Crock-Pot Lasagna

I had posted this recipe on my previous blog.

It went over pretty good, and it's a dish that I make quite frequently, because Bradley and I both love it, so I'm gonna share it again!!!!

Now, this is not a paid review or anything like that, but I just want to give a shout-out to this awesome crock-pot!

We got it as a wedding present, and I LOVE it!

Now, to be honest, this doesn't work for everything. 

It is not bigger than a regular crockpot, even though it gives that illusion.

It's about the size of a 9x13 pan....in length and depth.

So, some things just don't really work it.

For instance, I would not make a soup or anything "brothy" like that in it.

Or anything that needs to be stirred a lot, because it will probably splash out!

So far, my favorite things to make in it, are:

Crockpot Lava Cake, 

Slow-Cooker Fried Apples, 

Crockpot Mac n' Cheese, 

and this Lasagna.

(all of those other recipes will be coming soon, by the way!)

They make two different kinds from what I have found....

this is the digital one, and then there is a regular one where you can adjust the settings with a traditional knob.

I prefer the digital one for the simple fact that you can set the temp for whatever you want, set the time for however long you want, and when that is done, it switches to the "warm" setting. This keeps things warm, but prevents things from totally over-cooking.

Another thing I love about it, is that so far, nothing sticks in it.

Like all the things I mentioned above...nothing sticks or burns!

You can see in the picture below how clean the lasagna came out, and it's like that with everything!

I do spray it with cooking spray, each time I use it, and it's super easy to wipe clean when I'm done!

They are sold in several different places, but I think the most popular is at BedBath&Beyond.

You can click this link HERE to check them out. They are pretty expensive, but if you sign up for their emails, they send out 20% off coupons all the time.

So enough about this awesome crockpot! Let's get on to this awesome recipe!!!!!

I was very skeptical of a "crockpot" lasagna for a long time, but I finally gave in.

I'm so glad I did, because now, I honestly prefer it over a baked one!

It's super easy to put together, and the flavor is great!

I hope you give it a try!

(and just a note....it can easily be made in the traditional oval crockpots)

1 pound ground beef or turkey

36 oz. spaghetti sauce (about a jar and a half)

1 (16 oz) container cottage cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 & 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 box oven-ready Gluten-Free lasagna noodles, uncooked 

(or sub regular lasagna noodles, if you don't need it to be gluten-free)

2+ cups shredded cheese

Brown ground meat until no longer pink; drain well. 

Mix with spaghetti sauce; set aside.

Mix together cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, and Italian seasoning.

Line a crock-pot with a crock-pot liner or spray with cooking spray.

Spread 1/3 of the meat sauce mixture across the bottom of the crock-pot.

Break a few of the noodles into large pieces to cover the top of the sauce.

Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles.

Sprinkle with a layer of mozzarella cheese.

Repeat layers with 1/3 of the meat sauce, noodles, remaining cottage cheese mixture, and mozzarella cheese. Top with a final layer of noodles, and the remaining meat sauce.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Or

Cover and cook on low for 2 & 1/2 to 3 hours. During the last half hour, sprinkle another thin layer of  cheese across the top. Cover and cook until noodles are tender when poked through with a fork, and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve!

Note:
-I used ground turkey in mine, and it worked great!
-I also used a Mexican blend cheese, which gave it more color, and the flavor was perfect!