Easy Lazy Crockpot Lasagna Casserole

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 meals simple in the kitchen.

I work full time and can still put a hot meal on the table for the 5 of us this way, love it!

Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking shall we?? First off I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….

1. This is my favorite 6 quart programmable one with a locking lid so it’s great for bringing to a potluck too.
2. If you just want to serve a few appetizers you should get this one that sit side by side one another.
3. I prefer not to use liners, but rather just spray olive oil inside before adding my food for easier cleanups.

Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time. 😉

We have made crock pot lasagna before, but using smaller noodles makes it more of a casserole.

I like this more than the traditional way because kids can eat it easily and it can fit on the fork with each bite.

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!!

Crockpot casserole dish

• 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

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. In each dish, top with remaining cheese and serve together or 1/2 hour before serving melt cheese on top of the whole thing in the pot.

You can print recipe below. It is complete with nutritional information too, i.e. saturated fat and calories per serving.