This Slow Cooker Lasagna is easy to prepare and makes a delicious dinner—layers of pasta, cheese, and meat sauce create a comforting meal your family will love.

Crockpot lasagna is a much easier way to make this classic dish. The hearty meat sauce and pasta simmer in the slow cooker for an easy, hands-off dinner. There is no need to crank up the oven or fill the sink with pots and pans – all you need is a skillet for the sauce and your slow cooker to bring it all together.

photo of a slice of lasagna on a plate

Lasagna is a great way to feed a crowd, and it happens to be a favorite dinner at my house, but it’s not always the easiest of dishes to make. My slow cooker lasagna is everything you love about this classic pasta dish but made manageable. 

In traditional versions, you need a pan to make the sauce, a pot to boil the pasta, and a baking dish to go in the oven. That is a lot of dishes! What I love about making it in the slow cooker is that you only need one pan to prep the sauce and the slow cooker does the rest of the work. Plus, unlike when I use the oven, I can leave it to cook. I’m not comfortable leaving the house with the oven on, but the slow cooker? No problem at all!

This is a hearty dinner with layers of pasta, cheese, and a delicious meat sauce made with ground beef and Italian sausage. I’ve made it for big family dinners and also for busy weeknights.  It always gets rave reviews. 

close-up photo of a fork cutting off a bite of lasagna

How to Make the Meat Sauce

You will need to make the easy meat sauce first, and once you do, it goes in the slow cooker, and the recipe is hands-off from there. Here are the ingredients you will need:

  • Italian sausage
  • Ground beef
  • Diced red onion
  • Diced red pepper
  • Minced garlic
  • Tomato paste
  • Crushed tomatoes
  • Italian seasoning

In a large pan, cook the beef and sausage together. Break them up as they cook and cook them until browned.

Add the onion, red pepper, and garlic. Stir and cook the vegetables with the meat until the onions are softened and translucent.

Add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and seasoning. Stir and bring the sauce to a boil and then remove it from the heat.

How to Layer the Ingredients

Once you have your meat sauce made all you have to do is layer the ingredients in your slow cooker. You will need:

  • The sauce
  • Uncooked noodles
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese

Start by scooping two cups of the sauce into the bottom of the slow cooker.

photo of the sauce in the slow cooker

Next, place uncooked noodles on top of the sauce. 

photo of uncooked lasagna noodles on top of the sauce

Top the noodles with two more cups of sauce followed by shredded mozzarella cheese.

photo of the cheese in the slow cooker

Repeat these layers two more times finishing with a layer of sauce on top. Hold off adding the last layer of cheese until the lasagna has finished cooking.

Cover the slow cooker and cook it on low for four to six hours. As it cooks, the pasta will absorb all of the delicious flavors in the sauce until it’s nice and tender.

When it’s done cooking, sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and cover until the cheese has melted.

overhead photo of the lasagna in the slow cooker topped with melted cheese

Ways to Change Up this Recipe

  • We love the combination of ground beef and Italian sausage, but you can use all beef or all sausage if that’s your preference. You can also substitute the beef for ground turkey. 
  • I use skim milk mozzarella cheese, but you can use regular mozzarella cheese if you like. I don’t recommend using fresh mozzarella cheese because it could make your lasagna too watery, so be sure to use low-moisture mozzarella cheese.
  • For a pop of freshness, garnish with chopped fresh parsley or thin-sliced basil. It’s always nice to serve some grated Parmesan cheese on the side, too.

Does Homemade Lasagna Keep Well?

  • Yes, it does! If you have leftovers, wrap them tightly and keep them in the refrigerator for easy lunches and dinners.
  • You can also freeze the leftovers in freezer-safe containers for up to three months. 

Serve up slices of this hearty pasta goodness with a green salad on the side or add some oven-roasted asparagus. We also love some homemade breadsticks. So delicious. Enjoy! xoxo San

photo of a slice of lasagna being lifted out of the slow cooker

Want More Slow Cooker Recipes?

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Slow Cooker Lasagna

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 4 hours
Total: 4 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8 -10
Calories: 523 kcal
This Slow Cooker Lasagna is so easy to prepare and is a comforting, hearty dinner your family will love.
photo of a slice of lasagna on a plate

Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound Italian sausage
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 purple onion diced
  • 1 red pepper diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 6 ounces canned tomato paste
  • 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 9 lasagna sheets uncooked
  • 2 cups skim mozzarella cheese shredded
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • In a skillet, cook sausage and beef over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Cook until fully cooked.
  • Add in onion, red pepper, and garlic, season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow the vegetables to cook for 3-5 minutes until onion is soft and translucent.
  • Stir in tomato paste, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning; bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
  • Using a measuring cup add 2 cups meat mixture into bottom of slow cooker. Layer 3 lasagna noodles (uncooked), top with 2 cups of meat mixture and then 1/2 cup of cheese.
  • Repeat noodles and meat for two more layers.
  • Set slow cooker on low, cover and cook for 4-6 hours. Once done cooking, sprinkle lasagna with cheese, return the lid and cover until cheese has melted.
  • As for dessert, Marie Callender’s takes special care to make each pie look and taste homemade. By using fresh ingredients like hand-picked blackberries and tried and true recipes, each pie will taste like you made it from scratch.
Calories: 523kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 34gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 927mgPotassium: 999mgFiber: 4gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1150IUVitamin C: 35.1mgCalcium: 297mgIron: 4.7mg
photo of a slice of lasagna on a plate
Tried this recipe?Let us know what you think!

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50 Comments

  1. Well, you totally had me at lasagna and then throw in the slow cooker and I’m totally excited! I didn’t even realize I could make lasagna in the slow cooker! Thanks for the idea. Finish it off with Marie Callender’s! Perfection!

  2. That lasagna looks amazing! I’m bookmarking the recipe for future use.. I’m moving in with my partner in two weeks and we would both like to be a bit more adventurous in our cooking.

  3. When we have family get togethers, everyone insists we have a pie. If I don’t have time to make one I always go to Marie Callender’s!

  4. We had a Marie Callenders Chocolate Satin Pie for Thanksgiving and it was delicious. I like letting it thaw pretty well before eating it but it’s very yummy!

  5. Oh man! That lasagna looks absolutely mouthwatering! I would love to take a bite into that! And that pie! I just love Marie Callender’s Pies!

  6. I’ve actually never heard of a slow cooker lasagna before and would love to give it a try since I don’t particularly like making lasagna the traditional way.

  7. I love this pie and the lasagna?! OH my. When asked what my favorite food is – my reply is always “pizza or lasagna” depends what type of food they are asking me about. I will have to try this crock pot lasagna, seriously soon and the pie? Will check my local freezer section when I go get groceries next!

  8. dont want to seem dense, but are the lasagna noodles cooked before using, or do they cook in the crock pot.
    love crock pot cooking and was so happy to see the recipe.

  9. I only have one problem. The recipe isn’t all together so can’t print without loads of stuff I don’t need. I hit the print icon and the pie stuff came up I don’t need pie I need other recipe. Thanks

  10. This Lasagna recipe looks & sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing 🙂 I’m wondering if you used regular lasagna noodles, or the no-boil type of noodle?

    1. I haven’t tried that, if you do, I could cook them as you would normally, till al dente and then follow the recipe as is. I think I will try that next week. xo

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