Slow Cooker Lasagna - Better the Second Day?!

I have a love-hate relationship with slow cooker lasagna.  I LOVE the idea of cooking lasagna in a slow cooker, but hate the results.  I came across a recipe for a slow cooker recipe that celebrated mushrooms - one of my favorite veggies, so I decided to give it a try.

Basically, slow cooker lasagna works much like regular lasagna - prep ingredients ahead and assemble before cooking.  The difference is that the lasagna noodles should be the "oven ready" variety and the prep is with a slow cooker rather than a lasagna pan.  This recipe requires that the ground beef and mushrooms be cooked ahead and then layered into the noodles and cottage cheese.

Were I to do this recipe again, I would 1) sauté the mushrooms and onions separately to build a layer of flavor, 2) brown the ground beef and season BEFORE combining with mushrooms, 3) use spaghetti sauce rather than plain tomato sauce, 4) punch up the flavor with more garlic and dried herbs, and; 5:  sub ricotta cheese for the cottage cheese (personal preference).  It's not that this recipe was bad, but it's just based on what I love for a regular lasagna (and that I have a sentimental attachment to a recipe my husband first made for me when we dated).  Honestly, my taste in lasagna is probably more Americanized, but who cares - it's comfort food any way you want it!

All of that said, slow cooker lasagna is super-easy, though it comes out different than regular lasagna.  It's more mushy and is more something you spoon out than cut out and serve.  However, if you love the stacked lasagna look, cook the lasagna a day early, then put into a container that allows you to stack the lasagna in a double layer.  It firms up nicely and can be easily cut into squares and reheated the next day.  And we all know that leftover Italian food is even better the next day!

I'm giving you a basic slow cooker lasagna recipe, but feel free to modify to your tastes and remember to use a 5-qt or larger slow cooker.  It doesn't cut into squares straight out of the slow cooker - it's more like a spooned up skillet recipe, but it's tasty! It makes a lot, but if you're like me, you'll take it and double stack it  for leftovers! It actually tasted better the second day and because it was chilled then reheated, it's easier to shape into a square before rewarming in the microwave. Happy eating!

Better the second day.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

Adapted from a recipe in Prevention Magazine
1 lb extra lean ground beef or bulk Italian sausage
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms or 1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 clove garlic, minced
9 oven ready lasagna noodles
1 jar (28 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 container (16 oz) reduced or fat-free cottage cheese
2 cups shredded reduced fat mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown ground beef and onion until nicely browned and cooked through.  Add in tomatoes, mushrooms, and garlic and saute another 5 minutes.  Coat 4-qt or larger slow cooker with cooking spray. Place 3 noodles, side by side or slightly overlapping, in bottom of cooker. Top with 1/3 each of the spaghetti sauce, cottage cheese, beef mixture, and mozzarella. Repeat layers 2 more times, ending with mozzarella. Sprinkle Parmesan on top. Cover and cook on low 4 - 5 hours or until lasagna is cooked through and cheese is bubbly.  Spoon onto plates (this will be very soft) and garnish with more Parmesan.

For leftovers: place contents in a rectangular or square dish and refrigerate. When ready to eat, cut into squares and place on microwave-safe plate. Cover with paper towels (to prevent splatter) and reheat on medium power (50%) for 1 - 2 minutes or until heated through (time will vary by size of slice and microwave power).  Can also use "reheat" setting on microwave if available. Garnish with more mozzarella and Parmesan.

The Lasagna Debacle, Part I

Lasagna, at it's soul, is a simple dish - meat, cheese, sauce, and noodles are its fundamental components.  Yet, there are endless ways of complicating (and simplifying) this wonderful dish.  There is something comforting about the familiar Italian flavors and hearty, substantial personality.  There are 1 billion variations on a classic and countless reasons for them.  In a fit of nostalgia following, I recount the only date meal my husband ever learned to make to impress girls (it impressed me).  Next blog post, I "gourmet" up our tried-and-true (and easy) recipe for something more "artisinal" and completely from scratch.  The debacle?  Does 100% "from scratch" lasagna taste better than the lasagna with pre-made ingredients (i.e. spaghetti sauce, store-bought ricotta, pre-made noodles)?  Results to come in Part II!

My sweetie does not cook much.  He grills great, but never really learned to cook things on the stove.  Maybe I need to challenge him to cook on the grill... hmmm. :)  Since it is rare for him to don the chef's hat for the day, it was very memorable to me when he made me the one-and-only "date" meal he knew - lasagna and garlic bread.  Why did he know how to cook lasagna and nothing else?  I can thank the J.J. Pearce High School College Survival class!  His teacher, far wiser than her students, knew that a guy would eventually want or have to impress his sweetie with a nice home cooked meal.  So, she gave them a reliable lasagna recipe and instructed them to use it!

Over the years, the "Date Lasagna" has morphed from something IceDaddy made for me to something we made together, and, most recently, to something I make for us.  How did this happen????

What I love about the receipe is the simplicity and easy-to-assemble ingredients.  Nothing complicated and aside from a one hour plus cooking time and three basic assembly steps (cook meat and combine with spaghetti sauce, mix ricotta with eggs, and assemble the lasagna), it's pretty easy. 

It's almost like a non-recipe, which is why it's stayed a family favorite.  I can assemble it from memory.

"Date Lasagna"

Serves 6 - 8; inspired from a recipe courtesy of JJ Pearce H.S. Home Ec
1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
1 - 15 oz container ricotta cheese (regular or part skim)
2 eggs
2 tsp.. dried parsley
Salt and pepper
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles
1/2 lb shredded mozzarella
3 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Combine cooked ground beef, spaghetti sauce, and water.  Mix to combine and season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.  Combine ricotta, eggs, parsley, and about 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper.  Mix to combine and set aside. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9x13 pan with non-stick spray.  Spread about 1/2 cup of meat sauce on bottom of pan.  Place about 5 lasagna noodles (uncooked), edges overlapping in pan.  Cover with 1/2 of the ricotta mixture; spread over noodles.  Top with 1/2 of the mozzarella and 1 Tbsp. of the parmesan, finishing with 1/2 of the remaining meat sauce.  Repeat the layering through the meat sauce.  Top with remaining parmesan cheese.

Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Uncover and bake 15 - 30 minutes longer.

Yummy tomatoey goodness

I hope you consider making this for your sweetie.  It's also a great dish to assemble as a family.  Happy eating!