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By Taylor Stinson | 135 Comments | Posted: | Updated:
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This is the Easiest Ever Crockpot Lasagna Recipe – it cooks hands-off all day and is super easy to assemble. Plus, it freezes well!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Extra-lean ground beef – you could also make this lasagna with ground turkey or pork.
- Yellow onion – white onion or shallots would be the best substitute here.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Jars tomato sauce – I like Classico’s sweet basil marinara sauce, but you can use any tomato sauce of your choice. If you’re feeling fancy, you can even make your own!
- Lasagna noodles – both oven-ready and normal lasagna noodles will work for this recipe.
- Ricotta cheese – cottage cheese can be used instead but it will have a different texture.
- Mozzarella cheese – use either pre-shredded or freshly grated mozzarella. Add in some parmesan for extra richness!
- Fresh basil – fresh parsley would also be good to garnish.
How to make lasagna in the crockpot
Step 1: Brown the ground beef.
In a large frying pan, brown the ground beef over med-high heat.
Step 2: Make the sauce.
When beef is almost cooked through, add onions, garlic, salt & pepper and 1 jar of tomato sauce, then stir to combine.
Step 3: Add in the meat sauce.
Spray slow cooker with cooking spray, then layer in a bit of meat sauce.
Step 4: Layer the lasagna noodles.
Add lasagna noodles (you may need to break some into pieces to make them fit).
Step 5: Spoon ricotta and cheese over top.
Add some ricotta and mozzarella cheese.
Step 6: Add another layer of sauce.
Add more of the meat sauce. Repeat until the slow cooker is full – usually 3 layers total.
Step 7: Finish layering the lasagna.
Pour the other jar of tomato sauce overtop of lasagna, then add mozzarella cheese to the top. Pour water in on the sides.
Step 8: Cook and then serve!
Cook on high for 3 hours, or on low for 6 hours. Garnish lasagna with basil and/or parsley, then serve and enjoy!
Additional filling ideas
If you want to up your lasagna game, you can use this crockpot lasagna as a base and add to it.
You can change the type of ground meat from beef to chicken, pork or turkey. Make it vegetarian with tofu, or just leave out the protein altogether and add a ton of veggies.
Add some of these ingredients for a flavour and nutrition boost:
- Spinach
- Mushrooms
- Zucchini
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
You can also change up the flavour by altering the type of tomato sauce you use. Adding spices such as red pepper flakes will also increase the flavor.
Try using cottage cheese instead of ricotta for a change in texture. Or add some parmesan for extra richness.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many layers should you have in a lasagna?
This lasagna should have about three layers, but it really depends on the size of your crockpot. There are no right or wrong answers when it comes to how many layers your lasagna should have! Just make sure you’re not overfilling the crockpot and that each layer is about one-inch thick.
How long should it cook for?
This recipe will cook in the crockpot on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours.
What sauce do you use?
To add some complex flavours to your sauce, you can use tomato sauce with seasoning added to it such as the sweet basil sauce I recommend. This sauce is the Classico brand, but feel free to use whatever sort of pasta sauce is your favourite! If you don't want to use jarred pasta sauce, you can make your own tomato sauce by mixing together strained/crushed tomatoes, some Italian seasoning, salt & pepper, a tiny bit of brown sugar and a little garlic.
What do you serve with lasagna?
Lasagna can be heavy with all the starches of the pasta, so serving it with something light rounds out the meal nicely. Try serving this crockpot lasagna with a side salad, green beans, roasted veggies or some nice fresh garlic bread.
Storing and reheating
You can assemble this entire slow cooker lasagna ahead of time and cook it the next day. Brown the meat and make the layers in your crockpot by following the instructions listed in the recipe card below. Pop the entire crockpot in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, cook the lasagna as instructed.
This recipe gets even better after it sits for a day and you can store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. It makes a satisfying lunch or dinner!
This recipe tastes great, even after being reheated in the microwave. Be sure to sprinkle a little water over top and then reheat it in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes. Place a damp paper towel over top to minimize splattering in the microwave and to ensure that the lasagna tastes fresh and moist after reheating. You can also reheat the whole lasagna in the oven for 20 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit.
Freezing this recipe
Lasagna is a great freezer meal because it holds up so well. You can freeze lasagna cooked or uncooked for up to 3 months.
