Slow Cooker Lasagna Recipe With Ravioli
87 Comments Mar 04, 2022
Updated Oct 14, 2025
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Using ravioli to make lasagna is the easiest meal ever, as the ravioli acts as the noodle and the ricotta layers! This slow cooker ravioli lasagna is my family’s favorite meal.
Featured Comment
My family LOVES this dish and what’s even better is the ease!!
– Michelle
I’ve tried using raw noodles (dried) in the slow cooker, and they always turn out chalky. There is something magical about how they make frozen ravioli noodles. Since frozen ravioli isn’t dried dough and instead has fresh dough, it cooks up perfectly in the slow cooker. No need to use uncooked lasagna noodles for this recipe.
You will love my version of lazy lasagna, and in fact, I know you’ll put this on your dinner menu often. This is a very comforting casserole! There is no need to add ricotta or cottage cheese to this dish; the ravioli has it covered in its cheese mixture filling.
Key Ingredients
Frozen Ravioli – Frozen ravioli for crockpot lasagna works best. I use the store brand, 5-cheese variety. If desired, you can use any flavor, such as spinach or portabella mushroom ravioli.
Marinara Sauce – I love Rao’s marinara for this recipe. It takes the recipe to the next level with authentic tasting sauce. It’s more expensive, though I can find it at Walmart for half the price of other stores.
Ground beef – Use whatever kind of ground beef your family uses; this recipe is very forgiving!
Seasonings – Raw onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano are added while cooking the ground beef.
Cheese – I use whole milk mozzarella cheese to top the ravioli casserole. You can add a sprinkle of parmesan if desired as well.
How to make ravioli lasagna:
Step One – First, you will need to brown a pound of ground beef in a skillet, adding freshly chopped onion, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper.
Step Two – Don’t drain off all the liquid. Leave about 2-3 tablespoons of liquid in the meat mixture; this will help keep the ravioli casserole moist.
Step Three – Add half of the jar of marinara to the bottom of your slow cooker.
Step Four – Top with half of the bag of frozen ravioli, spread them out into a single layer if possible, some overlapping is fine.
Step Five – Add the ground beef mixture.
Step Six – The remainder of the bag of frozen ravioli.
Step Seven – Pour over the remainder of the jar of marinara.
Step Eight – Sprinkle over the mozzarella cheese. Once you get the layering down the first time, you won’t even need to look at this recipe! It’s effortless!
What to serve with this recipe
Choose one or more of these ideas for a complete meal for your crockpot lasagna.
- Caesar salad – We love a homemade caesar salad with lasagna, or if I’ve had a long day, a caesar salad kit is lovely.
- Green Salad – A fresh green salad with tomato, red onion, and a creamy dressing like ranch or blue cheese.
- Garlic bread – Buy store-made garlic bread for an easy side dish! Start baking your garlic bread about 15-20 minutes before serving.
- French Bread – The easiest side ever is a store-bought loaf of French bread, served with butter. If you have a bread maker, you can start the bread maker about the same time as this recipe.
Variations
- Alfredo lasagna – Use 24 ounces of jarred alfredo instead of spaghetti sauce for alfredo lasagna.
- Taco lasagna – Use 24 ounces of salsa instead of tomato sauce. Add taco seasoning to your meat and top with cheddar instead of mozzarella for an easy taco-inspired dish.
- Veggie-packed lasagna – Add layers of fresh spinach to this dish instead of meat sauce for vegetable lasagna. To make vegetarian: use soy crumbles instead of ground beef if desired in this slow cooker lasagna. Or you can omit the ground beef entirely. Alternatively, you can add thinly sliced zucchini to the middle layer for a meaty texture.
- Different meats:
- Ground sausage – Italian sausage or breakfast sausage such as Jimmy Dean.
- Frozen meatballs – You can use a small bag of meatballs. These bags are usually about 20 ounces, and this will stretch your recipe to feed more
Recipe FAQs
Do not thaw the ravioli. This recipe has been tested over and over with frozen ravioli and will work perfectly.
I recommend using frozen for this recipe if at all possible. If you can not find frozen, you can use the refrigerated style. You can cut down on the cooking time by an hour.
