Slow Cooker LASAGNA!!

Lasagna is an old favorite, but it still counts as ethnic, right? It certainly is easy in the crock pot, especially since you don't boil the noodles!!

Start by making a spaghetti sauce, just like normal. Mine goes something like this...

Cook minced mushrooms, onions, pepper, and garlic in a saucepan uncovered.

Add in ground beef or sausage (or both) and brown it. Drain fat if necessary.

Throw in a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce, plus salt and pepper to taste. Easy.

Here's what's different: add 1 cup extra water to the sauce. I shake it in the jar to catch the last of the sauce (then the jar goes into the recycling!)

Put a little sauce in the crock pot to get started.

Now, the first layer of DRY noodles! Just break them in half -doesn't have to be perfect.

Since this is all about easy, open a 16 oz. package of cottage cheese and put an egg right in. (Ricotta cheese can be used as well).

Let your 3-year old stir in the egg and some parsley. She makes fewer splats if she stirs with a butter knife :)

You can add shredded Parmesan to the cottage cheese too - oh yummy!

Layer the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. I use about 1 cup or 1/3 of the mixture.

After the cottage cheese layer, sprinkle shredded mozzarella. Definitely the most important ingredient in lasagna!

Add a layer of meat sauce, about 1/3 of the mixture.

Mozzarella after the meat sauce.

Noodles again, and it starts all over!

Keep layering up until sauce and cottage cheese is used.
Top with a final generous layer of mozzarella!

Cover and cook on low heat for 2-4 hours tops! You don't want to the noodles to over cook and become squishy, eeew! It's a great dish to cook while you're at church!

Now serve it up to your man! Ain't he cute?

Slow Cooker LASAGNA!!

1 onion, minced
1 pepper, minced (optional)
1 pkg mushrooms, minced (optional)
1 Tb garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef or sausage
1 jar spaghetti sauce
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup water

Add these ingredients to a saucepan in order, cooking on medium-high. Layer in slow cooker with:

1/2 pkg dry lasagna noodles
1 lb shredded mozzarella
and Cottage cheese mixture:
1 16 oz. pkg cottage cheese
1 egg
1-2 Tb dry parsley (optional)
1 6 oz. pkg shredded Parmesan cheese

Top layers with shredded mozzarella. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.