Skip to Content

Slow Cooker Mexican Lasagna with Chicken

Slow Cooker Mexican Lasagna with Chicken

The easiest lasagna you’ll ever make. Just a few minutes of prep – then set-it-and-forget-it in your Crock Pot.

side shot sharp non noise

The really great thing about making lasagna in the slow cooker is…

Big, giant mile-high pieces of cheesy, saucy lasagna – and that makes my family’s eyes light up like Christmas trees.

In the slow cooker you can make super-tall slices of lasagna by stacking the ingredients way up – higher than a typical oven baking-dish.

And as I confessed on Facebook a few days ago…

Healthy Mexican Lasagna with Chicken #SlowCooker | @tspcurry

…if I’m out of ideas for ‘what’s for dinner,’ it’s Slow Cooker Lasagna that gets served. I make it every other week because it’s easy and totally a family favorite – whatever variation I make. And there are several variations, but this Mexican Lasagna with Chicken is the most-requested….thanks to lots of cheese and kid-friendly salsa and corn.

Here are a few other variations I’ve made:

Traditional: Ground beef with red pasta sauce + mozzarella + frozen (thawed) broccoli

Greek: Ground turkey/chicken + tomato sauce + feta cheese + Greek olives + chick peas

Dump! The easiest lasagna you’ll ever assemble. Skip the layering; just throw all the ingredients into the slow cooker – making sure the noodles are each separated and surrounded by sauce. (Of course, the result is more like a baked pasta dish, instead of lasagna – but it’s still a crowd-pleaser.)

SLOW COOKER MEXICAN LASAGNA WITH CHICKEN | @tspcurry

Speaking of layering, the layering technique I use is similar to that I learned from my pals Janice and Liz over at Meal Makeover Moms who wrote a recipe for a meatless Mile-High Spinach Lasagna in their No Wine with Dinner Cookbook. The trick is to make sure each noodle is covered in sauce.The easiest lasagna you'll ever make: Slow Cooker Mexican Lasagna with Chicken via @tspcurry Click To Tweet

Healthy Mexican Lasagna with Chicken #SlowCooker | @tspcurry

And SURPRISE: You can use regular lasagna noodles! No need to have the no-boil lasagna noodles on hand – as you’ll find in some slow cooker lasagna recipe – regular lasagna noodles work just fine. (Did you know: You can skip boiling regular lasagna noodles when making regular oven lasagna too; check out a recent #HealthyKitchenHack to find out how to add a bit more liquid to the recipe.)

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Slow Cooker Mexican Lasagna with Chicken


  • Author: by Serena Ball, RD
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

Description

The easiest lasagna you’ll ever make. Cheesy and piled high with corn, salsa, beans and chicken.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
  • 1 cup frozen corn (slightly thawed)
  • 1 cup cooked/canned black beans (from a 15 oz can, drain and rinse beans; use remaining beans for another use)
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, (reduced-fat is fine) divided
  • 2 cups (about 8 oz) cooked, shredded chicken
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cans (10 oz each) diced tomatoes with green chilies (or 20 oz salsa)
  • 1 box (8 oz) dried lasagna noodles (8 noodles total)

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, stir together cottage cheese, corn, beans, 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, chicken, cumin and garlic powder. In a medium bowl stir together all 3 cans of tomatoes.
  2. To assemble, pour 1 cup of tomato mixture into the bottom of a 5- or 6- quart slow cooker that’s been coated with cooking spray. Top with 2 noodles that have been broken to fit so tomatoes are covered as much as possible.
  3. Spoon 3/4 cup tomatoes over noodles. Scoop up 1 1/2 cup of cottage cheese mixture and spread over tomatoes. Top with 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese. Cover with 2 more noodles, breaking to fit.
  4. Repeat step #3 two more times.
  5. For the top layer, pour remaining sauce (about 3/4 cup) on top of the last layer of noodles and top with remaining 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese.
  6. Cook on LOW for 2-4 hours (covered); at 2 hours noodles will be more al dente – at 4 hours noodles will be much softer. OR cook on HIGH for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
  7. NOTE: If you want to this to cook 6-8 hours, add 6 more noodles (1 1/2 noodles more for each layer) + another can of tomatoes-with-chilies to the tomato sauce.

What’s your go-to recipe when you have no idea ‘what to make for dinner?’ Yes or no – do you boil your noodles before assembling lasagna?

Sues

Monday 14th of March 2016

Whoa! I've never heard of making lasagna in a slow cooker, but this looks incredible!!

Serena Ball

Tuesday 15th of March 2016

It's the best way to stack ingredients to the sky, Sues. Thanks so much!

Emily @ Sinful Nutrition

Monday 14th of March 2016

I love mexican lasagna, but I've never made it in a slow cooker! I usually make it with corn tortillas instead of lasagna noodles too, but I'll have to try adding chicken next time.

Serena Ball

Tuesday 15th of March 2016

I've made it with corn tortillas in the slow cooker too Emily. The tortillas rather dissolve into the sauce making it really thick. It's really good - but to get all technical - it comes out more like a casserole, not lasagna! (:

Dietitian Jess

Monday 14th of March 2016

Pinned! I really want to get into the habit of having 1 slow cooker meal per week to have a completely free night of cooking- plus slow cooker meals are always delicious!

Serena Ball

Tuesday 15th of March 2016

What a good idea to help out with meal planning: Once a week is slow cooker night! #smart

Comments are closed.