Crock Pot Lasagna Recipe

La La La Lasaga!

Sing it with me now, because lasagna is just one of those meals you LOVE to eat but really don't like to make it because of ALL THE STEPS, oh my goodness! Look no further, because this is THAT EASY recipe that you've been dreaming of... fantasizing about... just read on and learn to make a fabulous, flavorful lasagna easy way!

After years of not cooking and not even wanting to try because of my chronic pain issues, I came across Karen Peterson’s site 365 Days of Slow Cooking  and this recipe got me started in the kitchen again.  Once I made this, there was no turning back. 

Now, I cook and/or bake whenever I’m able to and want to give a special thank you to Karen, who was kind enough to write and encourage me when I emailed her all those years ago about what I had been going through and how much of an inspiration she was for me.  She made what had become overwhelming and daunting seem easy and fun again!  Crockpot cooking is has something for everyone and I highly recommend that you all check out her webpage and cook books.  She’s quite amazing and her recipes are keepers.  

I send this one to everyone I know as it is one of my all time favorites and the ONLY lasagna we make!

I’m going to link her page for photos because mine won’t do it justice. 
I give Karen all the credit!

Easiest Ever Slow Cooker Lasagna Recipe by Karen Peterson

Makes 8 servings

Ideal slow cooker size:  6 quart

Cooking time:  3-5 hours on low

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained of grease
(or ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground Italian sausage)

1 26 oz can spaghetti sauce
*I use Classico Garlic and Sun Dried Tomato spaghetti sauce.  The Classico line is the only line as far as I'm concerned!

1 14 oz can petite diced tomatoes

1 tsp salt
*for me, this is optional, since there is quite a bit of sodium in the sauce already*

2 cups cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
*I’ve always used cottage cheese and haven’t ever been disappointed!

1 egg
*this is optional for me as it’s used as a binder and I find that the ingredients hold up together quite well unless you are going for a stacked presentation*

9 whole wheat lasagna noodles
*UNCOOKED noodles – no need to precook the whole wheat noodles as the sauce and moisture from the cheeses will cook the noodles in the crockpot just right, never mushy!
*whole wheat noodles hold up better in the slow cooker than white noodles

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided

1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions:
Brown the ground beef in a large skillet.  Drain beef of grease.  Set beef aside.
*I take this opportunity when browning the beef to add a chopped onion and fresh garlic with oregano and basil to season the ground beef.

In a separate bowl, mix spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, salt, cottage cheese, and egg.  Stir a bit. 

Add in 1/2 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup of Parmesan.

Combine the beef and spaghetti sauce, cheese mixture together

Add 1/2 cup of the meat/cheese sauce to the bottom of the slow cooker.

Top with 3 lasagna noodles.  Break the noodles in half to fit, if you need to.
Top with another 1/2 cup of meat/cheese sauce.  

Layer 3 more noodles. 

Top with 1/2 cup of sauce. 

Layer the last of the noodle. 

Top with the rest of the sauce and

Sprinkle with the leftover cheeses (should be 1 cup of each left)

Cover and cook on LOW for 3-5 hours.

*Add in extra veggies to the sauce mixture if you desire.
Some ideas are mushrooms, peppers, spinach, zucchini, artichokes, etc.


I'd love to hear from you about your lasagna adventures.  What are your favorite extras to add?  Have you ever made lasagna in a crock pot?

Let me know if you have any questions!

This is what I made for my husband and my best friend when they painted the outdoor furniture.


My other Recipes:
Coconut Chess Pie

Fancy Pants Chicken with Bacon

Turtle Poke Cake