Easy and Delicious Lasagna made in the slow cooker. A must-try recipe!
Believe it or not, lasagna is a dish that actually comes out better in the slow cooker. The noodles cook perfectly, not drying out, but melding with the gooey cheese and savory ingredients to form a lasagna with slices that actually hold together nicely. The sauce and all of the flavors have time to blend and the whole dish becomes extra tasty. This is a must-try recipe, for the ease of cooking and the dependable results. Who doesn’t love a lasagna?
Slow Cooker Cheesy Spinach Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 ounces baby spinach package or 6 cups packed baby spinach
- 48 ounces marinara sauce jars, no sugar added
- 1 cup ricotta cheese reduced-fat
- 1 cup cottage cheese low-fat
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese part-skim
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 12 whole-wheat lasagna noodles uncooked (break in half)
- basil fresh, for garnish
Instructions
- Add oil to a large skillet, add spinach and cook over low heat just until wilted, about 3-5 minutes.
- Combine in a medium bowl ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and oregano.
- Add 1 cup marinara to the bottom of the slow cooker. Next, add a layer of broken lasagna noodles, spread 1/4 of cheese mixture over noodles, next top with 1/4 of wilted spinach. Repeat the layers, including marinara, until all the ingredients are used up. I prefer to add cheese last.
- Cover and cook until noodles are al dente and cheese is bubbly. Cook on low-heat 4-5 hours or high heat 2-3 hours. Remove the lid and add parmesan to the top. Turn off the slow cooker and allow the casserole to sit for 15 minutes before cutting. Serve garnished with fresh basil and additional parmesan, if desired.
- Recommend a 6 quart slow cooker, or approximately that size.
Nutrition Information
Have you made this recipe?
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Hello, are the lasagna noodles the ones that are meant to be boiled, or "oven-ready"?
Kathleen, You can actually use either. The ones that are meant to be boiled soften up as well.
What do you do with the two jars of marinara sauce?
Lisa, To each layer you add at least a half cup to a cup of marinara sauce, and add remaining marinara sauce to the top of the lasagna to cover.
Will gluten free noodles work
Anne, Yes gluten-free noodles will work well.
We loved this recipe. My kids helped me make it and they loved it too. Will make again.
Mine tastes kind of plain is it supposed to be like that?
If you are new to clean eating, you may find that your taste buds need a little time to adjust to the missing processed sugars and other ingredients. If you still prefer to add a little zip to your recipes, feel free to up the spices. A little extra garlic can go a long way. 🙂
is this a clean eating recipe
Yes, all of our recipes are clean recipes.
Send daily or weekly Newsletter with recipes to my email
Thsnks
Brenda, Please go to the home page https://skinnyms.com and fill out the Newsletter sign-up in the right sidebar. 🙂
Is it necessary to wilt the spinach? Won’t it wilt as it cooks?
Great question, Sheila!
Yes, it is necessary to wilt the spinach. As spinach cooks it releases water, if it is not wilted before added to the slow cooker the lasagna will end up very soupy!
Tried the lasagna yesterday. It was great, and so easy! Everyone in the family loved it. Thanks!
Great! Thanks for sharing!
Do you mean 12 oz of lasagna noodles or 12 packets or lasagna?
Hi Ross – the recipe says “12 whole noodles”. So 12 individual noodles.
What other noodle can i use.
Jan, Feel free to use penne pasta.
How much penne would be used?
Sari, For one cup dry penne yield will be about 2 cups cooked. This should help calculating how much is needed for this recipe.
Hi, how long do you cook it in the slow cooker and low or high temp?
Pam, Cook on low-heat 4-5 hours or high heat 2-3 hours. Remove the lid and add parmesan to the top. Turn off the slow cooker and allow the casserole to sit for 15 minutes before cutting. Serve garnished with fresh basil and additional parmesan, if desired.
Do you have to use cottage cheese?
Hi Jennifer, great question! You do not need to use cottage cheese. Instead, increase the ricotta to 2 cups.
Can I use frozen spinach? I will be making my own sauce and adding green pepper,red pepper,onion and mushrooms. I also want to add meat I want to do a lean sausage and burger combination what do you think would work well?
Colette, I like your sausage burger combination idea. You can use frozen spinach, just be sure to sqeeze out as much liquid as possible. We love
fresh vs. frozen spinach, but that’s our preference. Keep us posted. 🙂
This sounds delicious but I am cooking for only two of us. Can I change the ingredients and use a smaller slower cooker or is it possible to make this on the stovetop?
Nancy, Definitely! Yes, you can make this on the stovetop or in the oven. 🙂
How long could I do this in the oven (love using the crockpot but it’s on the blink now!), so as an alternative, what temperature and time would I cook this in the oven? Thanks! Love all of your recipes, BTW! Especially meatless ones! Or seafood!
Jean, I highly recommend my Skinny Lasagna Rolls, baked in the oven. It’s easy to make and delicious.
In 2018, we’ll have plenty of meatless recipes, all delicious. So happy you’re enjoying our recipes. 🙂
Very easy to cook. My husband prefers the meat lasagne so I now have a meal I can eat on another day.
Would like to make this with zucchini as the noodles. Can I replace the noodles with the zucchini?
Rosa, Keep in mind the zucchini noodles only take a few minutes to cook. I would recommend making this recipe on top of the stove. 🙂
What percentage of low fat cottage cheese should be used ? One or two percent?
Cyrisse, It’s up to you, but we used 1%. 🙂
This is my favorite recipe! I’ve made it 3-4 times and my family LOVES it as well!
Veronica, YEAH! Thanks for the feedback. 🙂
This comment was made: “it is necessary to wilt the spinach. As spinach cooks it releases water, if it is not wilted before added to the slow cooker the lasagna will end up very soupy!”
What do you mean by “Wilted spinach” ? What do I need to do to wilt spinach. Sorry, just don’t understand. I’m not a very good cook. But I really would like this to turn out good.
Thanks
Pebble
The first step in the instructions indicates how to wilt (or cook) the spinach.
Easy to make and tastes great, having nafld, I found that this fits nicely into my diet. Thank you
Hi again! Just wondering about freezing leftovers and how long might it last in the fridge ?
Sari, Yes, you can freeze leftovers in freezer safe containers. Be sure to defrost in the fridge then reheat in the oven or microwave. If you don’t freeze the lasagna but refrigerate the leftovers, they will last a few days.