crock pot lasagna

So I had to give it a try, and I liked it, plus it is pretty easy and you start it early before you wear out after a long day. I tweaked it because I do not like eggplant and I had some zucchini left from my garden. Part of the fun of making this was I used fresh herbs from my garden and fresh onions and garlic. I think a key though is to only cook it the three or four hours or until the noodles are done otherwise they get too mushy (thus the Important Note that I didn't read) and I noticed mine was a little runny, so I will be aware of that next time. Here is the recipe with my tweaks.... I used zucchini instead of eggplant, I made my own marinara with tomato sauce, did not use red pepper flakes and instead of thyme, used my own fresh oregano and basil.

Ingredients

16 oz (1 lb) ground beef, 96 % lean
2 c eggplant, diced (no need to peel it)
1 jar low-sodium marinara sauce
1/4 t red pepper flakes
2 t dried thyme
1 1/4 c water
15 oz. ricotta cheese, part skim
1 T parsley chopped
1/4 c egg substitute(or 1 egg white)
1 c shredded Italian blend cheese
6 lasagna noodles, dried, no boil variety

Directions

Brown the ground beef in a skillet over moderate heat; drain any excess fat. Stir in red pepper flakes, thyme, tomato sauce, eggplant, and water. In a bowl combine the egg substitute, ricotta, Italian cheese blend, and parsley. Place enough meat sauce to cover the bottom of slow cooker. Top with 2-3 noodles, broken to cover the meat sauce. Repeat layer. Top second layer with cheese mixture and finish with a top layer of the meat mixture. Cover and set slow cooker on low. Cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

Number of Servings: 8

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CHEF_MEG

Found this recipe, thought this was a little more like I tweaked the last one

Ingredients

1 lb. uncooked ground turkey or beef
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
29 oz. canned tomato sauce
6 oz. tomato paste
1 cup water
1 tsp. ground oregano
8 oz. dry lasagna noodles
2 cup fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups fat-free cottage cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

In a skillet, cook turkey or beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add tomato sauce, water tomato paste, and
oregano. Mix well. Spread ¼ meat sauce in bottom of crock pot. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles over sauce, breaking to fit. Combine cheeses, spoon
1/3 cheese mixture over noodles. Repeat layers twice more. Top with remaining meat sauce. Cover and cook on low 4 to 5 hours or until noodles
are tender.

Number of Servings: 8

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user LEAKAY59.

Number of Servings: 8