Easy Crockpot Lasagna (Jar Sauce)
Developed and tested by Robyn Conley Downs
on Oct 16, 2023 (last updated May 11, 2026) 
Cheesy, layered, and weeknight-easy, this easy crockpot lasagna features ground beef, jar sauce, and a creamy cottage cheese or ricotta filling for all the comfort of classic baked lasagna with none of the effort. With just 15-minutes of active prep and no-boiling the noodles, the slow cooker handles the rest for a hands-off family dinner!
5 star review
“A new favorite in our house! Last time, I did a ricotta/cottage cheese mix and that was our favorite so far!”
– Stephanie
My Favorite Way to Make Lasagna in the Crockpot!
If you love homemade lasagna, but avoid it because of the effort it takes to prep and assemble, this recipe is for you! What makes this crockpot lasagna so good and SO EASY is the combo of no chopping (love that!), not needing to boil the noodles, and the perfect sauce-to-noodle ratio that brings the whole thing together.
For layering, start with sauce on the bottom of the slow cooker so the noodles don’t stick, then alternate noodles, cottage cheese filling, beef sauce, and mozzarella. Three layers fits a 6-quart slow cooker, and breaking the noodles to fit is fine because they meld together as they cook. So yummy!
Serve this crock pot lasagna with my garlic bread and a simple salad for the full Italian comfort dinner. Leftovers reheat beautifully and the flavors actually deepen overnight, making it a great cook-once-eat-twice meal. If you love this style of cheesy Italian comfort dinner, my ground beef gnocchi is another weeknight-friendly take with similar cheesy-beefy appeal!
Welcome to My Kitchen, Let’s Make Crock Pot Lasagna
Testing Notes for Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna
- You can make this lasagna with cottage cheese (as listed) or with ricotta. Personally, I chose to use cottage cheese because it’s easier to find has more protein than ricotta, and is more affordable, too. However, if you want to use ricotta, you absolutely can.
- And for shredded cheese, I love the flavors of Italian cheese blend, but shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese works as well.
- I have tested this recipe with both regular lasagna noodles and oven-ready/no-boil lasagna noodles, and I will say that I much preferred the texture of regular lasagna noodles (which you don’t have to boil ahead of time). However, if you only have oven-ready noodles, you can use those as well. For a gluten-free crockpot lasagna, you can use gluten-free lasagna noodles.
Easy Crockpot Lasagna (Jar Sauce)
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon no-salt added Italian seasoning
- 2 (24-ounce) jars marinara sauce
- 1 (1-pound) box box lasagna noodles, uncooked
- 1 (16-ounce) tub low fat cottage cheese (or ricotta cheese)
- 2 ½ cups shredded Italian cheese blend
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and beef, stirring to break up into small pieces. Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning, then cook until the beef is slightly browned and no longer pink.
- Turn off the heat, then pour over one jar of marinara sauce and stir to combine.
- While the beef cooks, mix the cottage cheese together with 2 cups of the shredded cheese until well combined.
- Spray with cooking spray (or rub with olive oil) a 6-quart slow cooker. Ladle about ½ cup beef-marinara mixture into the bottom of the slow cooker, then layer on about ⅓ cup of the cottage cheese-shredded cheese mixture, spreading evenly.
- Add an even layer of lasagna noodles (about 4) to create an even layer (you’ll need to break some into pieces in order to create an even layer.
- Repeat the layering process until all the filling has been used, ending with a layer of lasagna noodles.
- Pour over the second jar of marinara sauce, spreading evenly. Sprinkle on the remaining ½ cup of cheese, then cover and cook on high for 2.5-4 hours, or low for 5-7, or until the sauce is bubbling and the noodles have cooked through. Allow to cool slightly, then serve.
Notes
- To cut the lasagna into more uniform pieces, allow it to cool for 30-60 minutes prior to slicing. You can make this lasagna vegetarian by skipping the meat. See blog post, above, for substitution suggestions, tips, storage, and more.
