Slow Cooker Lasagna

Slow cooker lasagna with cottage cheese is not only an easy meal, but a hearty, warm, and flavor-packed dinner.

Just mix a few ingredients, layer with noodles, and cook. By evening, you’ve got a great main dish for the entire family.

Lasagna With Cottage Cheese

Slow cooker lasagna on a white plate.

I have a lasagna recipe here on the blog with tons of cheese, including ricotta cheese. It’s a classic lasagna recipe you cook in the oven.

However, this slow cooker lasagna recipe is made with ricotta and cottage cheese, so it gives it a different flavor. And, you can let it cook while you go about your business.

So many people grew up eating lasagna with cottage cheese, and they love that comforting flavor.

Crock Pot lasagna on a white plate.

Slow Cooker Lasagna Ingredients

  • Ground beef
  • Ricotta cheese
  • Cottage cheese
  • Spaghetti sauce
  • Grated parmesan cheese
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Italian seasonings
  • Salt and pepper
  • Oven-ready lasagna noodles

Full printable recipe with ingredients, measurements, and instructions listed at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

TIP – This is a large recipe and it fed all four of us, and we had leftovers. You can easily cut this recipe in half if you don’t need as much.

How To Make Lasagna

  1. Grease the Crock Pot with non-stick spray.
  2. Brown the meat and drain the grease.
  3. Add the spaghetti sauce to a large bowl with the meat and mix well.
  4. In another bowl, add the cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, Italian seasonings, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
  5. Spread out one spoonful of the sauce and meat mixture onto the bottom of the Crock Pot.
  6. Lay a row of noodles across the bottom.
  7. Place one large spoonful of sauce and one large spoonful of cheese mixture on top of the noodles and spread out.
  8. Sprinkle some of the mozzarella cheese over the mixture, as well as some grated parmesan cheese.
  9. Add another layer of noodles and repeat the process several times.
  10. Replace the lid and cook on low for 3-1/2 hours.
  11. If a knife slices through the pasta easily, the lasagna is done.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Ground beef and spaghetti sauce in a large glass bowl.

Start by cooking the ground beef, draining the grease, and mixing with the spaghetti sauce.

For this recipe, I used Ragu sauce because we like that brand around here. But, you can use your favorite sauce.

I used a full 24 oz. jar and half of another one. We like a lot of sauce. You can stick with one jar, or even use two if you really love sauce.

Ricotta cheese and cottage cheese in a glass bowl.

Next, add the cottage and ricotta cheese to the bowl.

TIP – You can also switch out the ricotta cheese for cottage cheese in this recipe, as well, and have two containers of cottage cheese.

Adding Italian seasoning to a bowl with cottage and ricotta cheese.

Add the Italian seasonings, salt, and pepper to the bowl and mix well.

Noodles and sauce in a Crock Pot.

Grease the Crock Pot and spoon some of the sauce and meat mixture along the bottom. That will keep the noodles from sticking.

Line the bottom with noodles. They don’t have to be perfect.

Lasagna ingredients in the slow cooker.

Next, add a large spoonful of sauce and cottage cheese mixture and spread it around over the noodles.

Sprinkle some mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese on top.

Layering lasagna ingredients in the Crock Pot.

Repeat the process two to three times. Be sure to save enough to end with the sauce and cheese mixture on top.

Layering lasagna ingredients.

Leave a little bit of space at the top because the noodles will expand as they cook.

Replace the Crock Pot lid and cook for 3-1/2 hours on low. You can cook the lasagna a little longer, but the noodles tend to get soggy if you cook it too long.

Cooked lasagna in the slow cooker.

The noodles are done when you can easily stick a knife through.

Cooked slow cooker lasagna on a plate.

Grab some garlic bread, a helping of lasagna, and you’ve got a great meal.

Cooking with Carlee has some delicious cheesy garlic sourdough focaccia that will go perfectly with slow cooker lasagna.

Crock Pot lasagna on a white plate.

Other tasty recipes from the blog:

Slow Cooker Lasagna Recipe

Check out the recipe card below, grab those ingredients, and start cooking! This is a wonderful dinner and everyone will love it!

Then, share your comments below and share a picture of your lasagna on the Pinterest Pin!  If you made any changes or added something different, be sure to share it with us so we can try it, too!

Crock Pot lasagna on a white plate.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

4.25 from 4 votes
Julie Pollitt
Slow cooker lasagna with cottage cheese is not only an easy meal, but a hearty, hot, and flavor-packed dinner.
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 55 minutes
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 718 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 16 oz. cottage cheese
  • 15 oz. ricotta cheese
  • 36 oz. spaghetti sauce
  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasonings
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 12 oz. oven-ready lasagna noodles

Instructions
 

  • Grease the Crock Pot with non-stick spray.
  • Cook the meat and drain the grease.
  • Add the meat to a large bowl, pour in the spaghetti sauce, and mix well.
  • Next, add the ricotta and cottage cheese to a bowl, as well as the Italian seasonings, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
  • Spread a spoonful of the meat sauce on the bottom of the Crock Pot.
  • Place a row of noodles along the bottom.
  • Add a large spoonful of meat sauce and a large spoonful of the cheese mixture on the noodles and spread out.
  • Sprinkle some mozzarella and parmesan cheese over the mixture.
  • Repeat two more times and finish with sauce and cheese on the top.
  • Sprinkle the remainder of the mozzarella and parmesan on top and replace the lid.
  • Cook on low for 3-1/2 hours. The lasagna is done when a knife inserted slides through the noodles easily.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 718kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 58gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 159mgSodium: 1720mgFiber: 4gSugar: 10g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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4.25 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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8 Comments

  1. I have never heard of oven ready lasagna noodles. Can you explain to me what they are? May be a dumb question but I’m stumped.

    1. Julie Pollitt says:

      Hi June, Not a dumb question at all. The noodles can be placed in the lasagna without having to be cooked first. I used to make lasagna and I would boil the noodles first and then put them in the lasagna. But, these can be put in without having to be cooked first. It makes the recipe so much easier.

    2. @Julie Pollitt, thank you for your reply.
      Is there a brand of noodles you would recommend to use?

      1. Julie Pollitt says:

        You’re welcome! I like Ronzoni, Barilla, or the Publix or Target brand. They are all good.

  2. Judy Boggs says:

    Hi, can I do this in the oven, crock is busy today. If so, temp & time?

    I absolutely LOVE all your recipes, all of a sudden, I CAN COOK!!!

    Thanks,
    Judy

    1. Julie Pollitt says:

      Hi Judy! Thank you!! I love to hear that! I would cook it on 350-degrees for 45 minutes (covered with tin foil). Then remove the tin foil and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. I would use this recipe I am linking to, if you’re going to cook it in the oven, because it will be the same, but there’s not as much sauce. You can just switch out one of the ricottas for cottage cheese. Hope that helps and enjoy! https://www.backtomysouthernroots.com/cheap-hearty-homemade-beef-lasagna/

  3. You said it fed four with leftovers. I needed to feed a dozen hungry men, so I tripled the recipe and surprisingly had leftovers. Of the 6 pounds of meat I used 1 pound of italian sausage and one pound hot italian sausage and didn’t add italian seasoning. I had enough ingredients to have 6 layers in a electric roaster. Impressive looking (I have pictures) and awesome tasting. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    1. Julie Pollitt says:

      That’s great to hear! Thanks so much for sharing. I need to add some sausage to mine. That sounds delicious!