Slow-Cooker Lasagna
Updated Oct. 20, 2021
- Total Time
- 4 hours and 10 minutes to 5 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1pound whole-milk ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)
- 1(10-ounce) bag or box frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 3ounces finely grated Parmesan (about 1 scant cup)
- ½cup lightly packed, roughly chopped basil leaves, plus more for topping
- 5garlic cloves, grated or pressed
- 1teaspoon dried oregano
- 1teaspoon onion powder
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Olive oil
- 1(32-ounce) jar good-quality marinara sauce
- 9lasagna noodles (7 to 8 ounces)
- 8ounces shredded mozzarella (2 cups)
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
563 calories; 29 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 28 grams protein; 1141 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, spinach, Parmesan, basil, garlic, oregano, onion powder, ¼ teaspoon salt and a generous amount of black pepper.
- Step 2
Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 6- to 7-quart slow cooker with olive oil. Ladle about 1 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker, and spread it evenly.
- Step 3
Make two layers: Lay 3 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce, breaking the noodles to make a roughly even layer. (This doesn’t need to be perfect; it’s fine if the noodles overlap slightly, and if there are small spots the noodles don’t cover.) Ladle about ¾ cup of sauce on top of the noodles and spread evenly. Evenly dollop about half of the ricotta mixture over the sauce, and use the back of a fork to press it into a roughly even layer. Sprinkle about a third of the shredded mozzarella over the ricotta. Repeat to make one more layer, using three noodles, the ¾ cup sauce, the remaining half of the ricotta mixture, then about half of the remaining mozzarella.
- Step 4
To finish, lay down the remaining 3 lasagna noodles and spread with the remaining sauce. (Reserve the remaining mozzarella.) Cover and cook on low until the internal temperature in the center is at least 140 degrees and the noodles are tender, 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours.
- Step 5
Turn off the slow cooker and sprinkle the top of the lasagna with the remaining mozzarella. Remove the crock from the base that contains the heating element and let the lasagna rest with the lid on for 20 to 30 minutes, otherwise it will fall apart when you try to slice it. Sprinkle the top with more torn basil, to your taste. Cut the lasagna with a knife and scoop out servings with a spatula to serve.
Private Notes
Comments
Question! “No boil” noodles? Uncooked regular noodles? Cooked regular noodles? Thank you!
If you don't have noodles on hand but have soft corn tortillas, use them. I have successfully substituted them for noodles a number of times.
This was really good and easy, owing in large part to using a jar of sauce rather than making the sauce. I omitted the salt because the cheeses and sauce are salty enough. I always use cottage cheese instead of ricotta because it is so much less fatty. I puree the cottage cheese to the right texture with an immersion blender and it works great.
I use manicotti as they fit in my slow cooker without breaking. I also add ground beef and sweet sausage that I have browned. It is so delicious.
Great recipe! We made a few tweaks others may like as well: 1. 2 cups chopped, fresh spinach instead of frozen 2. Added 1 lb ground turkey (browned in frying pan and adding salt to your liking). We put them on top of each completed layer before adding noodles for next layer. Since it's in a slow cooker, the turkey wasn't dry! 3. Used 1.5 bottles of marinara (we like it saucy) 4. Used low or no-fat cheeses We've made this a few times now. Def a house favorite.
Absolutely loved the ease of making this and it was dang GOOD. The lasagna noodles were cooked perfectly, the ricotta spinach mixture was right up my alley, and it was way easier to cut and serve than I had expected. Few notes… I only had fresh baby spinach so I did a quick steam and squeeze. I added an extra layer to the dish and some mushrooms!! Wise choices!! My crockpot only has 4 settings ( 4-6 hr high / 8-10 hr low) so I did it on low for 8hrs but just cut the cooking time in half. I did switch it to warm for about 30 minutes after but I don’t know if that really made a difference. This will definitely be a returning recipe. I seriously loved not having to cook the lasagna sheets and living in Florida, we llove a typical oven dish that can be made just as good in a crockpot.
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