- Every slow cooker is different, so your lasagna may take more or less time to cook. In my crock pot, this recipe took 2 ½ hours on high, but it could take up to 4 hours on high. Just check your lasagna after 2 hours to see how it’s doing the first time you make it. Keep in mind that if you leave the crockpot on high too long, the cheese will burn on the edges. If cooking on low, it will likely take between 5 to 7 hours. If the noodles aren’t cooked through at the end of the cook time add 1/4 cup water around the edges, cover, and cook for 30 more minutes.
This looks amazing. I don’t have a slow cooker but I have an instant pot that has a slow cooker mode. I’ve never used it but I’m going to give it a go. Any advice welcome!
Hi Georgia, I haven’t tested this one in an Instant Pot, and I’m not sure it will work, since a slow cooker and a pressure cooker work quite differently. I’d worry that without additional liquid the bottom would burn to the bottom of the Instant Pot? If you give it a try let me know how it goes!
I cook this all the time in my Crock Pot brand version of the Insta Pot, which also has a slow cooker mode and it works fine. It’s just taller rather than longer, so you’ll need to be creative with the noodles. the pot will fit one full lasagna noodle in the center and then half a noodle on the left and the right of the middle noodle. then you can use smaller broken pieces to fill in the corners of the circle. The crock pot pressure cooker is nice because it also has a sauté mode, so I cook the meat in it first, remove to a bowl and mix with the sauce. Then you can do your layering. So, yes, this will work in an instant pot ON THE SLOW COOKER mode. Also, guys…add some seasoning to your cottage cheese/ricotta mixture (salt/pepper/garlic powder/dried parsley).
Good
So glad you enjoyed!
A new favorite in our house! Last time, I did a ricotta/cottage cheese mix and that was our favorite so far!
Ohhh, love the ricotta/cottage cheese mix, Stephanie. Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Made this for a school party and I got many compliments! I made veggie lasagna with mushrooms and zucchini replacing the meat and used gluten free lasagna noodles. No one knew it was gluten free! I’ve made this several times at home also and everyone loved it, this is a keeper recipe. It’s really convenient and I don’t have to heat up the kitchen.
Lisa, I love that you make this with glute-free noodles and it worked well. Thanks so much for your notes and for leaving a review!
Lasagna is not made with cottage cheese. EVER. I have been Italian my whole life. I was raised in an Italian household/family as an Italian, not an American. Italians laugh at people who put cottage cheese in lasagna. Yes, they even laugh at a the “celebrity chefs” who use cottage cheese in lasagna and laugh at the food critics who are forced to say it’s good. It isn’t. Every Italian knows you do NOT EVER USE COTTAGE CHEESE. Most GOOD lasagna recipes call for mixing the ricotta with shredded mozzarella, and/or scamorza cheese before layering it. Most restaurants don’t even use ricotta by itself, and ZERO good ones use cottage cheese. It doesn’t melt.
I’m Italian myself, but no one said this was an authentic lasagna recipe. Italians don’t make lasagna in the slow cooker either. I like using cottage cheese because it adds more protein. You are more than welcome to use ricotta in its place.
The recipe is worth a try. I’m going to look at some of your others. What you REALLY need to tell us is what brand of crock pot that is and where you got it! LOL! That shape is perfect for large quantities. I love it!
This one is a 6-quart programmable crockpot slow cooker.
Can this recipe be made a day ahead and cooked the next day?
Hi Barbara, if you want to make this recipe ahead I recommend making each just making the soup (without adding the noodles or the cheese mixture), as the lasagna noodles will soak up a lot of broth overnight. To make ahead, make the soup, then reheat to simmer, then add the noodles and proceed with the recipe. Or make the soup ahead and boil the noodles, then store both separately. When ready to serve, reheat the soup, add the cooked noodles, warm through, then stir in the cheese mixture and serve. I hope this helps!
This was great, thank you! I ended up cooking this in the oven at 350 until it was ready, maybe a little over an hour? I checked the noodles for doneness around 45min; they were close and then I pulled it out a little after an hour to let it cool a bit while my husband finished the broccoli salad. My 9yo, 4yo and 17mo as well as husband and parents all enjoyed it. Thanks again!
Carinn, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one and thanks for the notes on adapting this recipe to the oven!