Slow Cooker Lasagna
This slow cooker lasagna recipe is your answer for an easy, comforting meal that your whole family will love! It's quick to prepare and uses simple ingredients. Plus, there's no need to boil the noodles beforehand. Throw it in the slow cooker during a slow moment in the day, and you’ll have a delicious homemade lasagna ready in no time.
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 547kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 16 ounces cottage cheese or ricotta if preferred
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can tomato sauce 29 ounces
- 1 can tomato paste 6 ounces
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 box regular lasagna noodles uncooked (not the oven-ready kind)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and cottage cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.4 cups shredded mozzarella, 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, 16 ounces cottage cheese
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat. If necessary, drain the excess fat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.1 lb lean ground beef, Salt and pepper to taste
- Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.1 onion
- Add the garlic and cook just until it becomes aromatic.4 cloves garlic
- Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and sugar. Stir until combined. Heat on the stove until it is warmed through.1 can tomato sauce, 1 can tomato paste, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- Spoon a layer of the tomato sauce mixture onto the bottom of the slow cooker insert. Spread it evenly so the noodles don’t stick to the bottom.
- Place a double layer of uncooked noodles on top. Break them as needed so they fit into your slow cooker insert.1 box regular lasagna noodles
- Cover the noodles with a layer of the cheese mixture.
- Continue layering like this (sauce, noodles, cheese). Top the final layer of noodles with more sauce and cheese (this will prevent the top noodles from drying out).
- Cover and cook the lasagna on low heat for 4-5 hours. All slow cookers heat differently, so keep an eye on it. The lasagna is ready when the noodles are tender.
Notes
- Break the lasagna noodles so they fit better in the slow cooker insert and layer evenly.
- Every brand of pasta cooks differently and requires varying amounts of time. I usually start checking for doneness around 3 hours and every 30 minutes or so thereafter.
- Spread the sauce on top of the noodles all the way to the edges to keep them from drying out and hardening.
- Shred the cheeses ahead of time (or the night before) to save time when you’re ready to assemble the layers.
- Let the lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes before serving so it holds its shape when sliced.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 547kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 455mg | Potassium: 262mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 371IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 276mg | Iron: 1mg
