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Beefy, cheesy, and so delicious! My Crockpot Lasagna recipe with ricotta cheese will become your family's new favorite. It's so easy, juicy, and a great choice for entertaining a crowd. Make it ahead of time for a perfect meal planning recipe!
Crockpot Lasagna Recipe
What could be better than a tasty lasagna loaded with beef and cheese that you layer and then let cook slowly and completely hands-free? This is a perfect, easy slow cooker lasagna recipe that we guarantee your family will love.
Layers of meat sauce with onion, garlic, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan make the most amazingly moist and delicious beef lasagna recipe ever. Layer it all in your slow cooker, set the time, and let it go to come home to an incredible dinner.
Slow cooker beef lasagna is an incredible make-ahead meal with so much flavor. It is one of our favorite easy ground beef recipes! The only thing that could possibly make this recipe any better would be pairing it with my instant pot meatballs and air fryer meatballs.
I love how easy this recipe is. I never imaged I would like lasagna made in the crockpot but I think it is even better than in the oven.
Elsa via email
Beef Lasagna Recipe Ingredients
- olive oil
- ground beef
- Italian bulk sausage
- onion finely chopped
- garlic minced, or garlic paste
- tomato marinara sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- ricotta cheese
- parsley chopped, optional
- mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Parmesan cheese grated
- oven-ready lasagna noodles uncooked
- eggs
- Italian seasoning
How to Make Lasagna in the Crockpot
- Over medium heat, cook chopped onion in a skillet until lightly browned. Add minced garlic and stir until browned.
- Then, add ground beef and Italian sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned.
- Finally, stir in tomato sauce and Italian seasoning.
- Simmer on low for approximately 30 minutes, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a bowl combine ricotta cheese with Parmesan (reserve some to sprinkle while layering), parsley (optional), eggs, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover the bottom of your greased slow cooker with meat sauce.
- Top with 3 oven-ready lasagna noodles. Break to fit if necessary and place broken pieces where the sauce is uncovered.
- Ladle more meat sauce over the noodles and spread evenly. Then spoon on ¼ of the ricotta mixture and top with ¼ of the mozzarella cheese plus additional Parmesan.
- Repeat the layers 3 times. Top the final layer with remaining mozzarella and parmesanRepeat the layers 3 times.
- Top the final layer with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
- Cook on low for approximately 7 hours.
- When complete, set it to warming mode and allow the lasagna to rest for 30 minutes before cutting into it. Enjoy!
Crockpot Lasagna Recipe Tips
- To serve with additional meat sauce, double the amount of meat sauce you make.
- Slice the lasagna into smaller pieces, since it cooks in a deep dish.
- Let your beef lasagna rest for 30 minutes on warming mode when it's done cooking before you slice into it so that it keeps its shape.
- Drain fat from the sausage and ground beef before adding the marinara sauce.
- Adjust salt and pepper according to how much seasoning is in the marinara sauce.
Make-Ahead Lasagna Instructions
You can easily assemble your ingredients the day before cooking, then set it to cook in the morning!
Simply assemble as instructed, place it in the refrigerator overnight, then place it back in the slow cooker and turn it on in the morning. Enjoy!
Crockpot Lasagna Recipes FAQs
Cook this slow cooker recipe on low for approximately 6-8 hours, until the beef lasagna is bubbly and the noodles are cooked through. After assembling the layers, it's completely hands-free!
I use oven-ready uncooked lasagna noodles. You do not need to cook your noodles ahead of time, as the meat sauce for lasagna will cook them.
It is very important that you start this recipe with a layer of meat sauce on the bottom. Then, you top the sauce with noodles, more sauce, and cheese, then repeat the layers until you top it all off with cheese. The layer of meat sauce prevents the beef lasagna from burning as it cooks.
Let your beef lasagna rest for 30 minutes on warming mode when it's done cooking before you slice it so that it keeps its shape. This is an important step. Do not skip it or you will wind up with lasagna soup.
Best Crockpot Recipes
Try more of our favorite slow cooker beef recipes.
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📋 Recipe
Amazing Crockpot Lasagna Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Lasagna Meat Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced, or 1 tbsp. garlic paste
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 lb. Italian bulk sausage
- 8 cups tomato marinara sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
Lasagna Cheese Sauce
- 32 oz. ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup parsley chopped, optional
- 2 lbs. mozzarella cheese low-moisture, shredded
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 3 eggs
- salt and pepper to taste
Lasagna Noodles
- 1 lb. lasagna noodles uncooked, oven-ready
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add chopped onion and cook until lightly browned; then, add minced garlic and stir until browned. After browning, mix in the ground beef and sausage. Break the meat up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, until completely browned.Once the meat is cooked, stir in tomato sauce with Italian seasoning, and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then remove from the heat.
- Grease the slow cooker, then cover the bottom with 1 cup of meat sauce. It is important you start the lasagna with sauce at the bottom.
- Top with a layer of uncooked, oven-ready, lasagna noodles (3 noodles). You will have to cut the lasagna noodles in order to fit the slow cooker.
- In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese with ½ cup Parmesan, eggs, a pinch of salt and pepper, and parsley.Over the noodles, add a ladle of meat sauce and then the ricotta mixture (about ¼ of the mixture). Top with a layer of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese (use about ¼ of each cheese). Layer the lasagna again, in that same order, three times. Finish with a final layer of the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
- Set the slow cooker to low and cook for approximately 7 hours, until the mixture bubbles and the noodles are cooked through.After cooking, set the slow cooker on warm and allow the lasagna to rest for 30 minutes. This allows the lasagna to set so you can cut through it. Serve with additional meat sauce and Parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- To top with additional meat sauce, double the amount of meat sauce you make.
- Slice the lasagna into smaller pieces, since it cooks in a deep dish.
- Let your lasagna rest for 30 minutes on warming mode when it's done cooking before you slice into it so that it keeps its shape.
- Drain fat from the sausage and ground beef before adding the marinara sauce.
- Adjust salt and pepper according to how much seasoning is in the marinara sauce.
- Cook the meat the night before and refrigerate until ready to assemble the dish to save time.
Ashley N Goins says
Where does it say what to do with the eggs? I guess I must have missed that part ?
Em Beitel says
Ashley, thank you for pointing this out! The eggs are mixed in with the ricotta mixture. We've corrected the recipe.
Bobbi Dailey says
Can I completely assemble the night before then turn on?
Em Beitel says
Hi Bobbi! Absolutely! Assemble, place in the refrigerator overnight and then place it back in the slow cooker and turn on in the morning. Enjoy!
John Worden says
Just curious as to what size crockpot you used.
Em Beitel says
Hi John! We used an 8 qt. crockpot. Thank you!
Marie says
Can adjustment be made for regular lasagna noodles? I grabbed the wrong kind.
Em Beitel says
Hi Marie! Yes, you can use regular lasagna noodles. You will have to use one more cup of tomato sauce and add a little extra sauce to each layer, since regular noodles require a bit more liquid to cook properly. Enjoy!