Crockpot Lasagna with Homemade Meat Sauce and Three Cheeses
By Mason Brooks
Prep
40 min
Cook
240 min
Total
280 min
Servings
8
Level
Easy
For a family dinner that can cook while the day moves along, this Crockpot Lasagna layers uncooked noodles with homemade beef tomato sauce and three cheeses. The noodles soften in the sauce, while ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan make the finished casserole creamy, browned, and bubbly.
Ground beef, yellow onion, and garlic form the base of the sauce, followed by tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. The generous tomato mixture matters because it supplies the moisture that cooks regular lasagna noodles directly in the slow cooker. Ricotta and eggs hold the cheese layer together, while mozzarella and Parmesan build the top.
After greasing the crockpot, begin with a little meat sauce, then arrange the dry noodles, breaking and shifting them as needed to fit. Continue with cheese mixture and sauce until the ingredients are used, saving the reserved cheeses for the final layer. Start checking at four hours: tender noodles when pierced with a fork and fully melted cheese show it is ready. The main trouble spot is an overcrowded cooker, so use a six- to eight-quart model.
Bring the crockpot insert to the table for an easy family-style meal with garlic bread, Parmesan roasted broccoli, Mediterranean salad, or Caesar salad. Leftover portions can be refrigerated in an airtight container or frozen individually after flash freezing. Readers also report that the assembled flavors are especially good when the lasagna is made a day ahead.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Feeds eight servings from one slow cooker, making it useful when family dinner needs to be assembled before the busiest part of the day.
- Regular uncooked noodles save a separate boiling step because the tomato sauce provides the liquid needed to soften them during slow cooking.
- Three cheeses please diners who want classic lasagna layers, with ricotta in the filling and mozzarella plus Parmesan browned across the top.
- Busy households can leave the oven off because the sauce, noodles, and cheese layers cook together in a six- to eight-quart crockpot.
- Leftover portions work well for later meals because the recipe can be refrigerated in an airtight container or frozen as individual pieces.
- Picky eaters can keep the familiar beef, tomato, noodle, and cheese format while red pepper flakes remain a measured seasoning within the sauce.
Ingredients
- •1 lb ground beef
- •1 small yellow onion (diced)
- •3 cloves garlic (minced)
- •44 oz tomato sauce (one 29-ounce and one 15-ounce can; use plain tomato sauce, not seasoned spaghetti sauce)
- •6 oz tomato paste
- •1 tbsp dried oregano
- •1 tbsp dried basil
- •1.5 tsp kosher salt (use less to start if using table salt; add more to taste if needed)
- •0.5 tsp black pepper (add more to taste if needed)
- •0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
- •12 oz regular lasagna noodles (uncooked; not no-boil noodles)
- •15 oz ricotta cheese
- •2 large eggs
- •16 oz mozzarella (shredded)
- •1 cup Parmesan cheese
- •cooking spray (for greasing the crockpot)
Instructions
- 1
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until it begins to brown, breaking it up as it cooks.
- 2
Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
- 3
Drain the excess fat.
- 4
Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, oregano, basil, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to the meat mixture and set aside.
- 5
Taste the sauce and add more salt and/or pepper to taste.
- 6
Set aside 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of Parmesan for the topping.
- 7
In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, and the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
- 8
Spray a 6- to 8-quart crockpot with cooking spray.
- 9
Add a ladleful of the sauce and meat mixture to the bottom of the crockpot.
- 10
Add a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles, breaking and rearranging them as needed to fit.
- 11
Top the noodles with some of the cheese mixture and then more sauce and meat.
- 12
Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, reserving the set-aside cheeses.
- 13
Top with the reserved mozzarella and Parmesan.
- 14
Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, checking at 4 hours because slow cookers vary.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
520
Protein
36g
Fat
28g
Carbs
30g
Reviews
Pin this recipe
Tap an image to save it to Pinterest.
