Here’s a simple and delicious slow cooker lasagna recipe—comfort food made effortless 🍝🧀
Ingredients (6–8 servings)
- 500 g (1 lb) ground beef or Italian sausage
- 1 jar (about 700 g / 24 oz) marinara or pasta sauce
- 200–250 g (7–8 oz) lasagna noodles, broken to fit slow cooker
- 250 g (1 cup) ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs (basil, oregano)
- Salt & pepper to taste
(Optional: spinach, mushrooms, or zucchini for extra veggies)
Instructions
- Cook the meat
- In a skillet, brown the ground beef or sausage. Drain excess fat.
- Mix with pasta sauce and season with Italian herbs, salt, and pepper.
- Layer the lasagna
- Lightly grease the slow cooker.
- Spread a thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom.
- Add a layer of broken lasagna noodles (overlapping slightly).
- Spread dollops of ricotta cheese over noodles, then a layer of mozzarella.
- Repeat layers until ingredients are used, finishing with sauce and a final layer of mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Cook
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4–5 hours or HIGH for 2–3 hours, until noodles are tender.
- Avoid lifting the lid too often; slow cookers lose heat quickly.
- Serve
- Let the lasagna sit for 10–15 minutes before slicing—it helps it set.
- Garnish with fresh basil or parsley if desired.
Tips
- No-boil noodles: Perfect for slow cooker use; they soften while cooking.
- Vegetarian version: Replace meat with sautéed mushrooms, zucchini, or eggplant.
- Extra cheesy: Mix ½ cup mozzarella into ricotta before layering.
- Freezing: Assemble but don’t cook—freeze for up to 3 months, then cook on low 5–6 hours.
If you want, I can make a super-fast 4-ingredient slow cooker lasagna that’s even easier—basically dump-and-go. It’s a lifesaver for busy weeknights. Do you want me to do that?
