Slow Cooker Lasagna
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 3 hours and 50 minutes
Serves 6-8
This slow cooker lasagna couldn't be more simple (you don't have to pre-boil the noodles!) Just assemble and walk away. But before you do, watch Jess and Ali show you, step-by-step, how to do it.
ready to learn? just hit play.
ingredients
- 2 28-ounce cans
- crushed tomatoes
- 4 cloves
- garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons
- dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon
- kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon
- red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 15-ounce containers
- fresh ricotta
- 2 cups
- grated mozzarella (8 ounces)
- 1/4 cup
- grated Parmesan
- 16
- lasagna noodles (about 3/4 of a 1-pound box)
- 5 ounces
- baby spinach (about 6 cups packed)
directions
In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, red pepper and black pepper (12 turns on pepper mill). In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella and the Parmesan.
In the bottom of a 5 to 6-quart slow cooker, spread a thin layer of the sauce. Top with 4 of the noodles (breaking to fit as necessary.) Spread 1 1/2 cups of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture. Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach and cheese mixture. Top with the remaining 4 noodles, sauce and 1 cup mozzarella.
Cook on low, covered, until the noodles are tender—especially in the center of the lasagna, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
helpful hints
- Be sure to cover the noodles completely with sauce so they don’t dry out
- Break the noodles to fit in the slow cooker as best you can; a little layering is okay
- Test the noodles for doneness by inserting a paring knife in the middle of the lasagna (if it goes in easily it’s done)
tools needed
5 to 6-quart slow cooker, 2 medium bowls, cutting board, chef’s knife, measuring spoons, measuring cups, 2 spoons
43 comments, add yours below
tonyzimney on March 9, 2011 at 8:28AM wrote:
This was soooooo good! My girlfriend made this for an Oscar party and it was awesome! We fed 7 people and still had plenty of leftovers :)
Amanda Barkey on March 9, 2011 at 5:52PM wrote:
Made this the other night and my husband loved it! Have never thought of doing this but it seems so obvious… Thanks so much for the great recipes and awesome videos! INSPIRING!
Jenn on March 9, 2011 at 6:45PM wrote:
Made this tonight for dinner and my kids (3 yrs. and 2 yrs.) practically licked their plates clean! We served it with a big salad and had a lovely dinner with super easy clean up! Thanks for the recipe :)
Lynelle on March 18, 2011 at 1:27AM wrote:
I was wondering if I could add ground beef to this recipe? Would I beef to cook the beef first before adding to the slow cooker?
Susan on March 20, 2011 at 3:52PM wrote:
Ground beef would be good, as would italian sausage. I think you should cook it first, but am curious to what others think.
Jessica on March 21, 2011 at 1:16PM wrote:
Yes, adding ground chuck would be delicious, too! Cook 1 pound ground chuck or sirloin in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the cooked meat into the sauce, leaving any fat behind in the skillet.
Juliana on March 24, 2011 at 12:04PM wrote:
Love , Love , Love this recipe.
Just one thing that I am not 100% clear.
What kind of noodles did you use? The one that would normaly be boiled or the no cook noodles?
melissa lee on March 26, 2011 at 4:45PM wrote:
WOW, SO EASY TO MAKE AND MY KIDS LOVE THIS ONE…..
XXOOO
MELISSA
Katie on March 28, 2011 at 3:12PM wrote:
ah-mazing. Made for the in-laws and has a beautiful presentation, stays together nicely (which is not always the case for slow cookers!) Added Ground Sirloin and a touch of wine to sauce. Will cook this method from now on..loved it
Heather on March 30, 2011 at 11:40AM wrote:
Is the spinach the fresh or frozen?
jessica on March 30, 2011 at 11:58AM wrote:
Heather, use fresh baby spinach for this recipe.
Heather on March 30, 2011 at 4:00PM wrote:
Thank you so much Jessica, I will be making this tomorrow. I have been trying to figure out how to sneak those veggies in with crock pot recipes. In Texas, it is hot so I use my crock pot most of the time from April till October. Look forward to making this.
Jeanne on March 30, 2011 at 7:39PM wrote:
Thank you for this fab recipe! I do it with gluten-free noodles and it comes out great! I pre-soak the noodles in hot water while I’m preparing the other ingredients. This has become a family favorite!
Darla Rogge on March 30, 2011 at 9:13PM wrote:
I saw you cook this lasagna on Oprah and have thought about trying to find the receipe.
Everyone on the show seemed to love it and I like the idea of not turning on the oven. Could I use cottage cheese (drained) in place of the Ricotta cheese? I use to be able to find “dry” cottage cheese but not available anymore.
THANKS!!!
jessica on March 31, 2011 at 9:08AM wrote:
Hi, Darla. I think the drained cottage cheese could work quite well. I haven’t tried it so let us know how it goes.
Kelsey on March 31, 2011 at 2:11PM wrote:
I made this and it turned out very liquidy and runny. it tasted good but wasn’t pretty on the plate and a little mushy. any suggestions. (I followed recipe exactly except I blended the tomatos because the family doesn’t like chunks, could that be why?)
jessica on April 1, 2011 at 10:47AM wrote:
Hi, Kelsey. I’m wondering if you used diced tomatoes (which have a lot of liquid and chunky tomatoes in them) instead of crushed tomatoes (which are usually thick and without chunks of tomatoes)?
Heather on April 1, 2011 at 11:06AM wrote:
Kelsy, what you can do next time is the last hour or 30 min of the lasagne cooking to place the lid at an angle to where it is not on completely. It lets the steam and liquid evaporate out. You can do this to any dish that shows a lot of liquid at the top that should not. For example, when I make my meatloaf in the crock pot, I use this technique. This way you can used the crushed tomatoes without any problem.
