This recipe for Ravioli Lasagna lets you come home to everyone’s favorite set-it-and-forget-it meal.
Slow-cooker lasagna has all the rich and meaty, cheesy goodness of regular lasagna but uses ravioli in place of pasta and ricotta cheese—no boiling required!
Ravioli Lasagna is a Must-Make Because…
- It’s so delicious that it’s featured in my cookbook (you can order a copy here)!
- This recipe can be quickly prepped before an outing and it’s ready to enjoy when you come home.
- It’s super convenient! There is no need to pre-cook lasagna noodles, and no layering is required.
- It uses fewer ingredients but the flavor you love from a traditional lasagna cheesy, meaty lasagna recipe.
What You Need For Ravioli Lasagna
Meat: I use ground beef to create a meaty sauce for this ravioli lasagna recipe. Ground turkey or ground sausage are also great.
Ravioli: I use cheese ravioli or spinach and cheese ravioli in this recipe to replace the ricotta cheese layer and traditional pasta. There’s no need to thaw or cook the pasta in advance.
Pasta Sauce: Use a jar of spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce (I love this brand). You can also make homemade marinara sauce.
Cheese: Loads of melty mozzarella add a creamy texture, and parmesan cheese adds flavor. Preshredded cheese works just fine in this recipe!
Variations
- Use half beef and half Italian sausage for even more flavor.
- Add vegetables like bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, or zucchini to the meat sauce. Ensure they cook in the skillet so the sauce isn’t watery.
- Tortellini can be substituted for the ravioli.
- Garnish herbs like fresh basil or parsley.
How to Make Slow Cooker Lasagna
- Brown beef, add the sauce and simmer a few minutes to thicken.
- Add the meat/sauce mixture, ravioli, and cheese to a crock pot (recipe below).
- Top with cheese. Rest uncovered before serving.
Serve with garlic toast and a fresh green salad.
Storing and Reheating
- This easy crockpot lasagna recipe can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Top portions with extra mozzarella and parmesan before reheating.
- Freeze leftovers in freezer-safe containers for up to one month. Reheat in the microwave or stovetop until heated through.
- Or reheat and serve crowd-pleasing ravioli lasagna straight from the crock pot. Serve with a basket of garlic bread for soaking up all that savory sauce.
More Quick Prep Crock Pot Recipes
Did your family love this Crock Pot Lasagna? Leave us a rating and a comment below.
Ravioli Lasagna
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef or Italian sausage
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 24 ounces marinara sauce or pasta sauce
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes drained
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 25 ounces frozen cheese ravioli do not thaw
- 2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the beef, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Drain fat.
- Add marinara sauce, drained tomatoes, and Italian seasoning. Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until slightly thickened. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
- Spray the inside of a 6 qt crock pot with cooking spray.
- Add 1 cup of the meat sauce to the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with half of the frozen ravioli, 2 cups of sauce, and 1 ¼ cups of mozzarella cheese. Add the remaining ravioli, the remaining sauce, and the remaining mozzarella cheese. Top with parmesan cheese.
- To absorb excess moisture, Place a double layer of paper towel over the top of the slow cooker, ensuring it doesn't touch the cheese.
- Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.
- Once cooked, turn the slow cooker off, remove the lid, and rest for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Dinner, Main Course, Pasta, Slow Cooker
Cuisine American, Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
One my family favorite . I use 48oz sauce cause I like it extra saucy ! Great for a easy dinner
One my family favorite . I use 48oz sauce cause I like it extra saucy
Can this be cooked on high in slow cooker? Thanks
I haven’t tried it but can’t see why not. You’ll need to decrease the cooking time (I’d check it at about 2hrs or shortly before). Let us know how it goes!
YUMMY!!!!
A PRRFECT EZ DISH TO MAKE FOR YOUR FAMILY / FRIENDS…..
PERFECT FOR KOOL FALL WEATHER!!!!
just checking if the ravioli should be frozen or thawed
In the recipe and in one reply it says to use frozen but in another reply it says to defrost first
Which do you think works best?
Thank you
The recipe has been tested with both thawed and frozen ravioli. I find that frozen is best, if using thawed, the cooking time will need to be reduced.
I want to try this recipe. Is the ravioli in frozen state or defrosted? Thank you! I cannot wait to try it.
The ravioli is not thawed before adding to the slow cooker.
I fixed your lazy crockpot lasagna it was awesome thank you
Can you freeze the leftovers?
I haven’t personally tried but it should work well.
I’ve made this a few times and always goes over so big! Its not worth making lasagna anymore and definitely an easy crowd pleaser!
you are such a wizard with these amazing and delicious tricks. Thank you!
Holly,
This is great recipe and really versatile. I made this for dinner yesterday. Both hubby and I loved it so much that I sent the recipe link to three family members! It is great that it cooks in the crockpot, so didn’t have to put the oven on and heat up the house in July.
Thank you the great recipes you post! I love your website and have made many of your recipes. Without fail, the recipes are always delicious and uncomplicated. Keep them coming!
I’m so glad you and your family have loved the recipes Denise! :)
I’m wondering if I subbed a breakfast sausage (like Jimmy Dean’s Italian sausage) instead of ground beef would work…we eat beef but have a friend who doesn’t & I would like to invite them over for this…..it looks & sounds delicious…I read through some of the comments saying how good it is…
That would absolutely work! Another option would be Italian sausage.
Is there anything else to use as pasta? In Canada, we don’t have anything like that.
You can use any kind of ravioli or even tortellini. You can find these in the refrigerator section near the meats at almost any grocery store (I also live in Canada). You can either freeze the ravioli or reduce the cooking time if using thawed ravioli.
Can this be put in a casserole dish and baked?
I think that would turn out delicious, Shannon! I’ve added baking instructions to the notes of the recipe. Let us know how it turns out.
Can this recipe be made in the instantpot? If so do you know how to convert the time?
Hi Nancy, we have never made this recipe in the instant pot so I am not sure of the proper cooking times but we would love to hear how you adjust it for the Instant Pot. We do have this Instant Pot Lasagna recipe that may work well for you!
can i skip the meat in the sauce and just use meat filled ravioli and add more cheese in the layers?
Sure, that sounds delicious, Kandra. As long as you have enough sauce to complete the layers you should be good to go!
If I cook the meat and onions along with adding the seasoning. Could I add everything to crock pot as directed but wait until the next day to cook for the 3-4 hours?
Hi Emily, you can prepare the meat sauce up to 3 days ahead of time and put it together just before cooking. If you prepare the whole recipe before cooking and the ravioli is thawed, you may need to reduce the cooking time slightly.
If I wanted to double this recipe for a group of 12 women, would I need to cook it longer? Also, if I wanted to add Ricotta, how much do you think I should add and should I decrease the mozzarella if I add Ricotta?
Thanks,
Gwen
Hi Gwen, it should be fine to double this recipe and cook on low for the same length of time. If adding ricotta you could reduce the mozzarella in accordance.