This family favorite is cooked to perfection in a slow cooker, making it ideal for a busy day! This is one of the easiest lasagna recipes because you don't have to boil noodles before you layer them in like you do for the traditional version. I've laid out easy step-by-step instructions for you too!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This easy crockpot lasagna takes very little effort!
- Comfort food for the whole family!
- Can be prepared a day ahead, so the next day, you just plug it in and let it cook!
Ingredient Notes
- Lasagna Noodles - I used regular lasagna noodles, but the no-boil lasagna noodles work here as well.
- Sausage - Both the Italian sausage and the original/regular sausage may be used. You can also substitute ground beef for half the sausage if you would like.
- Spaghetti Sauce - I use the 4 cheese spaghetti sauce, but the marinara sauce could be used as well. Tomato sauce could be used if that's absolutely all you have, but will be lacking in flavor.
- Sour Cream - I use full-fat sour cream.
- Cottage Cheese - I use full-fat, small-gated cottage cheese.
- Provolone Cheese - The non-smoked kind.
Couple Things You'll Need
Step by Step
- For this recipe, you're going to need a 6-quart crock pot, aka slow cooker.
- Line it will a removable slow cooker liner or spray the inside and bottom of the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Open the spaghetti sauce. If you want to pour the spaghetti sauce into something and stir all the Italian seasoning into it, you can. For ease, I just sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the sauce as I add it.
- Mince a medium onion and 2 cloves garlic.
- Brown the sausage in a large skillet, adding the minced onion and minced garlic cloves when it is about ⅔ cooked. Drain the excess grease well and set aside.
- Mix the cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, and large eggs together in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Grate 4 cups of Mozzarella cheese and set aside.
- Layer the ingredients in the crockpot in the following order:
- ½ Cup Spaghetti Sauce
- The first layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. You'll need 3-4 noodles, and if you need to break them, that's fine.
- Sprinkle with a heaping cup of mozzarella cheese, just enough to cover the noodles.
- Sprinkle ½ the sausage over the cheese.
- Pour ½ of the remaining sauce over the sausage.
- Layer more noodles on top of the sauce.
- Spread the cottage cheese mixture on top of the noodles.
- Layer more noodles over the top of the cottage cheese.
- Do a single layer of 4-6 slices of provolone cheese over the noodles.
- Spread or squirt (if you have the squeezy sour cream) the sour cream over the provolone cheese.
- Sprinkle with a heaping cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Layer on more noodles.
- Sprinkle the last half of the sausage.
- Pour the other ½ of the sauce over the sausage.
- Top with a final layer of noodles, followed by the last of the mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on the LOW heat setting for 6 hours.
- Store leftover lasagna in the fridge.
FAQs and Helpful Tips
Do you have to pre-cook the noodles?
No, if you do, they will end up too soggy.
Can you prep it the night before?
Yes, you can! Once you have your slow cooker lasagna assembled, cover it with the lid and put it in the fridge. Just add an extra hour to the cooking time the next day since your crockpot will have to heat up the lasagna from a chilled state.
Why is my lasagna soupy or runny?
Lasagna can end up soupy or runny if you don't drain the browned meats, or if you were using noodles, you had to boil, not draining the noodles well. You're naturally going to have some juices run from the sauce, but having excess meat grease or water from noodles can cause a soupy mess.
What to serve with this recipe...
I suggest a big Green Salad with a side of Garlic Bread!
Need More Slow Cooker Recipes
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Slow Cooker Lasagna Recipe
This family favorite is cooked to perfection in a slow cooker, making it ideal for a busy day! This is one of the easiest lasagna recipes because you don't have to boil noodles before you layer them in like you do for the traditional version. I've laid out easy step-by-step instructions for you, too!
Ingredients
- 16 oz Lasagna Noodles 16 oz Box
- 52 oz Spaghetti Sauce (I use Hunt's 4 Cheese) 2 x 26 oz cans
- 3 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ Cup Onion minced
- 2 Garlic cloves minced
- 2 lb. Ground Sausage
- ½ Cup Shredded Parmesan
- 16 oz Cottage Cheese 16 oz container
- 2 Eggs
- 6 Slices Provolone Cheese
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- 4 Cups Shredded Mozzarella about 1 ½ lbs Mozzarella
Instructions
- For this recipe, you're going to need a 6-quart crock pot, aka slow cooker.
- Line it will a removable slow cooker liner or spray the inside and bottom of the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Open the spaghetti sauce. If you want to pour the spaghetti sauce into something and stir all the Italian seasoning into it, you can. For ease, I just sprinkle seasoning over the sauce as I add it.
- Mince a medium onion and 2 cloves garlic.
- Brown the sausage in a large skillet, adding the minced onion and minced garlic cloves when it is about ⅔ cooked. Drain the excess grease well and set aside.
- Mix the cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, and large eggs together in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Grate 4 cups of Mozzarella cheese and set aside.
Layer the ingredients in the crockpot in the following order:
- ½ Cup Spaghetti Sauce
- The first layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. You'll need 3-4 noodles, and if you need to break them, that's fine.
- Sprinkle with a heaping cup of mozzarella cheese, just enough to cover the noodles.
- Sprinkle ½ the sausage over the cheese.
- Pour ½ of the sauce over the sausage.
- Layer more noodles on top of the sauce.
- Spread the cottage cheese mixture on top of the noodles.
- Layer more noodles over the top of the cottage cheese.
- Do a single layer of 4-6 slices of provolone cheese over the noodles.
- Spread or squirt (if you have the squeezy sour cream) the sour cream over the provolone cheese.
- Sprinkle with a heaping cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Layer on more noodles.
- Sprinkle the last half of the sausage.
- Pour the other ½ of the sauce over the sausage.
- Top with the final layer of noodles, followed by the last of the mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on the LOW heat setting for 6 hours.
- Store leftover lasagna in the fridge.
Notes
- If you prefer to do half sausage and half ground beef, that works too!
- Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutrition
Calories: 752kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 43gFat: 43gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 128mgSodium: 1879mgPotassium: 924mgFiber: 4gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1285IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 596mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Jeff
Best Lasagna
Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes
What a delicious idea, Mindee! So clever and simple to make it is in the slow cooker -
I can't wait to try this soon!
mindeescookingobsession
Thank you!!!