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Cheesy, gooey lasagna with layers of a rich herb and chicken tomato sauce, plus savory spinach and ricotta? A morning prep dinner? Made in the slow cooker? AND no cook noodles? Yes, please! A totally delish dinnertime solution that’s SO good. And so easy!

Slow Cooker Lasagna with Chicken and Spinach – Set It and Forget It Dinner

When I was a young, working mom, six o’clock was my least favorite time of day.

At the end of an already long, often tiring day, the prospect of making a healthy dinner that my kids would actually eat sometimes filled me with dread.

It was a daily battle. One I often lost.

Somewhere along the line, I discovered a can’t-miss solution to the six o’clock dinner dilemma. Make dinner in the morning! All it took was a slow cooker and some recipes.

At the time, it seemed like a miracle. But slow cooking has come a long way since I was a young mom.

I bought this nifty model for one of my daughters-in-love for Christmas. It can sear, brown, steam, and saute’ as well as slow-cook, and has programmable delay and warm functions. She and my son have two kiddos and two demanding jobs, so it’s already getting a workout.

My son texted his thank you not long ago, saying he’d made some yummy chicken tacos in the new slow cooker.

I’m sure they were good. But I can’t wait to share my totally delish new recipe for Slow Cooker Lasagna with Chicken and Spinach with him, and with you!

What Makes This Slow Cooker Lasagna with Chicken and Spinach Recipe Special

Apart from the fact that it’s a slow cooker recipe, meaning I can start it in the morning and have a terrific meal ready to go at dinnertime, the best thing about this recipe is the taste!

Lasagna is always a crowd-pleaser. But my recipe ups the game with plenty of flavorful herbs in the sauce, plus garlic, onions, and tender ground chicken.

It also uses three kinds of cheese – mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta. And who doesn’t love cheese, right? However, my slow cooker lasagna recipe leans a little healthier than some. I add just enough cheese to make each bite rich, tasty, and gooey, but not greasy.

Oh, and something else I love about this dish?

With plenty of protein from the cheese and chicken, plus a nice portion of veggies from the onions, tomato sauce, and spinach, it really is a one-dish meal. After a busy day of writing, that is something I can get very excited about!

Something else terrific about this recipe is that you don’t have to boil the noodles beforehand.

If you’ve ever burned your fingers while handling hot, slippery, boiled lasagna noodles – or accidentally dropped them on the floor in the process – you know that’s a big plus.

Hmm…I hear some of you wondering if it’s really possible to make a good lasagna without boiling the noodles.

Well, the noodles did come out a little gummy on my first attempt. But then I figured out an easy trick to make sure my lasagna noodles were tender and tasty, even in the slow cooker.

I’ll tell you about that in the next section.

How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Lasagna (Step-by-Step)

Preparing the Sauce

Making slow cooker lasagna is different but easier than making lasagna in the oven. Let’s walk through it, starting with the sauce.

You’ll cook onions and garlic in some olive oil on the stove until the onions soften. Then you’ll add the meat.

I prefer ground chicken for my sauce. But you could use beef, or even a mixture of ground beef and pork if you prefer.

Once that’s done, you’ll stir a big jar of prepared marinara sauce into the chicken and onion. Then you’ll toss in some dried oregano as well as a good portion of fresh chopped basil. The fresh basil isn’t absolutely necessary, but it makes the jarred sauce taste more like homemade.

Making the Cheese Mixture

While the sauce is simmering, you’ll prepare the cheese and spinach filling.

Frozen spinach is the way to go here. Thaw before using, or put the frozen spinach in a mesh colander and run cool water over it until it’s thawed. You’ll need to squeeze the liquid from the spinach, so the filling won’t be watery.

The easiest method is to wrap the thawed spinach in a clean tea towel and twist it as tightly as you can, until no more liquid comes out. Then you’ll stir the spinach together with the mozzarella and ricotta, and half the parmesan cheese.

Layering Your Lasagna

Now, you’re ready to assemble the lasagna layers. Start by putting a third of the sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Next, take half of the lasagna noodles, break them into pieces, and place a double layer of noodles on top of the sauce. Then sprinkle two tablespoons of water over the noodles. (That’s the trick I learned to keep them from becoming gummy.)

Layer half the spinach and cheese mixture over the noodles. Repeat the layers one more time, before adding a final layer of sauce and topping with the remaining parmesan.

That’s it! Easy, right?

Cook your lasagna in the slow cooker on high for four to six hours. Serve it all by itself, or with a green salad and some garlic bread.