Crockpot lasagna recipe is one of the most satisfying and delicious recipes in my arsenal. I love all the cheesy goodness layered between sauce and noodles. This slow cooking crockpot recipe infuses all the complex savory flavors deep into one of the tastiest and easiest lasagna recipes of all time!
Making this crock pot pasta means that the yummy aroma of this lasagna will slowly fill every nook and cranny in the kitchen as it permeates the house and draws hungry tummies into the kitchen. Yeah – it’s that good!
Add this recipe, lasagna casserole, chicken lasagna, and taco lasagna to your favorite pasta recipes!
Let’s make this!
What I Love About Crockpot Lasagna Recipe
I love that this crockpot lasagna recipe is so ridiculously easy to make! Making lasagna is usually such a Herculean task but not with this recipe. I know I can throw it together in just over half an hour and walk away.
At the end of the day, I’ll have a wholesome nutritious meal that will make the family giddy with excitement and my kitchen will smell amazing! Here are some other delightful reasons to love this crockpot lasagna.
- Ridiculously simple to make
- Hearty and satisfying
- Amazingly delicious
- Wholesome and nutritious
- Flexible recipe
- Feeds a crowd
Crockpot Lasagna Ingredients
- Meat: This recipe uses sausage instead of just ground beef—and believe me, you can taste how much better sausage is for this dish. Ground beef just doesn’t have enough of its own flavor to compete with the flavorful sauce and filling.
- Sauce: Keeping this recipe super simple boils down to using a store-bought pasta sauce. Of course, you can spend the day making your own pasta sauce but that kind of defeats the purpose! Bertolli Tomato and Basil sauce is my favorite jarred sauce.
- The thing is that you want to find a sauce that you really like straight out of the jar. If you don’t care for the way it tastes in the jar, then you won’t love it in the crockpot lasagna.
- Pasta: Another convenient quality about this recipe is that it calls for no-cook noodles which saves time and messy clean-up. Simply choose your preferred brand of noodles and they go straight into the crockpot.
- Using my oval crockpot, I lay out the first noodles lengthwise and then break some up to fill in the gaps around the edges. Easy peesy!
- Basil: It is also important to use fresh basil in this recipe. If you’re in a pinch, you can use dried basil, but I don’t recommend it because it will compromise the flavor of the finished product. This crock pot lasagna calls for a generous amount of fresh basil.
- Fresh herbs perform fabulous in sauces, but they do have a delicate flavor so more of them are required. This recipe is worth the additional basil though because it does most of the work!
- Onion & Garlic
- Ricotta Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
- Mozzarella
- Salt & Pepper
- Egg
Recipe Notes
- Crockpot Size: Speaking of crockpots, I use my large oval crockpot for this recipe. If you don’t have one, that’s okay. You can make delicious slow cooker lasagna in any crockpot as long as it is large enough to accommodate all the ingredients.
- It should also have a low and a high setting because you’ll need to cook this lasagna on low for a few hours.
- Cooling: Once the lasagna has finished cooking, you’ll want to turn the crockpot off and let it cool for thirty minutes before serving. This is an important step so don’t skip it. I know it will be difficult when you are immersed in those wonderfully delicious aromas and growling tummies, but it really makes a big difference.
- Letting the lasagna sit without cooking allows time for the sauce to thicken while the meat and noodles soak up all the savory flavors and juices. Trust me on this one! Besides, it’s the perfect time to prepare salads and bake garlic bread.
How To Make Crockpot Lasagna
- Spread a cup of marinara sauce at the bottom of the crockpot. Layer 4 uncooked pasta noodles.
- Add 1/3 of the ricotta mixture.
- Spread evenly.
- Add 1/3 of the cooked sausage and 1 cup sauce. Repeat layers 2 more times.
- For the final layer, arrange 4 more noodles, sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Turn the heat off and let the lasagna cool for 20-30 minutes. Garnish.
- Serve.
***See the full instructions below.
Serving Recommendations
We love this with a crisp green salad like our 1905 salad, Portillo’s chopped salad, pizza salad, or Mediterranean salad. If you’d prefer a cooked veggie, try our simple roasted peppers, sautéd asparagus (with lotsa garlic!), roasted green beans loaded with roasted shallots and pancetta, or simple brown sugar glazed carrots.
For dessert, try our tiramisu, strawberry tiramisu, Hershey pie, possum pie, or pistachio pie.
How to Store and Make Ahead
- Storing Tips: Storing this lasagna is simple! Depending on how much you have left, you could toss the entire crockpot into the fridge lid and all. Using the lid is important because you have to protect your leftovers from the air.
