Description
Hearty Crockpot Lasagna brings layers of rich, cheesy goodness straight from Italian kitchens to your dinner table. Savory ground beef, melted mozzarella, and perfectly cooked pasta sheets create a comforting meal you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Protein:
- 1 pound (454 grams) ground beef
- 15 ounces (425 grams) ricotta cheese
Produce and Herbs:
- 1 sweet onion, minced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
Sauce and Seasonings:
- 24 ounces (680 grams) marinara sauce
- 6 ounces (170 grams) tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cheese:
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan
Pasta:
- 12 ounces (340 grams) lasagna noodles
Instructions
- Heat a skillet and thoroughly brown ground beef with diced onions, releasing rich savory flavors. Incorporate minced garlic, creating an aromatic base for the robust marinara sauce.
- Stir in tomato paste and Italian seasoning to the meat mixture, allowing flavors to meld and intensify during a gentle 10-minute simmer.
- Prepare the creamy cheese blend by combining ricotta with remaining garlic, shredded mozzarella, grated Parmesan, chopped parsley, and a touch of salt until uniformly mixed.
- Create the foundation of the lasagna by spreading a thin layer of meat sauce across the bottom of the crockpot, ensuring complete coverage.
- Arrange uncooked lasagna noodles strategically, breaking and fitting pieces to create an even layer that covers the sauce completely.
- Generously distribute the prepared cheese mixture over the noodle layer, ensuring even coverage and rich, creamy texture.
- Repeat the layering process: meat sauce, noodles, cheese mixture, continuing until ingredients are nearly exhausted, with the final layer being meat sauce.
- Crown the lasagna with a generous sprinkle of remaining mozzarella cheese, creating a golden, melty topping.
- Secure the crockpot lid and slow cook on low temperature for 4-6 hours, allowing noodles to become tender and flavors to harmonize.
- Once cooking is complete, allow the lasagna to rest for 10 minutes, enabling the layers to set and making serving easier.
Notes
- Prevent Watery Lasagna by letting the meat sauce simmer and reduce before layering, ensuring a thick, rich texture that holds together perfectly.
- Make Ahead Magic by preparing the meat sauce and cheese mixture a day in advance, allowing flavors to intensify and saving precious cooking time.
- Gluten-Free Adaptation works beautifully with special gluten-free lasagna noodles or replacing noodles with thin zucchini slices for a low-carb twist.
- Cheese Lover’s Hack involves adding an extra blend of cheeses like provolone or fontina for deeper, more complex flavor profiles that elevate the traditional recipe.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg