This cheesy crockpot lasagna casserole is packed with all the flavors of traditional lasagna but so much easier to make! No boiling the noodles required, just dump it all in your slow cooker and when you’re ready it’s the perfect lazy lasagna your whole family will love for sure.
I love my slow cooker and Instant Pot! They just make my life easier and quicker in the kitchen and me the ability to work full time and still put a hot meal on the table for the 5 of us just about every night (ok we do have “do whatever Fridays” but you know what I mean). I have made a lot of things over the years but last night I decided to make what we are calling, crockpot lasagna casserole. It’s now one of our favorite pasta crockpot recipes. (originally published 6/17, affiliate links present)
- We decided to name this crock pot lasagna casserole because it really does taste like traditional lasagna but SO much easier to make!
- Easier for kids to eat too because the noodles are bite size. You’ll get all the same flavors though. 😉
First you’re going to need to brown your ground beef or sausage before adding it into your Crockpot lazy lasagna.
You can of course do this in a pan on your stovetop over medium heat, or in your Instant Pot. If you forgot to defrost it beforehand, follow these directions on how to defrost ground beef fast.
- That is really the only prep you’ll need to do outside of your slow cooker.
- Since there are no regular lasagna noodles, there’s no need to boil any water for any reason.
- This cuts down on the cook time and frustration significantly.
All the wonderful flavors of your favorite lasagna are in this dish with the exception of one. You could easily add some of that too though if you wanted.
The only thing I didn’t include was the ricotta cheese. You could easily add a spoonful when you add in the mozzarella and it would be great that way too!
Crockpot goulash you might want to call it too but not as soupy as that so casserole fits the bill better in my eyes.
Any way you call it we all loved it and it literally cost under $10 to make and feed all of us PLUS there was enough for me to eat the next day for lunch, bonus!!
This is what you’ll need to make this easy crockpot lasagna casserole recipe
- I like my large 8 qt. crockpot for this one so it has lots of room to bubble up
- You can use any small noodles but we like these the best
- 1 jar of pasta sauce (I usually use this meat sauce one)
- if you only have tomato sauce I would add some Italian seasonings too
- Mozzarella cheese
- Ricotta or cottage cheese are optional
- 1 packet of taco seasoning (yes, it works great)
- Ground beef (can omit but adds a great taste)
- or spicy Italian sausage
- Diced tomatoes (I like the petite version)
- If we have parmesan cheese we will put some on top when serving this
If you like a wetter consistency just add more spaghetti sauce to this lazy slow cooker lasagna. It is very versatile depending on your preference.
- In a hurry? Make our pressure cooker lasagna casserole recipe
Here’s a video showing you how we make our easy crockpot lasagna casserole!
Looking for more easy crockpot recipes or easy cheap crockpot recipes?
- Crockpot hamburger recipes
- Easy Crockpot Italian Wedding Soup
- Taco dip with ground beef
- Here are more easy Crockpot dinner ideas too
If you are looking for other other easy slow cooker pasta recipes we have a few more you should try.
- If you’d like to make a lasagna casserole in the oven you can do that too.
- Our enchilada lasagna doesn’t have noodles at all, but has a Mexican twist to this Italian meal.
- Then try our favorite Instant Pot lasagna soup seen here! Healthy and the kids will love it because it’s super flavorful.
What is the best way to freeze lasagna? Even though this isn’t the “traditional way” to make it, since there are the same ingredients you’d treat it as such.
- If you want to freeze it after some has been eaten, you can put leftovers into airtight plastic containers or freezer bags.
- Always allow food to completely cool to room temperature before packaging it up and putting it in the fridge or freezer. If you don’t it can grow bacteria easier when cooled and make you sick.
- You can freeze lasagna before you cook it as well! I haven’t tried this but know others who have done this.
- If you’re a fan of batch cooking it’s a great idea to assemble the first 3 instructions below and store in freezer bags.
- Then defrost what’s in there, throw it in your Crock when you’re ready and continue with the next steps as usual.
What is a good side dish for lasagna? Our favorite side dish would be this garlic pull apart bread.
You can print recipe below. It is complete with nutritional information too, i.e. saturated fat and calories per serving.
Crockpot Lasagna Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 1 lb ground beef (could use sausage instead)
- 12 oz noodles (shell or bow tie noodles)
- 28 oz spaghetti sauce (32 oz if you want it soupier and more like goulash)
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 3 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 1/2 c mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 c ricotta cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Brown ground beef and diced onion in a pan, then add to your crockpot.
- Pour can of spaghetti sauce and can of diced tomatoes on top of meat.
- Sprinkle taco seasoning on top, stir well.
- Set crockpot to high and cook for 3 hours, or low and cook for 5-6 hours.
- Lift lid when done cooking and add your uncooked noodles and 1 cup of cheese, (and ricotta if you choose to add it) stir well.
- Sprinkle other 1/2 c. of cheese on top and put lid back on.
- Set to high for 30 minutes.
- Serve!
