Warm up on a cold day (or avoid the stove on a hot one) with my delicious and easy Vegetable Crock Pot Lasagna!
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I love easy meals that don't take a lot of standing over the stove ... especially now that the weather is warming up!
Lasagna is definitely a favorite around here. It can be time consuming to make, but a couple years ago, I realized that it could be made in a slow cooker. Whoever discovered that is a genius!
These days, it's rare that I make lasagna the traditional way, and this easy Vegetable Crock Pot Lasagna is my new fave. It's filled with healthy veggies and tastes delicious. Best of all, I can turn on my slow cooker, go about my day, and come home to a wonderful meal!
Easy Vegetable Crock Pot Lasagna
This easy Vegetable Crock Pot Lasagna couldn't be easier to make!
Want to know my trick for an easy, yet delicious sauce? It's a doctored up jar of my favorite tomato basil pasta sauce!
This quick and easy sauce makes this slow cooker lasagna come together fast.
How to Make Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna
This Vegetable Lasagna starts with the sauce. You'll saute a mixture of sauteed onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms until tender, then stir in your favorite pasta sauce. Finish the sauce by stirring in fresh basil and spinach.
To assemble this easy Vegetable Crock Pot Lasagna, just layer this tasty sauce with no-boil lasagna noodles and a creamy ricotta mixture, then cook for 3.5 to 4 hours ... so simple!
I like to make this lasagna on the weekend, run some errands, and then return to a great meal. Just add salad and wine to this easy Vegetable Crock Pot Lasagna, and dinner is done!
This slow cooker lasagna is a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies. If they're really picky eaters, just chop the vegetables instead of slicing them. They'll never know they're there!
If you are super busy, you can leave out the veggies all together. Just stir the water into the sauce, and start layering your lasagna. Either way, it's delicious!
Easy Vegetable Crock Pot Lasagna
Ingredients
For Sauce:
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 1 large bell pepper, thinly sliced (red, yellow, or orange)
- 8 ounces white mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 (24-ounce) jar tomato basil pasta sauce
- ½ cup water
- 2 cups light packed spinach
- 5 large basil leaves, thinly sliced
For Ricotta Filling:
- 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese
For Assembly:
- 9 no cook lasagna noodles (I use Barilla Noodles.)
- ½ cup mozzarella
Instructions
Prepare Sauce:
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
- Add onions and bell peppers to pan and cook until they start to brown.
- Stir mushrooms into pan. Cook until they release their liquid and begin to brown. Then, reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until mushrooms are browned.
- Add garlic and salt to pan; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Stir pasta sauce and water into vegetables. Reduce heat to a low simmer, then cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir spinach into sauce until just wilted, then mix in basil. Remove from heat and season with salt to taste, if desired. Set aside.
Prepare Ricotta Filling:
- Combine ricotta, egg, garlic, 1 tsp. salt and 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese in a medium bowl. Stir until well combined. Set aside.
Assemble Lasagna:
- Cover bottom of crock pot with 1 cup of sauce. Top sauce with 3 noodles, breaking to fit, if necessary. Spread ⅓ of the ricotta filling over the noodles.
- Top ricotta with ⅓ of the remaining sauce, then 3 noodles, and and ⅓ of the ricotta.
- Repeat layers one more time, ending with a layer of sauce.
- Turn on your crockpot to medium (see note about slow cooker temps below), cover, and cook for 3 ½ to 4 hours, or until noodles are tender.
- Turn off heat, then top lasagna with remaining ½ cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Cover crock pot and let sit for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Serve lasagna hot, sprinkled with fresh basil, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
What is your favorite slow cooker meal?
I know I'm almost a year late to this party, butttt..... I found your recipe on Pinterest and I'm interested in trying it. I have a question. Do you think if I use a can of no salt crushed tomatoes (Tuttorosso) which all the veggies that it will have enough flavor? I usually use regular Tuttorosso crushed tomatoes (which has very little chunks, mostly tomato sauce-y goodness) with garlic, onion and herbs. But we have to go low sodium because of high blood pressure, so I was thinking I could sub in the no-salt tomatoes and omit the salt in… Read more »
Hi, Samantha! I'm so excited you want to make this! Give it a try. I think the tomatoes will work, especially if you are used to a low sodium diet. You could also add extra pepper and herbs for more flavor, and maybe even some lemon zest to the ricotta mixture. Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
YUM!! This lasagna is just my style...LOVE all those veggies and that I can make it in the crockpot! 🙂 Pinned!
So glad you like it, Anna! Let me know what you think if you try the recipe! 🙂
wonderful blog! Keep up the great work!!
Thank you so much, Magny! You are so sweet! 🙂