With classic ingredients and extra veggies, this slow cooker lasagna might become your new Sunday night favorite!
Does anyone else find it difficult to use a slow cooker after watching This Is Us? No, just me?!?
There isn’t much, or really any, Italian in my family. Luckily, Italian dishes are main stream and we can all enjoy the simple pleasure that pasta and tomato sauce provides. Italy knows where it’s at. Where would we be without spaghetti, lasagna, and fettuccine alfredo???
Time-wise, this lasagna version may take longer, but there’s much less work going into the process. First and foremost, there’s no need to boil the noodles! Ugh! This is always the worst! The noodles are so long and they always fall apart. Always.
Here, you can simply break uncooked noodles and layer them in. Yes! It’s also faster to create the layers. If you’re serving straight from the slow cooker, the layers will not matter very much in the end. Rustic dishes make me happy! (My layers remained intact because I allowed the dish to cool completely before removing from the slow cooker pot.)
And, maybe the classic recipe is not known to be the healthiest. To up the nutritional ante, I chose to add extra veggies and to take it easy with the cheese. But, don’t worry! All of the classic flavors are present and accounted for.
Next time, I’ll try gluten free noodles. Also, I’d only use a single layer of noodles, instead of doubling up…less carbs. Otherwise, this dish was a major home run!
Ingredients in Slow Cooker Lasagna
♥ Olive Oil
♥ Ground Beef
♥ Bell Peppers
♥ Onion
♥ Eggplant
♥ Garlic
♥ Tomato Sauce
♥ Tomato Paste
♥ Ricotta
♥ Mozzarella Cheese
♥ Parmesan Cheese
♥ Lasagna Noodles
♥ Italian Seasoning
♥ Dried Oregano
Which is better for lasagna- ricotta or cottage cheese?
This mostly depends on your personal preferences. Ricotta is classic and creamier, but also packs more calories. Cottage cheese will provide more protein.
How are many layers are best for lasagna?
There’s no standard number; however, most recipes tend to have 3-4 layers.
What to serve with slow cooker lasagna?
♥ Garlic Bread
♥ Bread Sticks
♥ Salad
50 minutes + 4-5 hours in slow cooker
Slow Cooker Lasagna
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 lb. ground beef, turkey, or chicken
- Salt and pepper
- 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 bell peppers, diced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 medium eggplant, diced
- 24-29 oz. tomato sauce
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 15 oz. ricotta
- 1/3 - 1/2 c, Parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 12 oz. lasagna noodles
- 2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Optional: basil, parsley
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the ground meat. For chicken or turkey, start with 1 Tbsp. of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Remove and set aside.
- In the same skillet, sauté the onion, peppers, and garlic for 4-7 minutes in 1-2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside with the meat. Then, sauté the eggplant for 3-5 minutes. In the skillet or a large bowl, combine the meat, diced veggies, about half of the tomato sauce, and all of the tomato paste. Stir until well-combined.
- In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning.
- Spoon about 1/3 of the meat mixture on the bottom of the slow cooker. Next, add a double layer of broken noodles. Top with tomato sauce. Then, spread a layer of the ricotta. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers two more times. Make sure the noodles are covered. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.Garnish with extra mozzarella, basil, and/or parsley.