- Of course, you can store your crockpot lasagna with marinara sauce in an airtight container with a secure lid. Tupperware is a great option. Divvy it up into single-serve portions for weekday lunches or store it in larger portions for a ready-made dinner later in the week.
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? If you store this lasagna properly, then it will keep for 3 or 4 days. Leftovers should be kept at or below 40ºF (4ºC) and securely protected from air. It’s also a good idea to observe the 2-hour rule for serving at get-togethers and potlucks.
- Can You Freeze This? Oh yes, you can freeze your slow cooker lasagna. Just ensure that it is sealed in plastic wrap to protect it from air and freezer burn. If I know it’s going to be in the freezer for a bit, then I’ll vacuum seal mine.
- You can freeze the entire thing for a dinner that is ready to go when you are or make single-serve lasagnas for lunches and snacks. It is so convenient to just pull a piece or two out of the freezer and make a piece of garlic toast. You’ve got a wholesome nutritious ready-made meal that tastes fantastic!
- Make-Ahead Tips: Making the lasagna sauce ahead of time is a common practice and it only makes your crockpot lasagna that much better. Letting the savory meat sit in that sauce for a day gives all the exquisite flavors time to mingle and blend.
- If you’ll be making your crock pot lasagna in the next day or so, you can cook the meat sauce and store it in the fridge overnight. If you are looking out a little further ahead, then you’ll want to store it in the freezer. When you get ready to make your lasagna, just pull out your sauce and slow-thaw it in the fridge overnight.
- Food Safety: Here is a good article on storing food safely from the USDA.
More Crock Pot Pasta Recipes
- Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce
- Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
- Super Creamy Crockpot Mac and Cheese
Tried This Recipe?
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Crockpot Lasagna
Scrumptious crockpot lasagna is savory, saucy, cheesy and everything a good Italian dish should be combined with the convenience of a crockpot meal.
Servings: 6 -8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage casing removed
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped
- 4-6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 (24-ounce) jars marinara sauce
- 16 ounces no-boil noodles uncooked
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 32 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 cups grated parmesan cheese divided
- 4 cups (1 lb) mozzarella shredded and divided
- 1 cup fresh basil chopped
- salt
- black pepper
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Spray a 6-quart Crock-Pot with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Cook the sausage (1 pound) in a large skillet, over medium heat, breaking it up into small pieces with a spoon, until the sausage is cooked through. Remove the cooked sausage to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the sausage and discard. Over medium heat, add onion (1) and chopped garlic (4-6 cloves) to the remaining fat in the skillet. Cook until veggies are softened, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cooked sausage. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, mix together ricotta (32 ounces), 1 cup of Parmesan, 2 cups mozzarella, fresh basil (1 cup), 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 egg.
- Spread 1 cup of prepared marinara sauce in the bottom of the crockpot. Layer 4 uncooked pasta noodles, breaking them up as needed to fit, evenly over the bottom of the crockpot on top of the sauce. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 of the sausage and onion mixture, 1 cup of sauce. Repeat layers 2 more times.
- For the final top layer, arrange 4 more noodles, 1 cup of sauce, and the remaining 1 cup Parmesan and 2 cups mozzarella cheese. Cover and cook until on low until lasagna is heated through, about 4 hours.
- Turn off the heat and let the lasagna cool for 20-30 minutes and serve.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Crockpot Size: Speaking of crockpots, I use my large oval crockpot for this recipe. If you don’t have one, that’s okay. You can make delicious slow cooker lasagna in any crockpot as long as it is large enough to accommodate all the ingredients.
- It should also have a low and a high setting because you’ll need to cook this lasagna on low for a few hours.
- Cooling: Once the lasagna has finished cooking, you’ll want to turn the crockpot off and let it cool for thirty minutes before serving. This is an important step so don’t skip it. I know it will be difficult when you are immersed in those wonderfully delicious aromas and growling tummies, but it really makes a big difference.
- Letting the lasagna sit without cooking allows time for the sauce to thicken while the meat and noodles soak up all the savory flavors and juices. Trust me on this one! Besides, it’s the perfect time to prepare salads and bake garlic bread.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/6 of the recipe | Calories: 1287kcal | Carbohydrates: 84g | Protein: 72g | Fat: 74g | Saturated Fat: 37g | Cholesterol: 250mg | Sodium: 2636mg | Potassium: 682mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1730IU | Vitamin C: 4.2mg | Calcium: 1123mg | Iron: 3.8mg
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Yummmmmy!!!