Sunday, March 15, 2009

Slow-Cooker Lasagna

This makes a LOT of lasagna. If you have a small family or aren't big fans of leftovers, you should plan to freeze half for later.

2 26 oz jars of spaghetti sauce
1/2 lb of cooked ground meat (optional)
15 oz tub of ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp Italian seasoning
any vegetables you want to add (I used a box of frozen spinach, thawed and drained well, and about a cup of finely chopped uncooked broccoli)
uncooked lasagna noodles (regular, NOT the no-cook kind)

I used a 6-quart oval slow-cooker for this recipe. In a medium-sized bowl, combine egg, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, parmesan, Italian seasoning, and vegetables. If you're using meat, stir it into the sauce. Cover the bottom of your slow-cooker with a layer of sauce, then add a layer of noodles. You'll probably have to break the noodles to fill in all the spaces. Spread a layer of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, then cover with another layer of sauce. Continue making layers, ending with sauce. Make sure the top layer of noodles is well-covered with sauce.

Cook on low until noodles are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. It took about 3 1/2 hrs in my slow-cooker, but I think it cooks a little faster than most. Sprinkle the top with 1 cup of mozzarella and cover just until it melts.

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22 comments:

Beca said...

I love lasagna and so do my kids. I'll have to try this recipe. Did I read right? You feed your family of 4 on $40.00 a week? OMG! I need to go shopping with you because I'm obviously spending waaaaaaay to much. Wow! That's amazing! Good for You!

We Eat Cheap said...

Foxxy, we're trying to do $40 a week! So far this year, we've done it every week but one. It definitely takes some planning and serious couponing and bargain-hunting, but I'm lucky that I married a man who enjoys the challenge of it! :) It helps that my kids are young, too--18 mos and 3--so they don't eat too much yet.

Lisa@BlessedwithGrace said...

I have recently started a love affair with my crock pot. It is okay, my husband knows about it. ha ha. So, thanks for the recipe. I will be making this, soon!! Thanks for sharing the recipe and joining us for Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

Samantha said...

Thank you for sharing, this looks delicious and easy, cant wait to try it !

Sarah said...

I love my crock pot..and I love lasagna. Perfect match :) Thanks!

Raise Them Up said...

I would have never thought of cooking it in a slowcooker! :)

Sherry @ Lamp Unto My Feet said...

Yum! This sounds delish and a lot easier than regular lasagna. :D

Jenn said...

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I've been trying to find a way to make lasagna easier. I'm awful at making it the traditional way-my noodles are a mess. Anyway, I love using my crock-pot and this would be a great addition to my arsenal of crockpot recipes. Thanks

Anonymous said...

Yum! Thanks for sharing your great recipe with us! I think Lasagna tastes great as leftovers, too! It's perfect for lunch the next day.
~Kim

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home said...

Looks great. The crock pot never fails!

Anonymous said...

I love lasagna and also never thought of making it in the crockpot - Thanks for sharing!

Marcia said...

I do not have a recipe for lasagna that you fix in your slow cooker-so I'm thrilled with this idea because it's something my whole family will eat!

Lana said...

looks great!

Anonymous said...

I'm making this right now - Fun recipe :)

Anonymous said...

I don't use my slow-cooker very often because I don't have very many recipes that I like for it. But my family LOVES lasagna! I never would've guessed to put them together. Thanks!

Jerralea said...

I'm always on the lookout for slow cooker recipes. I gotta try this one!

Thanks!

We Eat Cheap said...

Cam, let me know how it turns out! Are you making a veggie version or a meat one?

Brenda said...

I've never tried lasagna in the slow cooker, but I use my slow cooker often. Looks good.

Anonymous said...

I'm back to report that it was absolutely delicious! I added both spinach and ground beef to it. I'm already looking forward to making it this way again - Thanks!

We Eat Cheap said...

So glad you liked, Cam! :) I've never done ground beef with the spinach, but I'll have to try it soon.

Unknown said...

We had this for dinner last night and it was soooo yummy! LOVE IT! I used 2 c of ground beef/green pepper/onion mix from my freezer, and added about 3 Tbsp of dehydrated carrots with the other veggies...and we will be making this a regular meal at our house. It fed hubby and I and our four kids-9,8,6 and 3 and we didn't even get through half of it; YAY, leftovers! Thank you so much for sharing this.

We Eat Cheap said...

TacyAnne, I'm so glad you and your family liked the lasagna! It always makes me feel good to know someone enjoyed one of my recipes. :-)