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This Slow Cooker Lasagne recipe is for everyone who adores a gluten free lasagne but wants a cheat’s version to save time, effort and washing up. This one-pan lasagne recipe is made in the slow cooker for a family dinner everyone will love.
Making a gluten free lasagne is always worth it – but sometimes the idea of cooking numerous pans of sauce just seems like way too much effort.
I like to think of this as a bit of a cheat’s, one-pan lasagne recipe for those evenings when you want to come home to a delicious-smelling dinner.
First, the slow cooker Bolognese sauce (modelled on my easy spaghetti bolognese recipe) cooks to perfection.
Then you break up gluten free lasagne sheets and dollop in some cream cheese to replicate all the best bits of this classic pasta dish – with much less effort.
Slow cooking not only saves time and effort, it’s also much more cost-effective. And we all know gluten free can be expensive.
I’m a huge fan of using my crockpot for gluten free recipes – check out my slow cooker ragu, chickpea and potato curry and my slow cooker pulled pork too.
Plus I have a round-up of my favourite gluten free slow cooker recipes if you try this gluten free lasagne recipe and fall in love with yours too!
Ingredients
Here are all the ingredients you will need to make this easy crockpot lasagne recipe.
For the bolognese sauce:
- Onions, Celery and Carrot: This forms the essential base of any Bolognese sauce. Even if you don’t like celery, trust me, it totally transforms the flavour when cooked!
- Garlic: You can use fresh mince garlic, garlic paste or frozen chopped garlic.
- Beef Mince: I use 10% fat ground beef. I recommend using a slightly fattier mince, as leaner mince will dry out quicker during cooking.
- Herbs: Dried basil and oregano add those lovely, subtle flavours.
- Tinned Tomatoes: I buy chopped tomatoes but you can buy tinned plum tomatoes and chop them yourself to save a few pennies.
- Passata
- Tomato Puree (or tomato paste)
- Red Wine: Omit this if you like but to me the best bolognaise base is made using red wine!
- Beef Stock Pot: I always use the gluten free Knorr beef stock pots. Not all stock cubes are gluten free so be careful to check.
Other ingredients:
- Cream Cheese: You can use a plain cream cheese, or one with garlic and herbs like I have for extra flavour. This is a ‘cheat’ way of incorporating the cheese sauce part of the lasagne into this recipe without using extra pans! You can also use ricotta cheese or even cottage cheese if you prefer.
- Gluten Free Lasagne Sheets: Any brand will work in this recipe, I find them fairly interchangeable and often use the cheapest supermarket lasagna sheets. In the UK use lasagne sheets, in the US look for lasagne noodles. There is no need to boil them first – add the uncooked lasagne sheets straight into the crockpot.
- Grated Cheese: I always use Cheddar cheese or a mixture of Cheddar and Mozzarella, plus some grated parmesan cheese too.
How to make slow cooker lasagne
There’s a printable recipe card below with the method, but here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy this gluten free crockpot lasagne is to make.
First make the bolognese sauce:
Add the olive oil to a large pan and place on a medium heat. Add the beef mince, onion, garlic, carrot and celery and fry for 5-10 minutes until the mince has completely browned.
Tip into the slow cooker and add all the other ingredients. Stir well, place the lid on and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
Then add the lasagne sheets:
After this time, remove the lid. Break the gluten free lasagna sheets into large shards. Then mix them into the sauce so they are evenly dispersed and not stuck together.
Then add the cheese:
‘Blob’ the cream cheese over the sauce and gently stir into the mix so it doesn’t completely mix, just swirls.
Replace the lid and cook for another 1-2 hours on high until the gluten free pasta is cooked through.
Sprinkle with both cheeses, replace the lid and leave for 10 minutes until melted. Serve it up with a side of gluten free garlic bread and some oven chips!
Slow Cooker Top Tips
If you’re new to the world of slow cooking, here are my top tips for getting the most from your slow cooker:
- Always brown mince: Most meat can be added to a slow cooker without browning. But mince will go kind of ‘mushy’ if you don’t brown it off first. Please, trust me on this one – it’s a game changer!
