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!
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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.
- Don’t have the time? Try this oven-baked Ravioli Lasagna recipe instead.
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.
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
Pasta Sauce: It’s okay if your jar of pasta sauce is a little bit larger, the lasagna will just be slightly more saucy.
Ravioli: Cheese and spinach ravioli are also great in this recipe. Optionally, you can add 5 oz of fresh chopped baby spinach to the layers.
Paper towel: Adding paper towel to the top of the slow cooker is optional; however it absorbs moisture, creating more crispy browned bits on the edges.
Check it early: Slow cookers can vary, check the lasagna early to ensure it doesn’t overcook. If it is done early, remove the lid and let it rest—it will hold the heat for a very long time.
To bake ravioli lasagna: Add 1 cup of sauce to a greased 9×13 baking dish. Top with half of the ravioli, half of the sauce, and half of the cheese. Repeat the layers and cover with aluminum foil. Preheat the oven and bake at 375°F covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 527 | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 1331mg | Potassium: 604mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 696IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 276mg | Iron: 12mg
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.
What about cooking it in the oven? What temp and how long do you think??
I would bake it covered with foil about 1 hour at 375-400 degrees.
Thank you so, so, so much for this recipe!!! My son is constantly asking me to make lasagna for dinner, but I never seem to have time! This recipe saves so much time, and all the kids approved its just as good if not better than our regular lasagna recipe! Again, THANK YOU!!!
I’m so glad your family loved it!
I couldn’t find cheese and spinach ravioli…would it be ok if I just added fresh spinach to the ravioli layer or would the spinach get weird? Can’t wait to try this!
The spinach would likely cook down just fine! Any ravioli is great in this recipe. :)
OMG made it for supper SO GOOD I used frozen ravioli couldn’t find cheese and spinach used 5cheese my son and enjoyed it very much ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m so glad you loved it Debbie!
I work full time and leave pretty early in the the AM, do you think I cook this on low for 7-8 hours? Do you think it would over cook and come out dry?
I would be concerned it may dry out. If you do try it, please let us know how it goes. (Another option would be to cook it on the weekend as it reheats perfectly throughout the week).
Yummy and easy
Was delicious and super easy!
So glad that you liked it! :)
I have made this recipe you only thing I changed was I used mild Italian sausage instead of the ground beef. This was so easy to make and it was so good. I’m having some friends over for the weekend and I am making this for our get together.
So good, I make this all the time.
This is the first time I have been here Wanted to check out the recipe I am elderly and live alone and need easy recipe’s to cook.
For the crock pot lasagna, did you use frozen ravioli or fresh? And if frozen, did you let them thaw first? Thanks for the recipe! Once I hear back I am totally making this!!!
This recipe has been updated to use frozen ravioli. If using thawed, you may need to reduce the cooking time.
I’ve made this several times and it is a winner! Easy, delicious and my kids beg me to make it often. It’s a win-win, thanks!!
We’re happy to hear it! :)
I forgot to spray the crockpot before putting it all in. Should I try and remove everything to spray or do you think it will be okay?
What is the first layer.? Do you put sauce in than ravioli and than cheese?
Yes, the first layer is sauce, then ravioli and then cheese.
I made another recipe with frozen tots and it cracked my crock! Now I thaw everything before I start. I’m going to try another short cut – I have leftover meatballs in the freezer. I’ll let you know.
This was a fabulous idea! I am always looking for ways to keep the family excited about new things. I had tortellini on hand, so I used that instead. Came out great! Definitely felt like mine got a bit dry, but my crockpot cooks way hot, even on low, so I’m not holding that against you. Great recipe!
Has anyone cooked this in the oven instead of the crock pot?
I was wondering the same thing.
We made this for our Monday night meal and it is a hit! We added a little more sauce because everyone likes to dip their garlic bread in it. :) My son said it’s better than Stouffers.
Glad to hear that your family loved it, Tanya!
I am currently making this now. A little nervous but I hope it turns out good. Did anyone’s esle crock pot make funny sounds? Maybe its the steam or something but i keep hearing a odd sound. Anyways it smells good.
Would it be ok to add ricotta or cottage cheese to,this? I’ve never used either of those in a crockpot recipe before.
I think that sounds like a delicious idea!
Oh my goodness! This is amazing. The only thing different in mine is that I add Italian sausage to the ground beef. My family went gaga over this. Thank you for this simple recipe.