I Tried Carrie Underwood’s 'Ugly' Slow Cooker Lasagna and I’m Adding It to My Dinner Rotation

One of the first gifts my parents gave me when I moved out on my own was a slow cooker. I remember opening it and thinking, “I’ll never use this.” I was 22 at the time and obviously very naive. It only took a month of being a broke college grad for me to realize the value of that slow cooker.

I learned that it could take simple, inexpensive ingredients and magically turn them into dinner, without having to do much more than dump and stir. Nothing ever came out looking like a dish you’d get at a five-star restaurant, but that didn’t matter as long as it tasted good. It’s why I was motivated to try Carrie Underwood’s self-described “ugly” slow cooker lasagna. Undeterred by its potentially unattractive appearance, I wanted to give it a try—here’s what I thought.

My Honest Review of Carrie Underwood’s Slow Cooker Lasagna

I loved it, but I’ll back up a bit and explain. First, I have to confess that lasagna isn’t one of my favorite foods—which is ironic considering it’s my husband’s favorite food. Making it feels fussy. You have to cook the noodles, then layer things, and bake it for over an hour. In my opinion, it’s too much work and while the results are delicious, it's not worth that sweat and labor. When I saw that Underwood makes her version in the slow cooker, I was intrigued. Could I possibly like making lasagna if I used a slow cooker? I needed to find out.

The steps are simple and start pretty similar to other pasta dishes. First, I cooked onions and peppers on the stove until softened. Then, I took Underwood’s advice and added broccoli, carrots, and mushrooms and cooked them until they were crisp-tender. I began layering everything in my slow cooker, starting with a bit of store-bought marinara sauce (I used Rao’s because it’s the best). I topped that with a few sheets of broken no-boil lasagna sheets, then covered those with some spinach, followed by a spoonful of the cooked vegetables, then cheese and Italian seasoning. I repeated that process for a few layers, then finished with a layer of broken noodles and marinara. After that, I covered it with a lid, set the slow cooker to “low” and cooked it for four hours.

You won’t get the cheesy, golden brown topping you expect with traditional lasagna, but once you get over that, you’ll realize it’s just as delicious. Slow cooking brings out the flavors of whatever vegetables you add, making it taste like a dish you’ve been cooking all day at the stove. The noodles were perfectly tender, not mushy, and the cheese (I used low-moisture mozzarella and grated Parmesan) melted to provide the best cheese pull. It was so simple to make and I loved that I didn’t have to lug a huge casserole dish in and out of the oven. Even my lasagna-loving husband approved it. Will it replace traditional lasagna? No way, but it’s a great weeknight solution for anyone that appreciates a good lasagna, without having to work too hard.

Tips for Making Carrie Undwerwood’s Lasagna

• Add more vegetables. I found that adding at least 2 additional cups of sauteed vegetables brought more flavor and substance to the dish. Any combination will work, but I used broccoli, mushrooms, and carrots with good success.
• Use good marinara. Since you won’t be making the sauce from scratch, you’ll need to use a sauce that tastes great out of the jar. There are plenty of great sauces out there, but Rao’s is my personal favorite. I added a can of drained, diced tomatoes to stretch it for even more sauce.
• Use mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Underwood, who used to be vegan, uses plant-based cheese in her recipe, but I opted instead for a blend of Monterey Jack and mozzarella cheese, which was delicious. I also used closer to 12 ounces and added a bit of grated Parmesan for more flavor.
• Make three layers. Underwood doesn’t tell you how many layers to make, but I found that three was about as many as I could get with the amount of ingredients listed in her recipe. Before you begin cooking, count your noodles and divide them into three groups. This will make it easier when it comes to adding them when layering. The best part is that you can break them right over your slow cooker—just be sure to distribute them evenly so that you get delicious noodles in every bite.