- Pick a good one: I absolutely love this Morphy Richard’s slow cooker. The pan is lightweight, can be dish-washed and can be used on a stove top too.
- Higher fat is better: I usually cook with lean meats but the slow cooker is perfect for cooking higher-fat meats. And these tend to be a lot cheaper too. Chicken breasts and lean beef will dry out much quicker than fattier cuts.
- To thicken sauces: Often you might find your sauce is more watery in the slow cooker. To solve this, mix 1 tbsp cornflour with 1-2 tbsp cold water. Pour into the slow cooker, mix well and cook for a further half an hour to thicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some FAQs about this slow cooker lasagna recipe – if you can’t find the answer to your question here or in the post above, please comment and I’ll try answer!
It’s fairly easy to make a gluten free dairy free slow cooker lasagne with a few simple swaps. Use a dairy free cream cheese, and dairy free cheese on the top of your lasagne. Most gluten free pasta is dairy free anyway but make sure to double check.
To make a gluten free vegan slow cooker lasagne is possible with a few swaps. Instead of beef mince, I’d use lentils instead. Just double check they are gluten free as some have a may contain. Use a dairy free cream cheese, and dairy free cheese on the top of your lasagne. Make sure you pick a gluten free lasagne sheet which is vegan too, as some contain egg.
Yes, you can freeze any leftover slow cooker lasagna. Simply decant portions into tubs, leave them to cool completely then freeze for up to 6 months. Reheat thoroughly from frozen before eating. If not freezing, store leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheated before eating if not freezing.
I recommend cooking the bolognese base for at least 3-4 hours on high and 6-8 hours on low. Once you’ve added the gluten free lasagne it will need about 1-2 hours more to cook so the pasta is cooked through.
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.
Slow Cooker Lasagne
Equipment
Ingredients
For the bolognese sauce:
- 1 tbsp virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onions, (peeled and finely chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves, (peeled and crushed)
- 2 celery sticks, (finely chopped)
- 1 carrot, (finely chopped)
- 500 g beef mince
- 2 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 300 ml passata
- 125 ml red wine
- 1 gluten free stock pot
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
For the lasagne:
- 200 g cream cheese
- 6 gluten free lasagne sheets
- 100 g grated Cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large pan and place on a medium heat. Add the beef mince, onion, garlic, carrot and celery and fry for 5-10 minutes until the mince has completely browned.
- Tip into the slow cooker and add all the other ingredients. Stir well, place the lid on and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- After this time, remove the lid. Break the lasagne sheets into large shards and mix them into the sauce so they are evenly dispersed and not stuck together.
- ‘Blob’ the cream cheese over the sauce and gently stir into the mix so it doesn’t completely mix, just swirls. Replace the lid and cook for another 1-2 hours on high until the pasta is cooked through.
- Sprinkle with both cheeses, replace the lid and leave for 10 minutes until melted before serving.
Video
Notes
- Storing: Check out the Frequently Asked Questions above this recipe card for storage instructions, including freezing.
- Step-by-Step Photos: Scroll up for some handy photos showing you exactly how to make this crockpot lasagne recipe, as well as handy recipe tips.
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating and tell all your gluten free friends about this Slow Cooker Lasagne!
Nutrition
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I wasn’t sure what to expect from this recipe but I have had great success with your other recipes so had to give this a try. OMG, we weren’t disappointed, it is amazing, so tasty and super easy will definitely being making it again soon. 😋
Totally fabulous “deconstructed” lasagne … I will never make the laborious traditional version again! The long slow cooking tenderises the meat and allows the flavours to develop beautifully. A crowd pleaser.
I made the slow cooker Lasagne in my Sage multi cooker as it can sear as well as slow cook so only needed it to cook everything no frying pan used as well. I was skeptical as to how it would work I used two tins of chopped tomatoes as I had no passata which I blended with a stick blender and grated the carrots and used dried garlic and had no onions either.
The result was amazing not too sloppy and tasted delicious and apart from having to add things occasionally no problems at all. The lasagne sheets broken up were perfectly cooked and soft.
Will definitely do it again. Thank you for the recipe
Awesome.
Family favourite! So good I made it again a week later.