Recipe: Slow Cooker Lasagna

I love my crock pot.  LOVE it!  So much so that I might marry it if you were allowed to marry kitchen appliances.  Sorry blender that whips up delicious smoothies and margaritas.  Too bad electric skillet that makes perfect pancakes.  The crock pot is my one and only.  But don’t ask me to choose between the three crock pots I own!  What’s better than coming home to dinner already prepared and (mostly) ready to eat?  The prep time for crock pot meals is usually minimal as well.  That’s my kind of cooking! 

A few weeks ago I tried something new.  Crock pot lasagna.  I haven’t tried many casserole type meals and have never made pasta in the crock pot.  I was a bit sceptical, but I figured if it was coming from the Taste of Home Slow Cooker Cookbook it had to be decent enough to try.  We were not disappointed.  Mike even expressed his favourable opinion of the dish without being asked, “So, did you like that one?”  I usually don’t like to bake a full pan of lasagna because it’s too much food for the two of us.  Sure, the leftovers are still good, but you can only eat leftovers so many days before despising that meal.  I could freeze the leftovers, but, eh, that’s sometimes too much effort than I’m willing to put forth.  This meal made the perfect amount for the two of us.  If I remember right it made a little more than 5 meals.  Of course, it was so good we probably ate more than we should have and we still wanted more!

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
  
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 jar (26 ounces) herb and garlic pasta sauce
• 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 no-cook lasagna noodles
• 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook the beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in pasta sauce; heat through. In a large bowl, combine the mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
• Spread 1 cup meat sauce in an oval 3-qt. slow cooker. Break one lasagna noodle into three pieces. Layer 1-1/3 noodles, 2/3 cup meat sauce and 1 cup cheese mixture in slow cooker. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining sauce.
• Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until noodles are tender.

The only change to the recipe that I might make is to add some more seasoning or use a tomato sauce with garlic and onion or Italian seasoning already added just to give it more kick.  I think I also used a full 16oz container of cottage cheese (why save a measly 4 oz?) and let it cook for more than 5 hours.  I’d have to ask Mike about the latter as he’s the one responsible for setting the crock pot in the morning.