This is an easy weeknight crock pot lasagna recipe that can be thrown together quickly in the morning. So you can come home to a yummy lasagna dinner without all the fuss.
Lasagna is great but there’s the cooking of the noodles, prepping the meat, making the sauce and so on. All of it takes time.
Wouldn’t it be great to set it and forget it until dinnertime? Well, you can with this easy no precook noodles slow cooker lasagna.
I use homemade pasta sauce but canned pasta sauce will work great too. Making it even easier to throw together. If you are short on time, grab a bag of pre-shredded cheese to make this recipe super quick.
I prep ahead ground beef and keep it pre-cooked in the freezer. I purchase ground beef in bulk when I see it on sale and then cook and drain the fat off. I portion it into 1.5-2 cups and freeze.
Then when I need cooked ground beef for a recipe, it’s already cooked and ready to go. It works perfectly in recipes like this crock pot lasagna. And makes it so much easier to get it ready in the morning too.
Crock Pot Lasagna Recipe in a Quick VideoNow this recipe is easy to make, but I made a quick video just in case you like to watch before you prepare a recipe. If not keep on scrolling for the printable recipe and tips below.
Tips for Making This Slow Cooker LasagnaBreak the noodles to fit your slow cooker. Depending on the shape of your slow cooker you must break the noodles to make them fit well. Just trim a little off the ends so they layer well.
Place a layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan. This will keep a little buffer between the lowest layer of noodle and the heat. The sauce on the bottom will keep the noodles from getting hard when cooking.
After cooking, remove the lid and dump off the extra moisture on the lid. Pick the lid up and shake the moisture that has formed on the lid off and not into the lasagna. This will help keep the lasagna from getting soggy.
Sprinkle with cheese on top after cooking. Right before the lasagna is done sprinkle extra cheese on the top and then replace the lid. Let the cheese melt then serve.
Here’s the Printable Recipe…
- 1 pound Ground Beef, cooked and drained
- 9 Lasagna Noodles, dry
- 4-5 cups of Pasta Sauce
- 2 cups Cheese, shredded
- Mix the cooked ground beef with the pasta sauce and simmer a few minutes.
- Add a cup of sauce to the bottom of the slow cooker. Then add three lasagna noodles.
- Add a half of a cup of sauce on top of the noodles and then sprinkle with cheese.
- Add the next layer of noodles and then sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.
- Add the final layer of noodles and add the remaining sauce.
- Save the extra cheese for at the end of cooking.
- Cook on low 4-6 hours or on high 2-3 hours.
- In the last 15 minutes of cooking remove the lid and shake off any moisture into the sink.
- Sprinkle the lasagna with remaining cheese.
- Replace lid and let cook until melted.
- Serve.
- Ground Beef, $2.49 to $2.99 per pound, you can use half a pound to get the cost down further.
- Lasagna Noodles, half package of noodles $1.00
- Pasta Sauce, Homemade $2.25 or $2.99 for Store bought
- Cheese, shredded $1.89 for pre-shredded Cheese
If you prepare the slow cooker lasagna with a full pound of meat, the cost is $7.63 to $8.87 which works out to be $1.27 to $1.48 per serving. Which isn’t bad. But I try to keep our servings for the main dish at dinner closer to $1 per person.
But if it’s made with a half pound of ground beef, you can get the cost down to $1.07 a serving. So if your family won’t complain about having half the meat in the crock pot lasagna you could save more.
Round out the meal with prep ahead salad and a couple slices of French Bread and you have a delicious dinner that is so much cheaper than the $10 to $12 a plate it would cost to eat the same meal out.
Even at the most expensive option above, a loaf of French Bread ready-made from the store and a bag of salad ready to go you’ll still have dinner at just $2.10 per serving.
That’s at least an $8 savings per person over eating out. For taking a little time to fill your slow cooker in the morning.
Enjoy this yummy lasagna any day of the week, by preparing it in the slow cooker. It’s easy to throw together and come home to a yummy cooked meal in the slow cooker.
Or use the slow cooker in the heat of the summer to keep the kitchen cool. With this recipe, you can eat lasagna anytime the craving hits.
More Easy Slow Cooker DinnersCrock pot Roast Beef
Cranberry Pork Roast
Garlic and Herb Pork Roast
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