Lasagna Can Be Crock Potted!!

Oh yes it can!!

Would you like to know the bestest most best ever part in the whole wide world???

The noodles...

don't need...

to be cooked!!!

I know!! You're freaking out! "What?? Let me read that again. She's GOT to be joking! How can you make a lasagna without cooking the noodles first?!"

Well, ladies and gentlemens, like THIS:

It is pictured in Hamilton, my beloved 7qt crock. I used Hamilton because I didn't know how much space the recipe would take up and my other crock is a only a 4qt (Hamilton, Jr.). Once I discovered this, even though I knew it wouldn't cook as well due to so much empty space (remember, you want to fill 3/4 to get the most out of it).

It tasted absolutely delicious, we all loved it, and I learned a few things from this, my first attempt. I will give you the recipe first and then I'll gab some more about my version, tips, etc.

  Lasagna Ala Crock Pot
  
     1 pkg burger (I used buffalo)
     1 onion *shudder*, chopped -I replaced with a small bit of onion powder. That's progress.
     2 garlic cloves, smashed or 1 tsp minced garlic -I used minced
   
   Brown ground meat, onion & garlic. While this is browning, grease your crock. CROCK! Geez.
        
     1 (28oz) can tomato sauce
     1 (6oz) can tomato paste
     1 1/2 tsp salt
     1 tsp dried oregano



    Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt & oregano and cook it just long enough to warm it all.

     12oz cottage cheese -I used ricotta
     16oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
     1/2 C grated parmesan cheese or asiago cheese

     12oz Lasagna noodles uncooked -I used an entire 16oz box

Spoon layer of meat sauce onto bottom of crock.
Add double layer of noodles (try to keep noodles from touching sides as much as you can. It is inevitable that some will, but try anyway) & top with cheeses. Do not mix cheeses together in a bowl first. Trust me.
Repeat with sauce, noodles, cheese until all are used up. (I topped with shredded mozzarella).
Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours, I have to leave my house at 8am and don't return home until 3pm so I set my timer for 1:30 so we could eat around 5:30-6. 


This lasagna was good and that's why I'm giving you that version, that option, to try for yourself.

NOW, there will be a few changes to the next lasagna I make! While it tasted great, the sauce was NOT enough to my liking, I have to have sauce under AND over my noodles or else the cheese & noodle layers become one thick conglomerated amalgam of an entity. The next lasagna I do, I will take an extra can of tomato sauce and an extra can of tomato paste, mix them together (pastesauce) in a bowl and layer things suchly:


     Layer of meat sauce
     Double layer of noodles
     Layer of pastesauce
     Layer of cheeses

and repeat!


If you have any questions, comments, versions of your own, or a darn good knock knock joke, please use the comment box below!