You will need to brown the meat before freezing it. After that, you can choose to freeze the entire meal. Put everything except the tomato sauce together in an airtight container and freeze. When you are ready to cook it, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then dump it in the crockpot the next morning. Your layers will not be perfect and it will be more like a casserole, but the flavour will be the same.
You can also completely cook this meal then freeze it. Lasagna can even be cut and frozen in individual portions so it’s easy to grab quickly and have a healthy, filling lunch. Let the lasagna cool in the refrigerator overnight so it’s easier to cut into even pieces then freeze each individual serving. Then, just pop a serving in the microwave for 7 to 8 minutes, sprinkling some water over top so it doesn’t dry out.
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Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab someglass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning thislasagna into your weekly lunches.
- I get all my grass-fed ground beef from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
Easiest Ever Crockpot Lasagna Recipe
This is the Easiest Ever Crockpot Lasagna Recipe – it cooks hands-off all day and is super easy to assemble. Plus, it freezes well!
4.91 from 387 votes
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Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 470kcal
Author: Taylor Stinson
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours hours
Total Time: 4 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 lb extra-lean ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 2 (650mL) jars tomato sauce (I used Classico's sweet basil marinara sauce)
- 1 lb lasagna noodles (can use either oven ready or normal) uncooked
- 1 (475g) tub ricotta cheese
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup water
- Chopped fresh basil or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
In a large frying pan, brown the ground beef over med-high heat. When beef is almost cooked through, add onions, garlic, salt & pepper and 1 jar of tomato sauce, then stir to combine.
Spray slow cooker with cooking spray, then layer in a bit of meat sauce. Add the uncooked lasagna noodles (you may need to break some into pieces to make them fit), then add some ricotta and mozzarella cheese, and more of the meat sauce. Repeat until the slow cooker is full – usually 3 layers total.
Pour the other jar of tomato sauce overtop of lasagna, then add mozzarella cheese to the top. Pour water in on the sides. Cook on high for 3 hours, or on low for 6 hours.
Garnish lasagna with basil and/or parsley, then serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Add in more fillings like spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, kale, broccoli or cauliflower.
Serve your lasagna with a side salad and some warm garlic bread.
Assemble your lasagna ahead of time then store it in the fridge. When you’re ready to cook, pull it out of the fridge, set it and forget it!
Store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes or in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 F.
Freeze this recipe for up to 3 months cooked or uncooked. Reheat or cook from frozen.
Nutrition
Calories: 470kcal (24%)Carbohydrates: 46g (15%)Protein: 32g (64%)Fat: 17g (26%)Saturated Fat: 10g (63%)Cholesterol: 84mg (28%)Sodium: 264mg (11%)Potassium: 420mg (12%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 3g (3%)Vitamin A: 426IU (9%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 272mg (27%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
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Created by Taylor Stinson
Hey there, my name's Taylor! I’m the founder of The Girl on Bloor, a food blog where I share healthy meal prep recipes for busy people. I'm a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto on (you guessed it!) Bloor Street. I've got 10 years experience meal prepping, along with a Master's degree in journalism, and you can find my work across the internet featured on publications such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Women's Health, Reader's Digest and more. I also run the awesome 5-Day Meal Prep Challenge, which is a free email course and Facebook group where I share my meal planning strategies and easy meal prep tips and recipes. Be sure to check out my free beginner’s guide to meal prep and follow me on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get my latest recipes and meal prep tips!
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Courtney Woodward says
I’m excited to try this! If making the day before, do you add the water before refrigerating or right before cooking?
Reply
Taylor Stinson says
You can do either, it shouldn’t make a difference. Hope you enjoy!
Reply
Mike says
This was so good and so easy another batch coming in the near future! I used rigatoni as that’s what I had on hand, and it work perfectly.Reply
Taylor Stinson says
I’m glad it works with other types of pastas!
Reply
Crimson Hartley says
On step 7 it says to add water on the side,how much water? And do you cook noodles before you do the assembly?
Reply
Taylor Stinson says
It’s in the recipe card. 1/2 cup water, uncooked noodles.
Reply
Tracy says
I used rotini noodles instead. The noodles seem pretty hard although it’s only been in 1.5 hrs. What would you suggest to assist with softening without ruining the dish?
Reply
Taylor Stinson says
I have never used rotini noodles in this dish so I’m not entirely sure if they will work but I do think with a bit more cooking time (the whole 3 hours), it will be fine.
Reply
Liz says
Do you cook pasta or put in uncooked??
Reply
Taylor Stinson says
Uncooked
Reply
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