If you love lasagna, then you will LOVE my delicious slow cooker lasagna pasta. It comes together in no time and is perfect on those nights when you need a fast dinner idea.
I discovered a delicious way to make lasagna the other night, simply because I was doing my "clean out the pantry" meal plan and meal prep.
We were in the process of trying to use up all the food in our fridge since we were heading out on a trip.
I refused to go to the grocery store that week, and so I was looking for some things to throw together to make dinner.
I started pulling things out of the fridge and pantry and realized that I had all the fixings to make lasagna. However, I was missing one thing. The most important ingredient is the lasagna noodles used in traditional lasagna.
I started rummaging a little further into the pantry and discovered I had a box of penne pasta, and that's when it hit me. I can cook this in the slow cooker and make a lasagna pasta without regular lasagna noodles.
And that is how I discovered this delicious and super easy Slow Cooker Lasagna Pasta. Oh, and for an easy clean-up in your slow cooker, use these crockpot liners. They are a LIFESAVER when it comes to clean up.
How to Make Slow Cooker Lasagna Pasta Recipe
The only cooking process you have to do for the slow cooker lasagna pasta is to brown your ground beef. After that, the rest is totally up to your slow cooker!
Start by browning your ground beef in a large skillet on medium heat. You can add a little olive oil to the pan if you need to. If you prefer, you can use Italian sausage instead of ground beef.
Once you get your ground beef all browned, add in your spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce and then set it aside. If you only have tomato paste, you can use that along with the tomato sauce to make your own pasta sauce.
In another dish, you are going to mix your cottage cheese (or ricotta cheese), mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan Cheese. Normally, if you are making regular lasagna, you would add an egg in here-- but for this recipe, you won't need that at all.
Now, you are ready to assemble your lasagna in the slow cooker.
Meat Sauce First!
You are going to layer this just like you would if you were making lasagna with those flat noodles. Start with a layer of marinara sauce and meat on the very bottom -- about ¼ cup.
Now, top that with a layer of your cottage cheese mixture. You can add some Italian seasoning in between the layers if you want.
Then, top with a few of the penne noodles. These noodles are straight out of the box. No need to cook them because the spaghetti sauce from this recipe will cook the noodles.
Now repeat the process. You are going to end with pasta sauce on top.
Put the lid on your slow cooker and let it cook for a couple of hours. For me, I love a dump-and-go slow cooker meal because it helps when I am in a time crunch and need to be busy doing something else -- but my dinner still gets done.
This also keeps my family from having to run to get something to eat.
Right before the pasta is done -- about 30 minutes, add the remainder of the shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the noodles. Place the lid back on and let the cheese melt.
Once the cheese is melted, serve this slow cooker lasagna recipe with a sprinkling of fresh basil, my Olive Garden Salad, and homemade garlic bread. The whole family will love this meal.
It's the perfect meal to serve with a side salad when you need something quick and easy! Store it in an airtight container. Then, serve it the next day as a leftover and trust me when I tell you -- it's even better!
If you love lasagna, be sure to check out this Instant Pot Lasagna Soup recipe.
Love Great Recipes? Check Out This List!
Here are a few more quick pasta recipes that are my favorites.
Slow Cooker Lasagna Pasta
This easy dinner recipe will have you excited for making lasagna in your crockpot.
Ingredients
- 16 ounce box of Penne Pasta, uncooked
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 24 ounce jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
- 16 ounce tub of small curd cottage cheese
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan Cheese (optional)
- 1 8 ounce bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a skillet on medium high, brown your ground beef. Drain the grease off.
- Add in your pasta sauce to the ground beef and set aside.
- In another bowl, combine your tub of cottage cheese, ½ the bag of mozzarella and the Parmesan Cheese. Set aside.
- Line your slow cooker with a liner bag (this makes for super easy cleanup) and begin the layers.