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Kate says
1. Even if you use lasagna noodles, you don’t have to cook them first. I browned a combo of venison, ground beef and italian sausage, sauteed a LOT of onions with it, froze half that meat mixture for my next batch, then threw a half a jar of pasta sauce, plus half a 28 oz diced tomatoes (again, froze the remainder) some red wine and extra water (to soak up into the noodles) along with oregano, basil and garlic in with the meat to get it nice and bubbly. Having the crock pot on first, and adding the sauce while bubbling away really cuts down on the cook time…but if you want all day, go for it with just ground beef and sauce. Then I did layer some – sauce first, noodles, COTTAGE CHEESE on top of the noodles, in my opinion is vital! Shredded mozzarella on it, then some more pasta sauce and shredded cheddar cheese. Mine is an oval, rough ceramic (not smooth ceramic) crock pot and 1.5 hours on high had that puppy bubbly and fully cooked noodles and my husband, who is a Lasagna snob, declared it delicious. It’s already hot in Texas – so I could cook it on the back porch and not add heat to the kitchen. Only way to go from now on. PS – that cottage cheese will melt in with the mozzarella to a goey goodness that the kids won’t even notice, I promise.
Beth says
This is perfect! I love how easy this is, but I wouldn’t call it ‘lazy’ as I would call it ‘smart’! Bake smarter not harder!
Suzy says
I had no idea how easy this would be to make in the crockpot! So tasty too!
Abbey says
I have this in my crockpot now. I am a 22 year old learning how to speak “cooking” haha! This is smelling fantastic and I LOVE all the ingredients so I had to try. I added some more seasonings with the Taco and I’ll have lots of Ricotta because my boyfriend is from Europe so he loves his cheese! Can’t wait to taste in about 2 hours!
The Typical Mom says
Yay hope you loved it
Molly says
Am I not understanding the recipe? What exactly are you cooking for 3 hours on high? The meat is already browned, right? Adding uncooked noodles at the end of the 3 hours to cook on high for an additional 30 minutes – – I might as well just make this on the stove and boil noodles. I mean, didn’t I just brown the meat and onions on the stove?….the pan is already dirty. If I have time to brown meat then I have time to boil noodles. I must be very confused and not reading this recipe correctly. Please help me understand this.
The Typical Mom says
Yep, sounds like you should just use the stovetop then. Every recipe isn’t for everyone. I’ve had lots of compliments from slow cooker lovers.
Laura says
jeez…then just cook it on the stovetop if that makes more sense to you.
Nina says
If I am making this without the meat, does it alter the initial cooking time since there will not be the meat in there?
The Typical Mom says
Should be same timing, maybe check it a bit before noted time.
Sara says
I made this for my husband once with beef and once with chicken and he loved it both ways. I want to try it again possibly with substitutions. Can I substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta for a lower calorie option? Also, what about ground turkey? Do I need to cook it before putting it in the crockpot?
Kellee says
Did you use the cottage cheese? Could you see it? If the kids can see it, they won’t eat it.
Tiffany says
Do you cook the meat?
Christina says
Can you make this without the tomatoes? If you leave them out, do you recommend adding more sauce for the moisture?
Marty says
I always make a recipe as stated the first time. It is a good casserole, however, next time I will not use taco seasoning but rather some Italian seasoning and a bit of red pepper flakes for zip. I used Italian sausage which was just right. I will definitely make this again. The taco seasoning left a bit of an after taste.
Tiffany says
Anyone make this without the meat? I’m going to do it but if you don’t add meat do you still add taco seasoning? Thanks!
The Typical Mom says
I probably would just for the flavor, could add just half the packet.
Maria says
If I don’t use the diced tomatoes, do I still need to cook it on high for 3 hours? Thanks!
Ashly says
I was a bit skeptical with the taco seasoning, but oh my! It was delicious!
Noodles did take longer to cook though, but still great!
Tina says
TinaMaybe the taco seasoning should be cooked with the ground beef & onion.
Cindy says
How big is the can of tomatoes?
The Typical Mom says
The regular 14-15 oz. size.
Katelyn says
do you have to cook the ground beef first?
The Typical Mom says
Yes
Melanie says
Can you freeze this casserole?
The Typical Mom says
I haven’t tried that yet.
B C says
Taco seasoning in a lasagna casserole? I’d think italian seasoning would be a better choice.
The Typical Mom says
Taco works amazingly well.
Kimberly says
I loved it but my noodles took longer:)
The Typical Mom says
Glad you loved it! May take longer if you like them softer, personal preference.
Kenna says
Do you drain the can of tomatoes?
The Typical Mom says
No I didn’t.
Amanda says
If I’m going to make half the recipe, should I change the cooking times?
Thanks! I’m excited to make and eat this! Sounds yummy
The Typical Mom says
I would probably stick to it except maybe check the noodles earlier since there won’t be as many and may cook a bit quicker. 😉
Betsy says
Do the noodles really only take 30 min to cook??
Sarah says
Is there a way to use this recipe but bake in the oven to shorten the time ?
The Typical Mom says
Yes! Here it is: https://temeculablogs.com/easy-lasagna-casserole/
MegUnprocessed says
I do something similar! It’s so good and easy to make
Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons says
I love this! So simple! Genius!