Crock Pot Lasagna

When I hear the word "Lasagna" I think time consuming. What about you? I have tried those no-cook lasagna noodles and did not care for them.

I knew this week was going to be super crazy so I started searching for crock pot recipes. Over the years I have cooked some pretty awesome crock pot recipes and some pretty awful ones. I came across a recipe for Crock Pot Lasagna and had to give it a try.

I have to admit I was pretty skeptical about this particular recipe because it called for regular lasagna noodles without cooking them first.

I am happy to report that after a few changes, Crock Pot Lasagna will now be on our family favorite list. I might even try adding more vegetables like zucchini and spinach next time.

Crock Pot Lasagna

Ingredients:

1lb 93% lean ground beef
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 jar spaghetti sauce (yes, I cheated here and did not make homemade, but you remember it was a crazy week, right?)
1 cup water
1 15oz container low-fat cottage cheese
2 cups of 2% mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese
1 egg or substitute
2-3 tbsp fresh parsley
1 tsp dried no-salt Italian seasoning
6 lasagna noodles, uncooked
salt and pepper as desired

Brown the meat with onions and carrots. Add garlic when meat is almost brown. Add salt and pepper if desired.

Add spaghetti sauce and water. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Combine cottage cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, parmesan, egg, parsley and Italian seasoning.

Spoon 1 cup of meat into the crock pot. Top with a layer of noodles (break to fit). Top with cheese mixture. Cover with 2 cups of meat sauce. Top with another layer of noodles. Top with the rest of the cheese mixture and then the remaining meat sauce.

Cook on low for 4 hours. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and cook until melted.

Serve with a side salad and bread.