nutrition
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I first shared this recipe February 2015. Updated March 2018 and September 2023.
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This post contains affiliate links.
Made this yesterday, and OMG it was delicious! Couple notes:
1. Used ground turkey and turkey sausage instead of beef/pork, and used 1 lb of each. It worked, but in hindsight, didn’t need THAT much meat in it, sauce was really more stew like as a result. On the other hand, those who mentioned theirs came out soup like, maybe that could help?
2. Used ricotta instead of cottage cheese since my son doesn’t like cottage cheese. Worked beautifully still.
3. I added some shredded parmesan to the mozzarella on top, that was AMAZING.
4. Maybe it was just mine, but this came out SUPER TALL. Like each square I cut from the lasagna was about 4 inches tall! Ended up cutting each square in half for portions, have a LOT of leftovers now.
But the biggest takeaway was how PERFECT it came out. Tasted exactly like the kind you would make in the oven, no problems with noodles being dry, etc. And because my slow cooker has a pre-set timer, I did low for 8 hours (4 and 6 hour settings are high temp) and that still turned out great.
I don’t like cottage cheese either and neither does my family but I’ve tried both with lasagna and you’d never know the difference.
I made this lasagna yesterday. Everyone loved it. I made a few adjustments based on the items I had on hand. I would like to try it in the oven too.
If you use a crock pot liner and place all the ingredients in the liner, clean up is a breeze.
I made this yesterday and substituted the ground round for Italian Seasoned ground turkey along with the Italian Sausage and so I in turn did not use the Worcestershire sauce and it was amazing. I was so excited to have my parents and boyfriend try it and they all loved it.
Thank you and continue to post these amazing recipes.
Hi Alexis, those substitutions sound amazing! Thanks for coming back to comment–so happy your family liked it!
Is the sauce suppose to be waterly ??
Hi Danielle, do you mean after it’s finished cooking? The sauce should thicken up as it cools.
I an cooking it as we speak. I am so excited. It smells amazing. Thank you for the wonderful recipe
this was very good but was more like soup than lasagna. I will try it again but will probably cut back on the amount of water to add…
I noticed you have cottage cheese…..I have always made lasagna in a pan with ricotta cheese is there a big difference and could you use ricotta in place of the cottage cheese?
Hi Malissa, You couldn’t definitely use ricotta cheese if that’s what you prefer! I’d love to hear how you like it!
Thanks for the recipe! I haven’t done a slow cooker lasagna before…is it easy to scoop out the leftovers to save in the fridge for the next day?
I’ve been wanting to try a lasagna in the crockpot, and this recipe looks easy and tasty. I’m going to give a try tomorrow. Thank you! I’m new to your blog so I’m looking forward to exploring your other recipes.
Thanks Lisa! I’d love to hear how you like it!
I made this last week for my Bible study group and everyone loved it. In fact a couple of ladies told me this week that they had made it for their families after I gave them the recipe. Btw I didn’t find it soupy at all and I liked your sauce recipe better than mine. I’ll be using yours now.
I’m assuming you should drain the grease after browning the meat correct? I am making this for dinner tomorrow 🙂
Yes, you should drain the grease 🙂