Slow Cooker Ravioli Lasagna Recipe
How to Video
Ingredients
- 25 oz. frozen ravioli – DO NOT THAW, (I use 5 cheese)
- 1 lb. ground beef, (can use mild sausage)
- 1 cup white onion, diced
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. dried leaf oregano, (not ground)
- 24 oz. marinara sauce, (I use Rao's)
- 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese, (2 cups)
Instructions
- In a medium-sized non-stick skillet set to medium-high heat, add the ground beef and diced onion. Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Cook until the meat is browned. Don't drain all the liquid off the meat; keep a few tablespoons in the meat to keep it moist.
- Spray the slow cooker with non-stick spray.
- Add half of the marinara sauce to the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add HALF of the bag of ravioli on top of that sauce.
- Add all of the ground beef mixture over the ravioli.
- Add the remaining ravioli over the meat.
- Pour over the remaining sauce.
- Sprinkle over the mozzarella cheese.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 4 hours.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
More slow cooker pasta recipes
Try Slow Cooker Lasagna for a tried-and-true classic, and Slow Cooker Millionaire Spaghetti when you want a rich, crowd-pleasing bake.
Cozy up with Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup—so easy to put together—and the creamy White Lasagna Soup for a fun twist.
For date-night vibes, Short Rib Ragu tastes like a fancy restaurant, while Pizza Meatballs (homemade meatballs!) pair perfectly with pasta.
Can I cook this in my crock pot on high??
I have not tested on high, it may burn on the edges before the center is hot.
I made this recipe! I made three layers in this sequence: pasta sauce, ravioli, meat, pasta sauce, cheese (mozzarella & three cheese blend), repeat. It is absolutely delicious!
I have made this for years but baked it in the oven – never thought to make it in the slow cooker. This turned out fantastic and of course was totally hands off – especially since with my slow cooker I was able to brown the hamburger and the onions right in it . I usually Prego marinara sauce – and have always added the cheese on top the last 30 minutes so it doesn’t burn. Thanks for posting this recipe.
I wonder if this would work with cheese filled tortellini instead of the ravioli? I have a bag in my freezer now. lol
I have tested with this, it does fall apart a little more, and you can cook for a little less time.
Sarah, just have to say I am so glad to find your website. I do more crockpot cooking in the summer, keeping the oven off. You have made some of my favorite recipes in a crockpot. I think you are a genius innovative chef. Loved the Chili Rellenos, Quiche , pumpkin pie and now lasagna, using Ravioli, brilliant! Love the instructions, pictures, notes, everything except the commercials that slow down my computer. Ha. Keep up the good work, I’ll keep trying more of your recipies.
Thank you Sue! That is so sweet. I love making these recipes and hope to do so for many more years.
Made this about two weeks ago and it was great. My 91- year old father, who doesn’t like much of anything, scarfed it and ate refrigerated leftovers twice more.
If you make it, use two jars of sauce, and you’ll need another one for the leftovers as it absorbs all the sauce. So get three jars of 24 oz sauce total. I’ve got to grab another jar for our frozen leftovers. Served it with salad and Texas toast.
Also, I mixed my onions, meat, and sauce with the seasonings. She doesn’t put the sauce and meat together in her recipe. Read the comments so you’ll know what others did to tweak it. Most say use extra sauce cause it comes out dry using just one. It makes a ton of food too so you can eat a a few helpings and then freeze and have leftovers for a while. I also bought Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on it before eating.
Oh, and watch it cause it can burn along the edges. Just run a knife around it and that should prevent it. Also, spray the crockpot really well all over with a cooking spray like Pam to prevent sticking at the bottom and burning. I used it very liberally and had no issues except for a couple of edges burned at the side and not burned badly.
Will def make this one again and again. Although I may not use Raos again cause that stuff is expensive…$6.88 a jar where I live in Texas. Can make do for us with Aldi brand just fine for less than half the cost.
Thanks for another keeper recipe, Sarah!
I would definitely recommend more marinara sauce and possibly adding the cheese later. Quick and easy dinner recipe!