March 15, 2017

(No Pre-cooking Noodles) Crock Pot Lasagna

Enjoying the delicious taste, and ease of preparing, my Crock Pot Lasagna.

Winter

Spring begins in a mere five days, or so the calendar indicates, yet Mother Nature says otherwise.  

My friend, Michele, took this beautiful photo in northern Maryland, last week.
Photo thanks to Michele Shockley!

In the aftermath of yesterday’s snow-sleet-freezing rain storm, a cold strong winter wind whips the empty tree branches just outside my back window, as I type.

The view out my back window today, not looking much like Spring.

With winter kicking up her heals again, my thoughts turn to comfort food; a comfort food meal, followed by fun movie watching, while snuggled under a nice warm blanket.  

Kali has the right idea on this wintery day!

Comfort Food-Lasagna!

One comfort food that comes to mind for me, this winter’s day, is Lasagna!  As cartoon Garfield the Cat , once aptly put it, “I never met a lasagna I didn’t like.” I concur!
Jenn Bare, of www.getcrocked.com, kindly shared this wonderful lasagna recipe with me a few months ago.  It is great, and you do not even have to pre-cook the noodles! This is now my “go-to” lasagna recipe for my family. I have tweaked the recipe to fit my family’s preferences, and now share my version with you, below.

Find Jenn Bare on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/crockpotgirl/,
or check out her cookbooks on crock pot cooking!

“I never met a lasagna I didn’t like” Garfield

My daughter baked and decorated this Garfield cake for her high school graduation party in May 2009.

Other Winter Worthy Posts

You may view my…

January 2014 post- Baby, It’s Cold Outside, here.

January 2015 post- An Ideal Lazy, Cozy, Winter Afternoon, here.

January 2016 post- One Wedding and a Whale of a Snowstorm, here.

Cooking Lasagna

My ingredients wait to be transformed into Crock Pot Lasagna.
I gained a real appreciation for fresh parmesan cheese while living over seas,
where fresh parmesan from Italy was readily available.

I love using my handy-dandy chop turner to easily cook and break up
the sausage into small, even, pieces.

Recipe

(No Pre-cooking Noodles) Crock Pot Lasagna

Ingredients

PAM cooking spray
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
1 small onion, chopped
29 oz. tomato sauce, canned
6 oz. tomato paste, canned
1 tsp. dried oregano
12-24 oz. cottage cheese (small curd)
1/2-3/4 c. grated fresh parmesan cheese
 1/2-3/4 cup grated fresh asiago cheese
12 oz. lasagna noodles, uncooked (I could only find 16 oz. size)
1-2 (12 oz.) package(s) of fresh very thinly* sliced, or grated, mozzarella cheese
(*Too thickly sliced cheese on the top layer will result in toughness,
rather than yummy meltiness.)

Directions

Spray crock pot insert with Pam, and plug in crock pot, turning dial on low.

In a skillet, cook onion until limp, then add Italian sausage until browned.
(I do this in my electric skillet.) 
Drain off grease, if necessary.

Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and oregano,
cooking just long enough to get it warm.

Spoon half of meat sauce onto the bottom of the crock pot.
Add a double layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (break to fit).
Top with 1/2 of the cottage cheese,
1/2 of the parmesan cheese,
1/2 of the asiago cheese,
and 1/2 of the sliced mozzarella cheese.

Repeat with remaining half of meat sauce,
doubled uncooked lasagna noodles,
Remaining 1/2 of the cottage cheese,
Remaining 1/2of the parmesan cheese,
Remaining 1/2 of the asiago cheese,
and  remaining 1/2 of the sliced mozzarella cheese.
Making sure that the very thinly sliced, or grated mozzarella cheese ends up on the top.

Place cover on crock pot.
Cook on Low for 4 to 5 hours.
Serve with hot bread and a tossed salad.

Enjoy!

What recipes do you “cook up” when the winter winds howl outside.
Please, share them in the comments section below.  :o)

Thanks for Reading!

Annette

Enjoy my past blogs and photos. Click here, or go to imannette.net.

I attempt to post every other Thursday. Look for my next post on Thursday, March 30.

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The wintery view from my front window today.