Donna on April 2, 2011 at 11:37PM wrote:
What brand of slow cooker did you use? I need to buy one. Thanks.
Heather on April 3, 2011 at 9:49AM wrote:
I have a Cook, Hamilton Beach, and Westbend brands.I have noticed my Hamilton Beach cooks a little faster then the others. Yes, I have three, I was not joking about using them in the summer with the Texas heat we have. Also, since I am a stay home, work from home and homeschool mom it is a big saver. Jessica, what brand do you use?
Donna on April 3, 2011 at 11:16AM wrote:
Jessica, would you please tell me what brand of slow cooker you use? I need to buy one.
Ann on April 5, 2011 at 8:27AM wrote:
This was sooooooooo good and my husband loved it as well and very easy. Yummy!
Annie on April 5, 2011 at 5:12PM wrote:
This recipe is so good thank you! I live on my own but I find it so important to eat good and healthy food and not to just pop frozen meals in the microwave. Your recipes inspire me to cook every night for myself because well I deserve it! This recipe and your halibut over spinach were especially good :)
Thank you for this website!
Annie
Lori on April 12, 2011 at 9:50PM wrote:
Hi, Jessica,
I came home with your second book tonight, and I am so excited to try out the recipes. I’m trying to lose weight, so I really appreciate the nutrition info you’ve provided with the recipes in the book. Is there a chance you can do the same with the recipes on this website?? Thank you!
Darla Rogge on April 13, 2011 at 1:14PM wrote:
I made this over the week-end,using the low fat cottage cheese which I put in a strainer, added about 1/4 cup Ricotta cheese along with Parm and Mazzarella….also did 2 lbs. of LEAN ground beef and I have to tell you, I won’t be making it the “old” way from here on….My family LOVED it, and I shared with our neighbors who also loved it.
THANKS!!!
mannie on April 17, 2011 at 5:24PM wrote:
Hi!
What if we don’t have a slow cooker? Would cooking on low in an 8 quart stock pot work just as well (it’s what I have on hand)? Thanks so much!!!
jessica on April 18, 2011 at 11:55AM wrote:
Donna and Heather, I use the original Crock Pot brand.
jessica on April 25, 2011 at 12:29PM wrote:
Hi, Mannie. This recipe was specifically designed for a slow cooker…a stock pot won’t yield the same results. Sorry!
Anita on April 26, 2011 at 3:49PM wrote:
I made this, but added ground beef and it was the best lasanga the family has had. Its so much easier then having to precook the pasta. This is so easy, I can make it more often too. I am on Weight Watchers and did the points and its points friendly too. Thanks for a great receipe.
Linda on May 3, 2011 at 5:04PM wrote:
I only have no-boil noodles in my pantry. Can I use these in this recipe or will they get too mushy?
Kim on May 6, 2011 at 6:50PM wrote:
WOW!!!!! My whole family loved this recipe. Thanks for the amazing recipes jessica. I have prepared most of your recipes and they are now included in our family favorites. We are looking forward to more. Thanks again.
Camille on May 14, 2011 at 7:33AM wrote:
Absolutely delicious! My husband and I both licked our plates clean. Really, we did. He’s a chef too. He doesn’t like a lot of things but he loved this. Thanks Heather for that tip about taking the top off in the last hour!
robyn on August 23, 2011 at 6:40PM wrote:
do you drain the tomatoes?
jessica on August 24, 2011 at 10:36AM wrote:
Hi, Robyn. Use crushed tomatoes for this recipe (you don’t have to drain them).
Caroline on August 29, 2011 at 11:32PM wrote:
I would love to make this recipe, the only problem is we, my family and I are not big fans of ricotta cheese. That has been the reason I’ve stayed away from making super easy lasagna. Do you have any suggestions for a replacement cheese. Thank you.
jessica on August 30, 2011 at 4:46PM wrote:
Hi, Caroline. You can always substitute a mixture of grated mozzarella and Parmesan for the ricotta or even drained cottage cheese. I hope this helps!
Kathryn on September 9, 2011 at 3:17PM wrote:
Jessica can you halve the recipe and use a smaller crock pot? I just bought a 2 quart crock pot specifically for this recipe. How would you adjust the cooking time or would it be the same? There are only two of us and I don’t want to have tons of leftovers.
Thank you.
Jennifer on September 11, 2011 at 1:16PM wrote:
Alrighty miss Jessica! I am headed off to the market to make your fabulous recipe for the first time!
jessica on September 12, 2011 at 2:51PM wrote:
Kathryn, what a good idea to use a small crockpot for two. It may even need only one-third the recipe. You’ll have to trust your instincts on this one. Check for doneness after 2 to 2 1/2 hours, but it may need 3. Let me know how it goes!
Linda on October 1, 2011 at 3:50PM wrote:
I found a crockpot Lasagna recipe almost identical to this one except it called for only 1 14.4 oz.can of crushed tomatoes would that work as well or is it a typo?
http://joyerickson.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/crock-pot-lasagna-recipe-from-jessica-seinfeld
Laura on October 14, 2011 at 5:47AM wrote:
what size crock pot are you using, jessica?
Sheleen on November 9, 2011 at 11:26AM wrote:
Hi Jessica! We just started using your first cookbook. I made this lasagna on Sunday, and my husband and I LOVED it; however, the kids freaked out when they noticed the spinach. Next on my list is to try more of the puree recipes! I know they’ll be fooled into eating their vegetables! Thanks for the easy-to-follow videos!
pat corbin on November 25, 2011 at 8:59PM wrote:
On Oprah’s site the tomatoes are only one (1) 14.4 oz can, and 3 cloves of garlic and only 12 noodles.
