Effortless Crock Pot Lasagna (w/ Jar Sauce)
Allow me to introduce you to the absolute easiest crock pot lasagna. It’s a no-chop, no-boil noodle recipe, but you’ll still end up with a bubbly, cheesy, craveable one-pot meal. Made simple with spaghetti sauce and cottage cheese, it’s about to become your new staple lasagna recipe!
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
Hello Easiest Crockpot Lasagna!
If you love homemade lasagna, but avoid it because of the effort it takes to prep and assemble, this recipe is for you! This slow cooker lasagna is just as delicious and satisfying as the oven-baked version, but so much easier to assemble. Just like my ultra-comforting lasagna soup, once it’s in the crockpot it’s completely hands-off — it doesn’t get any easier than that!
What’s more, while it tastes incredibly decadent, it’s actually a very balanced, 1-pot meal that’s protein thanks to the ground beef and cottage cheese. Serve with a fresh green salad and you have an easy weeknight dinner or meal fit for company. P.S. If you’re looking for an easier version of my meat stuffed shells, this recipe has all those yummy elements with fewer prep steps.
Visual Guide: How to Make the Easiest Crock Pot Lasagna
Tips for Best Results
While this recipe is super easy to make, there are some tips to follow for best results. Since marinara sauce is such a prominent flavor in this recipe, make sure to use a marinara sauce you love. Personally, I like the flavor best when I use a high-quality jarred spaghetti sauce or my easy homemade marinara sauce, but use whichever marinara sauce you like! You could also replace the beef and marinara in this recipe for my slow cooker spaghetti sauce (which also can be made and frozen ahead of time).
Now, like you, I’m always looking for a shortcut for quick dinners, and so I tested this recipe without browning the meat first. Without browning, the sauce still tastes very good, but I personally do not enjoy the texture. Lastly, I did not need to add any additional water to the assembled lasagna, however, if at the end it looks dry or the noodles didn’t cook all the way, you can add ¼ cup water to the assembled lasagna, cover, and cook an additional 30 minutes.
How Long to Cook Lasagna in Slow Cooker
Every crock pot 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. 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.
Ingredient Substitutions
- 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.
Make it Vegetarian
Simply omit the ground beef to make this a simple and delicious crock pot lasagna.
This Recipe Is…
Effortless Crock Pot Lasagna (w/ 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!
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!