This easy 4-ingredient crockpot ravioli lasagna is made right in the slow cooker with just minutes of prep time. Start with your favorite ravioli, pair it with ground beef, pasta sauce, and mozzarella cheese for a lazy lasagna that the whole family will love.
Easy Ravioli Lasagna
I love Italian food and that includes my slow cooker lasagna. Though easy, that version does take a bit of prep so if you’re short on time, you can’t beat the 10 minutes it takes to throw together this easy slow cooker ravioli lasagna.
With only four simple ingredients (three if you skip the ground beef for a vegetarian version!), this ravioli takes only minutes to prep and only a couple hours to cook in the slow cooker.
The layers of ravioli, sauce, and cheese mimic the true flavors of lasagna, but it is so much simpler!
This easy meal is perfect for busy nights when you forgot to lay something out for dinner.
The great thing about it is you can start with your favorite fresh or frozen ravioli. I used fresh that I had picked up at Costco in this batch, but frozen works just as well, you just need to allow an extra hour of cook time.
Why you’ll love this Ravioli Lasagna recipe:
- Easy Meal – Only 10 minutes of prep and a few hours in the slow cooker make this meal super easy and perfect for any night of the week.
- Family Favorite – The entire family should like this one, even your picky eaters!
- Complete Meal – Because you have pasta, meat, and spinach, you have a complete meal right in the slow cooker. Pair it with some garlic knots and you’re good to go!
Tools you’ll need
- Slow Cooker – I’ve had this 6 quart slow cooker for years & still recommend it. I love that it switches to WARM after the set cook time.
- Meat Chopper – This little tool is super handy for breaking up meat as you’re browning it.
- Large Skillet – To cook the meat and add the sauce before adding it to the slow cooker.
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Ravioli
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.
- Ravioli – Use your favorite fresh or frozen bag of ravioli. I used an organic spinach and cheese from Costco but pick your favorite.
- Marinara Sauce – I picked up an organic garlic tomato sauce at Costco. I like to read the label to make sure the ingredients are tomatoes, onion, garlic, Italian seasonings, etc. – no sugar or other unnecessary ingredients. To combine a step, make a batch of meaty slow cooker spaghetti sauce to use!
- Ground Sirloin – I like to use a lean ground sirloin whenever I’m using beef. It isn’t greasy and has great flavor. I like to use a 93/7% but anything 80/20 or better should work, just make sure to drain off any grease, if necessary. Season the beef with whatever you like – I use salt, pepper, onion, and Montreal steak seasoning. Add a bit of red pepper flakes if you want some heat.
- Mozzarella Cheese – Shredded mozzarella cheese.
How to make Crockpot Lasagna with Ravioli
- STEP ONE: First, if using ground beef, season and brown the meat in a large skillet. Once no longer pink, pour in the jar of sauce and let simmer for a few minutes.
- STEP TWO: Next, spray the bottom of your slow cooker with non-stick spray and then pour approximately 1 cup of the meat mixture into the bottom of the slow cooker. Layer in half of the ravioli. Top with some meat sauce and cheese. Finish with the rest of the ravioli, rest of the meat sauce, and top with cheese (make sure you finish with cheese). Tuck the layer of ravioli in so they’re under the sauce and cheese to prevent the noodles from drying out.
- STEP THREE: Finally, cover and cook on LOW for 2 hours. If starting with frozen ravioli, cook on LOW for 3 hours.
What to serve with Ravioli Casserole
I like to serve the ravioli with a side of crusty bread (a French loaf is super cheap at the market and easily turned into garlic bread with some butter and garlic!). You can also add a simple side salad.
Oh & dessert! To keep the lasagna theme, a no-bake chocolate lasagna is a great option.
Possible Substitutions/Additions
- If using fresh ravioli, you’ll cook for 2 hours on LOW. If using frozen ravioli, you’ll cook for 3 hours on LOW.
- Use any type of ravioli you like. I opted for spinach and cheese but you could use meat filled, just cheese ravioli, or any of the many flavors available.
- You can skip the meat altogether or try using sausage or ground turkey instead of beef.
- Use any jar of spaghetti sauce you like, or a homemade marinara sauce.
- If you’d like to add some veggies, you can saute diced veggies with the meat (onions, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, etc.).
- If you want a spicy version, add red pepper flakes to the sauce.
How to reheat and store ravioli lasagna
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
To reheat, you can microwave a portion or if you have a lot, you can add it back to the slow cooker to heat through.
FAQs
Can you cook frozen ravioli in the crockpot?
Yes! Cooking frozen ravioli in the crockpot actually works really well so it doesn’t get mushy. 3 hours on LOW works well.
Can you cook unfrozen ravioli in the crockpot? (fresh)
Yes, I used fresh, unfrozen ravioli in this slow cooker recipe. Because ravioli only takes a few minutes to cook in boiling water, it only takes a couple hours to heat through in the slow cooker. 2 hours on LOW is what I do.
Can I bake ravioli in the oven?
Yes, if you’d like to make this recipe in the oven instead of in the slow cooker, follow the same directions but bake in a 9×13 casserole dish, covered, for approximately 40 minutes at 350°. After the 40 minutes are up, remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly.
Need more slow cooker recipes? Try these:
Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan with Tortellini
Slow Cooker Stuffed Shells
Crockpot Turkey Meatballs
Need more pasta recipes? Try these:
Veggie Lasagna Roll-Ups
Bowtie Lasagna Skillet
Spinach Ravioli Lasagna
Click here for my entire collection of slow cooker recipes.
Easy (4-ingredient!) Slow Cooker Ravioli Lasagna
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef I recommend sirloin
- 25 ounces pasta sauce
- 22 ounces ravioli I used spinach & cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- To a large skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef and season (salt, pepper, onion, Montreal steak seasoning). Cook the meat, breaking it apart until no longer pink.
- Turn the heat down and pour in the sauce. Let simmer for a few minutes.
- Spray the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker with non-stick spray and then spoon in approximately 1 cup of meat sauce into the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Top with half of the ravioli, half of the remaining sauce, and a handful of cheese. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, finishing with cheese on top, making sure to tuck the ravioli under the sauce and cheese.
- If starting with frozen ravioli, cover and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours.If starting with thawed/fresh ravioli, cover and cook on LOW for 1-2 hours.
Video
Notes
- If using fresh ravioli, you’ll cook for 2 hours on LOW. If using frozen ravioli, you’ll cook for 3 hours on LOW.
- Use any type of ravioli you like. I opted for spinach and cheese but you could use meat filled, just cheese ravioli, or any of the many flavors available.
- You can skip the meat altogether or try using sausage or ground turkey instead of beef.
- If you’d like to add some veggies, you can saute diced veggies with the meat (onions, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, etc.).
- If you want a spicy version, add red pepper flakes to the sauce.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made this yesterday! It was super easy and so good! My kids loved it!
Yay, thank you Darlene!