Slow Cooker Lasagna with Ricotta Cheese

A shortcut recipe for slow cooker lasagna that will keep your kitchen cool and your family happy!

My youngest adores lasagna so this easy slow cooker lasagna recipe is for her (in fact, it’s so simple that she made it)!

This easy lasagna recipe is in stark contrast to the more traditional recipe that takes hours in the kitchen. This one takes about 15-20 minutes to throw together which means it’s a great choice for a weeknight meal. It also makes a lot so you’ll either feed a large family until you’re all stuffed to the gills or you’ll have a nice amount of leftovers (and we all know lasagna only gets better the longer it sits)!

I cheat with this slow cooker lasagna by using jarred sauce – store-bought or homemade is just fine – and I pick up a carton of high-quality, whole milk ricotta instead of making my own. The only downside to this lasagna is that you won’t get those crispy edges like you do when you make it in the oven, but it’s a small sacrifice when you scoop out that first plate filled with gooey, cheesy lasagna that was such a cinch to make!

Slow Cooker Lasagna Ingredients

• Italian Sausage – Use the ground type, not the links. We use mild, but you can go spicy if you’d like!
• Ground Beef – Go for the lean or extra lean.
• Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese – Whole milk ricotta adds that creamy, richness to the lasagna. You can also use part skim ricotta if you want to cut calories, but you’ll also reduce that creaminess a bit.
• Grated Parmesan Cheese – Parm adds saltiness, nuttiness, and depth of flavor to your lasagna.
• Your Favorite Spaghetti Sauce – Your sauce adds that delicious sauciness to the lasagna, and you can choose the sauce that best suits your flavor profile.
• Lasagna Noodles – Use the regular noodles, not the no-boil kind. You don’t need to cook them first. They will soften as they absorb the moisture from the meat, cheese, and sauce.
• Mozzarella Cheese – Shredded mozzarella adds the cheesy, gooeyness to your lasagna. Whole milk mozzarella has a bit more flavor than part skim mozzarella, but you can use which ever you prefer.
• Parsley – In this recipe, we use it as a garnish to add a kick of fresh herbs, but you can also add a bit of it to your cheese mixture for even more flavor.
• Salt & Pepper – Enhances flavors

(Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe card with exact measurements and recipe instructions.)

How To Make Slow Cooker Lasagna

• Cook the beef & sausage: Brown the ground sausage and beef until no pink remains and drain the fat.
• Make the ricotta blend: Mix together the ricotta, parmesan, salt & pepper.
• Layer the lasagna: Add your sauce, lasagna noodles, ricotta mixture, meat, mozzarella. Do about three layers with a final layer of sauce, noodles and mozzarella at the top.
• Set to cook: Set your slow cooker or Crock Pot on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.

Substitutions & Variations

• You can use fresh mozzarella too, just slice it thinly and layer on top of the noodles as you layer it.
• Some people use cottage cheese instead of ricotta. This will give it a chunkier texture.
• Mascarpone can be mixed into your ricotta blend if you choose.
• Chopped fresh basil is also a great herb to mix into your sauce or cheese blend.
• If you want to add a little veg to your lasagna, we like to layer in thinly sliced mushrooms or zucchini.

Storing Leftovers & Reheating

Put leftover lasagna in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze it for about a month. If frozen, be sure to thaw completely before reheating.

To reheat:

• Microwave: Put on a microwave safe dish and loosely cover with a paper towel. Heat for about one minute, rotate and cook for another minute. Check the temp and heat in 30 second bursts until warmed through.
• Oven or Toaster Oven: Heat oven to 350F. Line a baking dish or oven tray with foil and put lasagna on foil. Bake until heated through, about 10-15 minutes.

Continue to Content

Slow Cooker Lasagna with Ricotta Cheese

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes

A shortcut recipe for slow cooker lasagna that will keep your kitchen cool and your family happy!

Print

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground Italian sausage
• 1 pound ground beef
• 32 ounces whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 48 ounces of your favorite spaghetti sauce, homemade or store-bought
• 10-12 ribbon-edged lasagna noodles, not the no-boil kind
• 2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground sausage and beef; cook until browned and no pink remains. Drain fat and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, stir together ricotta, parmesan and 1/2 t salt & freshly ground pepper. Set aside.
3. Layer the lasagna ingredients in your slow cooker in the following order: sauce, lasagna noodles (break to cover as necessary), ricotta cheese mixture, meat, mozzarella. Do three layers of each, reserving enough sauce, noodles and mozzarella for one more layer at the very top.
4. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. Turn off slow cooker and allow to "rest" for an hour (this will firm up the lasagna so it's easier to slice, however you can eat it sooner if you're too hungry to wait)! Sprinkle the top with chopped parsley and serve with crusty garlic bread.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 669Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 128mgSodium: 1350mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 4gSugar: 9gProtein: 42g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

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• Balsamic & Parmesan Slow Cooker Meatloaf
• Cherry & Balsamic Crock Pot Pork Chops
• Instant Pot Chicken & Dumplings
• Smoked Mac & Cheese

• Author
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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is the recipe creator behind The Wicked Noodle. She's a five-time cookbook author, has taught cooking classes to both kids and adults, and has been creating recipes for nationwide brands since 2009. She learned most of her cooking skills from her mom and grandmother, then honed those skills at boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America.

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