- Layer in ½ of the meat sauce. Spread the sauce. Top with ½ of the cottage cheese mixture and spread it evenly. Pour in ½ the box of Penne noodles and spread them out over the top of the cottage cheese.
- Add in the remainder of the cottage cheese. Top with the remaining noodles. End with the remainder of the pasta sauce.
- Place lid on the slow cooker and set the timer on high for 2 hours.
- About 30 minutes before it is done, remove the lid and top with the remaining Mozzarella cheese. Replace the lid and give the cheese 30 minutes to melt.
- Remove lid and serve pasta with garlic bread and salad for the perfect easy meal.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 301Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 453mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 26g
I never would have thought to make lasagna in a slow cooker! That's so cool- I didn't even think that would work!
That looks delicious! I love just about anything that can be made in the slow cooker.
I love this recipe!! Totally going to try this one!!
I make a similar dish that is always gobbled right up. I've never tried making it with cottage cheese, I'll have to remember to try it.
This is so easy to make. I love lasagna. I have to start using my slow cooker more.
Slow Cooker is the best device I have in the kitchen! I love trying new recipes!
I prefer this over regular lasagna. I think it is the cheese to sauce ratio that does it for me.
This sounds delicious and looks so easy to make! My Italian family loves all things pasta and this would be a great addition to our busy week.
Wow, this recipe looks so amazing and so delicious!
I find it interesting when people try to create new ways to cook food. I honestly got into slow cooking lasagna quickly. One of my most favorite dish.
Looks DELICIOUS! Can I use ricotta instead of cottage cheese?
Yes -- you can totally use ricotta instead of cottage cheese 🙂
Is a serving size 1 cup?
Yes. We usually do about 1 cup per person in our home.
Had to wing this recipe because there isn't measurements of what is needed. Putting a "box" of pasta, a "tub" of cottage cheese and a "jar" of sauce isn't real helpful.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I have updated the recipe to include measurements.
Do you cook the pasta or put it in the crockpot dry?
You put it into the slow cooker uncooked.
@Jennifer Sikora, I have 30 minutes left to go until it is done.. I hope the pasta on the top finishes cooking as it was a little hard when I put the cheese on top.
I hope it turned out ok.
Is the pasta cooked or uncooked prior to adding to the crockpot?
They are uncooked.
So I am trying this now. It's assembled it's in the slow cooker and I will let you know how it turns out.
Can't wait to hear what you think
Pasta, sauce and cheese is always a winner and this one layered and made in slow cooker is definitely a winner! Yummy!
This looks so flavorful! Love that it's all done in the slow cooker, perfect weeknight meal!!
Lasagna is always a family hit and this slow cooker version looks so easy and tasty!
I do not use my slow cooker enough and I know this would be a big hit here!
Hello. I love this recipe!! I am going to try it tonight but I don't have a slow cooker. Can I make this in the oven and if so would the noodles be cooked or uncooked?
I think you can do this in the oven. You can leave the noodles uncooked. I would make sure to add 1/2 jar of water to the spaghetti sauce for extra moisture so that the noodles cook properly.
Has anyone cooked this ahead and reheated next day? How well did it reheat?
I have done that and it is fine. It actually tastes better the next day. Most pasta dishes do.
Curious about the uncoooked noodles being added without adding any additional liquid (like water) to the slow cooker. Are the noodles cooked enough (tender rather than chewy)?
Yes. Cooking in a slow cooker is different than an oven. It creates a lot of liquid that the noodles soak up making them soft and delicious.
The pasta was not cooked...
The second time I tried it, I cooked the pasta half way,
and it was good!
Glad you found a way to make it work
It turned out quite a bit dry and the pasta was gummy. Maybe it sat on warm too long. Next time I think I'll boil the pasta and then mix together and serve. Would have tasted much better - disappointing!
Sorry you feel that way but if you left it on warm, maybe that was the problem on your end. If it seems a bit dry you can always add more sauce if you feel it needs it. Ours was perfect.