Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna
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Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna is packed full of flavor, easy to prep, and great for weeknight dinners. It’s so easy you don’t even have to boil the lasagna noodles!
When you think of comfort food, what comes to mind? Pasta ranks in the Top Five for me. Something about a bowl of warm noodles covered in sauce gives me all the feels. And bread. Can’t forget the bread.
Of all the pasta dishes, lasagna has to be the ultimate comfort food. Layers of tender pasta. A mountain of ooey, gooey cheese paired with a savory red meat sauce. Perfection!
Unfortunately I don’t make traditional lasagna very often because it takes a significant amount of time to prepare. Time I, and most busy moms, don’t have.
And let’s not forget about the clean-up – sooo many dirty dishes. I don’t know how things roll in your house, but time intensive meals with big clean-up are usually reserved for special occasions in my home.
Times are changing, Friends. You can remove lasagna from the special occasion meal list. That’s right. Lasagna has now moved into the “easy dinner” category. For reals. Woot woot for easy lasagna!
Ingredients for Crock Pot Lasagna
Although the ingredient list may seem lengthy, don’t be put off. Almost half are spices. The remaining ingredients require minimal prep, making this dish a breeze to toss together.
- Sweet Italian sausage – if you don’t like sausage swap it for ground beef, turkey, chicken, or make a half and half mixture
- Onion
- Garlic Cloves – fresh is best for the most flavor, but you can also use the store-bought minced
- Lasagna noodles – need a light option? Use zucchini strips in place of the noodles
- Your favorite spaghetti sauce – Rao’s and White Linen sauces are my faves
- Water
- Cheese – Of course we have to use Parmesan and Mozzarella, but my favorite twist is cottage cheese!
- Spices: garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, salt, pepper, and Bruschetta Sweet Basil & Oregano blend
My Favorite Kitchen Gadgets to Use:
- Chop & stir – I use this tool every time I cook ground meat.
- Mixing bowl set – a bowl size for every job.
- Bruschetta Sweet Basil & Oregano seasoning mix – one of my favorite seasoning blends. Check Costco if you want to purchase locally.
- Slow Cooker – mine is similar to this model. The “Keep Warm” feature is handy.
- Slow cooker liners – if you dislike cleaning the slow cooker liner, you NEED these!
How To Make Lasagna in a Slow Cooker
While the sausage & sauce mixture simmers, mix up the cheese mixture. And that is the bulk of the prep.
But what about the noodles, you ask? We will be using them straight from the box. No need to pre-cook them. All that’s left is to layer the ingredients.
And the clean-up? Easy peasy! I personally appreciate that I don’t have to dirty every bowl and pan in my kitchen to feed my family a delicious, homemade meal.
What To Serve Lasagna With
To round out the meal, serve Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna with a veggie. My peeps like broccoli salad, green beans, or corn. Add a side salad and warm bread and you have a well-rounded meal that took just minutes to prepare.
Tips for Making the BEST Lasagna
- This is NOT your typical “set and forget, cook all day” slow cooker recipe. With a cook time in the 3-4 hour-ish range, it’s a good choice if you need to toss something together before running errands, attending a soccer or baseball game, or just hanging around the house.
- No need to buy expensive no-boil noodles. I use regular, uncooked lasagna noodles. They cook up nice and tender. And you’ll save a little money.
- Don’t be chintzy with the non-stick spray. Give your slow cooker insert a really good coating of non-stick spray. Then go around once more for good measure.
- Use a slow cooker liner for the easiest clean-up.
- Sometimes I prepare the sausage & red sauce component in the morning. All that’s left to do in the afternoon is assemble the dish and start the slow cooker.
- Take care when lifting the slow cooker lid at the end of the cooking time. You want to lift straight up, rather than tilting, to avoid the condensation on the lid from running back into the cooked dish.
- Keep an eye on the dish around the 3-hour mark to. The pasta edges will burn if you cook it too long.
- Adjust the cooking time for your slow cooker. Mine usually cooks in about 3 1/2 hours.
Freezing Lasagna For Later
This lasagna recipe actually freezes nicely for leftovers and meal prep. To freeze, let it cool completely. Slice into portion sizes and store in a freezer bag or vacuum seal for best results.
When ready to serve, allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. To reheat, microwave it for a minute or two.
More Crockpot Recipes You’ll Love:
- Crockpot Apple Dump Cake
- Slow Cooker Ranch Pork Chops
- Crockpot Taco Meat Recipe
- Crockpot Mississippi Pot Roast (My Way)
- Slow Cooker Kalua Pig
*** Pin The Crockpot Lasagna Recipe For Later ***
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Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 pound Sweet Italian sausage
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. Bruschetta Sweet Basil & Oregano blend*
- 1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp. salt, optional*
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 9 sheets of lasagna noodles, uncooked (about 1/2 of a 16 oz. package)
- 24-28 oz. jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 16 oz. small curd cottage cheese
- 4 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese, reserve 1/2 cup for later use
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook sausage, onion and minced garlic until meat is browned. Drain & remove the grease.
- Add spaghetti sauce, 1/2 cup water, garlic powder, onion powder to the sausage mixture. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering, mix cottage cheese, 3 1/2 cups Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, Bruschetta seasoning blend, dried parsley, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
- Prepare your slow cooker by spraying liberally with non-stick cooking spray. Or use a handy Slow Cooker Liner for easiest clean-up.
- Add ingredients to the slow cooker in the following order: 1/4 meat mixture, 3 uncooked noodles (break as needed to fit the slow cooker) and 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Repeat the layers two more times, ending with the meat mixture.
- Top with reserved 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese.
- Cook on LOW for 3 – 4 hours.
Notes
- Substitute Italian Seasoning blend if you don’t have the Bruschetta Sweet Basil & Oregano seasoning blend.
- I typically do not add salt to this recipe because the sauce, sausage and cheeses provide plenty of sodium. Give it a taste to decide for yourself.
- Use a slow cooker liner for easy clean-up (no need to use non-stick spray).
- I don’t recommend cooking this recipe on HIGH.
- Lift the slow cooker lid “straight up” when removing, to avoid having the condensation run back into the cooked dish.
- Keep an eye on the dish towards the end of the cooking time, to ensure the edges don’t burn.
- Cook time is approximately 3-4 hours. Mine cooks in about 3 1/2 hours.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a reference, using an online calculator. We recommend verifying the information independently for accuracy.
I tried the ricotta in lieu of cottage cheese. It turned out delicious and we loved it.
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing your results with the ricotta cheese, Susan.
Can ricotta cheese be used instead of cottage cheese?
I haven’t made this with ricotta, so I can’t say for sure. I’d love to hear your results if you give it a try, Susan.
when do I use 1/2 c water?
Thanks for catching that! I’ve corrected the recipe card, showing the water is added to the sauce mixture before simmering.