Lasagna is one of the most comforting foods out there, and always a fan favorite! I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t love lasagna, and if I ever do, I’m going to seriously question their taste! 😉 The only thing I don’t love about lasagna is how much time and effort it takes to prepare. Well let me tell, you, this crockpot lasagna is way easier and super delicious! I made this for a family birthday gathering with 5 adults and 2 kids, and everyone raved about it! The bonus is we had lots of yummy leftovers, even though almost everyone had seconds. Scroll down for this recipe and the steps to make it yourself! Let me know what you think in the comments, and be sure to share with anyone you think would enjoy this – sharing is caring! 😉 Enjoy! xo
Instructions
- 2 24 oz jars of pasta sauce (low in sodium with a good amount of Italian spices)
- 9-10 lasagna noodles with wavy edges (raw/uncooked)
- 2 16oz containers of part-skim ricotta cheese OR cottage cheese (I used one of each for fun)
- 4 cups chopped vegetables of choice (I used pre-chopped/washed baby spinach)
- Pesto (ready made works great)
- Meatless crumbles or veggie sausage. This one is my favorite – just sauté before adding that layer. (optional but adds lots of flavor and heartiness)
- 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
- Shredded parmesan cheese for the top
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Spray the crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. I used olive oil spray and it worked well.
- Spread about 1/2 cup tomato sauce to the bottom so the noodles don’t stick.
- Break noodles so that they fit and mostly cover the bottom. Please note that these do not need to be “no boil” noodles. Regular lasagna noodles will work perfectly and they will cook without any issue. The noodles will not fit perfectly, which is totally fine! Cover them with about 1/3 of the ricotta/cottage cheese, spinach, pesto, meatless crumbles (if you choose to use them), pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, and lastly more noodles. Please note that if you use meatless crumbles, you’ll want to sauté them first. It is an extra step, so skip meatless crumbles to make it even easier. It’ll still be delicious once done.
- You will repeat layers 2-3 more times for a depending on how many layers you want (and how much of each ingredient you have). You’ll want to end with a layer of noodles, top it off with a thin layer of pasta sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Put on the cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5 hours. Turn the crockpot off (unplug it), leave the lid on to preserve the heat, and let it set for at least 1 hour. I let it sit in the crockpot for 2 to fully set, and it was still hot when we served it, but it held together beautifully. I added parmesan and fresh chopped parsley at the end, before serving. It looked beautiful and tasted even better!
- If you serve it without letting it set, it’ll still be delicious, but it will fall apart. Not an issue if you have a hungry crew who wants to eat this delicious meal and doesn’t care if it’s pretty! 😉 Scroll down for photos of my process.
- It keeps really well in a tupperware in the fridge. We reheated it in the microwave and had hearty, delicious, easy leftovers. I even packed it as a hot school lunch for my kids in a thermus. Definitely added this to the our weeknight dinner rotation. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Let me know how it goes in the comments! I’m excited to hear what veggies you use and love best! 🙂
Some of my favorite kitchen gadgets are below if you would like to snag your own! Happy cooking!
