The Easiest Lasagna You Will Ever Make

This crockpot lasagna is possibly the easiest lasagna you will ever make. You don’t need to boil the lasagna noodles before layering the lasagna in your crock pot. You are going to love this easy slow cooker lasagna!

Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food. It’s pretty hard to resist a plate of cheesy, saucy pasta.

I absolutely love making lasagna in my slow cooker. It is quick and easy to get dinner started, and then I don’t have to think about cooking for the rest of the day. In the summer, crockpot lasagna allows you to cook lasagna without turning on your oven.

This easy slow cooker lasagna is made with layers of lasagna noodles, ground beef, marinara sauce and cheese. You don’t need to cook the lasagna noodles ahead of time. They cook perfectly in the crock pot, absorbing lots of flavor along the way.

You’ll Need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
• salt and pepper
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 24 ounce jars marinara sauce about 5 1/2 cups total*
• 10 lasagna noodles uncooked, whole wheat or white (NOT no boil noodles)
• 10 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded, 2 1/2 cups
• grated Parmesan cheese for serving
• fresh chopped parsley or basil for serving, if desired

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring, until it begins to soften.
2. Add the ground beef (or turkey) to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook until browned and cooked through, breaking up the meat into small pieces as it cooks.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring. Remove pan from the heat.
4. Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker insert. Make a single layer of noodles, breaking them up as needed. Top with 1/3 of the meat, 1 cup of marinara sauce, and 2/3 cup shredded mozzarella.
5. Make a second layer with noodles, half of the remaining meat, another 1 cup of sauce, and 2/3 cup mozzarella.
6. Make a third layer with noodles, the remaining meat, 1 cup sauce and 2/3 cup mozzarella.
7. Top with one more layer of noodles, 1 ½ cups of sauce, and the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella
8. Cook in your slow cooker on low heat for about 4 hours, until noodles are soft. Turn off heat and let stand, covered, for 20-30 minutes before serving. Open lid carefully to keep any condensation on the lid from dripping on the lasagna. Serve with grated Parmesan and fresh parsley or basil, if desired.

NOTES:

• Use a marinara sauce that you really enjoy as the flavor of the sauce intensifies as the lasagna cooks.
• All slow cookers cook differently. This takes about 4 hours on low in my slow cooker, but yours may cook a little faster or slower.

COOKING TIPS FOR CROCKPOT LASAGNA:

• Be sure to use your favorite marinara sauce in this crockpot lasagna since the flavor of the sauce intensifies as the lasagna slowly cooks.
• Use regular (NOT no boil) lasagna noodles, and layer the noodles uncooked in your slow cooker. I have made this slow cooker lasagna with both whole wheat and white lasagna noodles and both work well.
• You can use ground turkey in place of the ground beef. If you like sausage in your lasagna, you can add 1/2 pound of sausage and cook it with the ground beef in the skillet.
• You can add ricotta cheese to this lasagna recipe. When you layer the lasagna, spoon the ricotta on top of the noodles and spread it out a bit.
• After the cook time ends, turn off the heat and let the lasagna rest for 20-30 minutes. The rest time will make it easier to slice and serve your lasagna.