Easy Crock Pot Lasagna Recipe

Lasagna has its origin in Italy, however the method to make it differs from one province to another in Italy. It is actually a flat pasta, which is made by alternating between different layers. It often comprises alternating layers of pasta, cheese, sauce, vegetables and/or meat. The sauces used to make lasagna are different for different regions of Italy. For example, in Northern Italy, Béchamel sauce is used, whereas in Southern Italy tomato sauce is used. The different layers of lasagna are baked to perfection before they are served. The time required to bake the dish varies on the ingredients used to make the recipe. Therefore, although a simple and easy to make recipe, it is not made as often as one would actually want to make it. This is when the easy crock pot lasagna recipes come in handy. One can leave the lasagna to bake in the crock pot and enjoy it after coming back from work.

Crock Pot Lasagna Recipe ...

... with Spinach
This is incidentally the first lasagna recipe, that I tried in the crock pot. It is a healthy lasagna recipe and apt for vegetarians.

Ingredients

• 6 cups spinach
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 3 cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• 15 ounces fresh ricotta cheese
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• 3 cloves chopped garlic
• 2 tbsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp ground pepper

Preparation

• In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and the other cheese types and set aside.
• In another mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, chopped garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper.
• Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce at the bottom of the crock pot.
• Place 3 noodles on the sauce
• Then spread a big chunk of sauce on the noodles and then spread 2 cups of spinach and about 1 ½ cups of cheese mixture on the noodles.
• Repeat the same procedure twice with the remaining noodles.
• On top spread sauce and the remaining cup of mozzarella cheese.
• Cover and let the lasagna cook till it is tender, especially at the center. It will take about 3 to 4 hours for the lasagna to be made.

... with Ground Beef
If your meals seem incomplete without a hint of meat in it, then this is a must try recipe. This recipe is a low fat lasagna recipe, as it contains 90% lean ground meat.

Ingredients

• ½ pound 90% lean ground beef
• 1 package of no-boil lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• Salt and freshly ground pepper as per taste

Preparation

• In a skillet, add beef, garlic and onion and fry it, till beef is brown in color.
• Drain off any excess grease/oil.
• To the browned meat add spaghetti sauce and stir so that it is mixed well.
• In a mixing bowl, beat egg till light and fluffy.
• Add ricotta cheese and milk to it and continue to stir, till all the ingredients are well mixed.
• Now add mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and stir well.
• Grease the bottom of the crock pot with cooking spray.
• At the bottom of the pan place a layer of noodles and top it with a layer of meat mixture and cheese mixture.
• Repeat the same for the remaining 2 layers with the last layer being the meat layer.
• Let the lasagna cook in the crock pot for 5 to 6 hours till the noodles are tender especially at the center.

... with Ground Turkey and Mushrooms
This is an easy to make classic lasagna recipe. The mushrooms and ground turkey together makes for an interesting lasagna combination. Let's see the recipe for crock pot lasagna with ground turkey and mushrooms.

Ingredients

• ½ pound ground turkey
• 8 lasagna noodles
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup ricotta cheese
• 1 can mushrooms
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Preparation

• In a skillet place ground turkey meat and Italian seasoning and fry, till the meat is brown. Drain off any excess grease or oil.
• To the sauce add 4 to 5 tbsp water and keep aside.
• Grease the crock pot with cooking spray and place 2 to 3 uncooked lasagna noodles at the bottom of the crock pot.
• Place a layer of meat, followed by sauce, mushrooms, ricotta and mozzarella cheese.
• Follow the same procedure with the remaining noodles.
• Let the lasagna cook for 4 to 5 hours, till it is tender at the center.

This are some of the easy crock pot lasagna recipes, which you will want to try. You can also add some vegetables to increase the fiber content in lasagna. It is recommended to cook the lasagna at low temperature only, so that the noodles do not stick to the bottom of the crock pot.