Slow Cooker Fully Loaded Lasagna

33 springs

debwar has cooked this

"I love the flavors but my noodles were really mushy. Next time I am thinking of trying this with regular noodles not the no bake." - debwar

Servings

Cuisine

Italian

Ingredients

1 pound(s) uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
1 small onion(s), chopped
2 zucchini halved and sliced
2 c sliced mushrooms
3 medium garlic clove(s), minced
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
15 oz canned tomato sauce
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp sweetener (sugar, agave, sucant, etc)
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
15 oz low fat ricotta cheese (lowfat cottage cheese works well too)
1 1/2 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
3 oz fresh spinach leaves
6 item(s) dry lasagna noodles, no-cook (I used Trader Joe’s)
1/4 cup(s) shredded Parmesan cheese, strong-flavored like Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano
1/4 c chopped fresh basil, optional

Main Ingredient

Pasta

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion, zucchini, mushrooms and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, sugar, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
3. Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture then a layer of spinach leaves. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.
4. Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.
5. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes.
Make it VEGETARIAN by using Morning Star Veggie Crumbles or omitting meat
Makes 8 regular or 6 HUGE servings (I cut mine into triangles like a pizza to serve) ~ After all ~ arn’t GNORMOUS servings awesome when they are packed with veggies and you are watching what you eat
debwar | 01/10 at 05:41 pm
http://danicasdaily.com/slow-cooker-fully-loaded-lasagna/
debwar | 01/10 at 05:40 pm