Easy Crockpot lasagna casserole with jar sauce is packed with all the flavors of traditional lasagna but so much easier! No boil noodles required, just dump it all in your slow cooker for this family friendly meal with ground beef or Jimmy Dean spicy sausage.

crockpot lasagna casserole
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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.  No boiling required but with the same ingredients, deconstructed and wonderful. (affiliate links present)

Slow Cooker Lasagna Casserole with Spaghetti Sauce

I love my slow cooker and Instant Pot! They just make my life easier and meals simple in the kitchen. We both work full time in this house, and manage 3 kids on top of that. The goal is to also put a hot meal on the table for us and eat together a few nights each week, this makes it possible.

When I first starting using all of my countertop appliances I made a batch of Instant Pot lasagna casserole. It was such a hit that I wanted to figure out how to cook lazy lasagna like this low and slow prepped in the morning. It too was amazing!!

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. 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. ๐Ÿ˜‰

A floral design slow cooker with a white base and lid sits on a kitchen countertop, perfect for whipping up a 5 ingredient crockpot chili recipe.

Crockpot Lazy Lasagna Recipe

So why is it called lazy vs. the traditional method you would normally layer and make in a pan?? Well you will see once you see how this is made but let me break it down for you real quick. ๐Ÿ˜‰ NO boil is required for this so no burnt fingers with floppy noodles, smoothing out the cheese or repeating layers required at all here.

I know, sounds like a dream and not possible right? We have made crock pot lasagna before, but this uses smaller noodles to make it more of a throw together 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.

The only real prep you need to do beforehand is to brown the meat. There are several choices as far as that goes too. Use ground beef, most common, but our most favorite would be a roll of spicy ground sausage from Jimmy dean. Adds a ton of flavor to the dish and a bit of heat too.

Instant Pot Frozen Ground Beef

Ingredients

  • 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 medium shells or elbow macaroni the best
  • 1 jar of pasta sauce, jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce typically. If you only have tomato sauce I would add some Italian seasonings too
  • Mozzarella cheese is traditional
  • Ricotta or cottage cheese are optional
  • 1 packet of taco seasoning (yes, it works great)
  • Ground beef (can omit but adds a great taste), it’s one of our favorite Crockpot hamburger recipes but spicy Italian sausage works too
  • Diced tomatoes (I like the petite version personally)
  • If we have parmesan cheese we will put some on top when serving this

Substitutions

An alternative to that one would be cottage cheese. I have even found dairy free varieties so my husband can enjoy this dish with us. Daiya has options for everything except without the lactose.

Can you use frozen ground beef?

Yes! If you forgot to defrost it beforehand, follow these directions on how to defrost ground beef fast first and then brown before adding. 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 easy lasagna recipe 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!

Is lasagna a casserole?

I mean yes?? If you make it more like our deconstructed lasagna with medium noodles with no boil required ahead of time it would qualify for that term even more. The definition of a casserole is basically a protein + starch (noodles or rice) + cheese.

A spoonful of cheesy pasta and sauce is being lifted from a crockpot lasagna, showcasing the delicious layers within.

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!! One of many easy cheap crockpot recipes on our site.

How to Make Lazy Slow Cooker Lasagna

  • 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

If you like a wetter consistency just add more spaghetti sauce. Then try our favorite Instant Pot lasagna soup seen here! Healthy and the kids will love it because it’s super flavorful.

easy instant pot lasagna casserole

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. Whether you made lasagna casserole in the oven or this you’d follow these steps;

  • 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. Here are more easy Crockpot dinner ideas too.

What is a good side dish?

Whether I cook something lighter like our Crockpot Italian Wedding Soup or this I tend to make the same sides that we love.

Our favorite side dish would be this refrigerated biscuits 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.

A bowl of crockpot lasagna, is garnished with green herbs and sits on a wooden table with a patterned cloth nearby.
4.54 from 13 votes

Crockpot Lasagna Casserole

By The Typical Mom
Lazy Crockpot lasagna casserole with spaghetti sauce and ricotta recipe. NO boil noodles, deconstructed with same flavors as traditional.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 4 hours
Total: 4 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6
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Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

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!

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 8oz, Calories: 593kcal, Carbohydrates: 56g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 91mg, Sodium: 1063mg, Potassium: 977mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 1105IU, Vitamin C: 17.6mg, Calcium: 273mg, Iron: 4.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!

About The Typical Mom

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

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4.54 from 13 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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45 Comments

  1. 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, didnโ€™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.

    1. 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.

    2. @The Typical Mom, My family LOVES this recipe!! Thank you for adding it. 5 star rating!! โ˜†โ˜†โ˜†โ˜†โ˜†

  2. If I am making this without the meat, does it alter the initial cooking time since there will not be the meat in there?

  3. 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?

    1. Did you use the cottage cheese? Could you see it? If the kids can see it, they won’t eat it.

  4. Can you make this without the tomatoes? If you leave them out, do you recommend adding more sauce for the moisture?

  5. 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.

  6. Anyone make this without the meat? Iโ€™m going to do it but if you donโ€™t add meat do you still add taco seasoning? Thanks!

  7. If I don’t use the diced tomatoes, do I still need to cook it on high for 3 hours? Thanks!

  8. 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!