Slow Cooker Lasagna

Slow cooker recipes are total lifesavers—especially during a busy week when you want a home-cooked meal without resorting to takeout. Whether it’s cold or hot outside, the slow cooker always comes through. It won’t heat up your kitchen, but you’ll walk through the door to a warm, comforting meal. If you’ve got room in your life for another best friend, the slow cooker is it.

Now, I know what you might be thinking—pasta in a slow cooker? But trust me, it works! The trick is using uncooked noodles so they don’t turn to mush.

I’ll be honest—I don’t make lasagna that often because it’s a bit of a time commitment (though let’s be real, who doesn’t love lasagna?). Okay, maybe there are a few lasagna-haters out there, but most people go crazy for it. So when my family walked in and smelled that delicious, slow-cooked lasagna, the first thing they asked was, “What’s for dinner?” Even my son, who isn’t usually excited about homemade meals, was a happy camper.

This slow cooker lasagna couldn’t be easier, and the best part? It tasted just like it had come out of the oven. So ditch the casserole dish and boiling noodles—grab your slow cooker, toss it all together, and forget about it until dinner.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

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Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey or beef
1 yellow onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic pressed or minced
1 29-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 4-ounce can tomato sauce
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
12 ounces of dry uncooked lasagna noodles
12 ounces cottage cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
olive oil optional
Garnish with chopped fresh basil or parsley

Directions:
Step 1: In a large skillet cook ground turkey or beef with chopped onion on medium heat. Drain fat.
Step 2: Add the tomatoes, paste, sauce, salt, oregano, and basil. Stir well and cook until well heated.
Step 3: In a medium-sized bowl, mix together cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, and mozzarella cheese.
Step 4: Spray the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray, then spoon a layer of meat mixture on the bottom of the slow cooker.
Step 5: Add a double layer of lasagna noodles, breaking to fit the cooker.
Step 6: Spoon half the cheese mixture onto the noodles, then repeat with the meat mixture, noodles, then cheese, and ending with the meat sauce. Sprinkle a little extra parmesan cheese and drizzle olive oil over the top.
Step 7: Cook on low for 6- 8 hours. (6 hours was plenty of time for my slow cooker)
Notes: To save time on the day you plan to make your lasagna, get your sauce cooked the night before and your cheese mixture, then the prep time the day of is a snap.

Tagged as: healthy, italian, lasagna, pasta