Crock Pot Lasagna

            In my mind, lasagna is the essence of Italian food. I know millions of people will say that it is spaghetti, but I beg to differ. I just love the layers of flavor! Well, you should all know layers are my thing. If I can create a recipe where it contains layers of ingredients, I will do so. It is just so pleasing to take a bite of food and have a little bit of everything there.

            This time, I tried this recipe in the crock pot. I use my air fryer, and an instant pot, but for some reason I always fall back onto my crock pot. I believe it is because the aroma of the food cooking all day fills the house and just comforts me the minute I walk in. Mostly because I know that our dinner is basically done. All I need to do is make a side salad or some vegetables.

            For me, and I am sure it will be for you also, an easy dish to make when you don’t have time to make the actual layered lasagna. All the flavors are still here and it is still one of life’s greatest comforts.

            Serve this with a garlic infused loaf of french bread, you could even make it into a cheesy garlic bread. This is the ultimate in easy lasagna recipes.

Frequently Asked Questions:

            Do I need to boil the lasagna noodles first?

For this recipe, I will generally buy the oven ready lasagna noodles.  However, I can tell you that using regular lasagna noodles works wonderfully. They soak up all the good flavors, soften and end up with a great texture.

            How long does this take to cook completely in the crock pot?

If you set it on low, it can cook for 4 to 6 hours.

            How long does this take to prepare?

Actually, the sweet part is it will only take about 10 minutes to prepare this and have it ready to cook.

What do you need to make Crock Pot Lasagna

            1 ½ tsp salt

            1 tsp dried oregano

            2 tsp minced garlic

            1 onion chopped finely

            1 pound lean ground beef

            29 ounces tomato sauce

            6 ounces tomato paste

            12 ounces cottage cheese, small curd

            ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated

            16 ounces Mozzarella cheese, shredded

            16 ounce package of lasagna noodles

How to make Crock Pot Lasagna

FIRST STEP:

In a large skillet cook the lean ground beef until done, add in the chopped onion and the garlic, cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes

Add in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano and the salt, stir to combine thoroughly

a)

b)

c)

SECOND STEP:

In a large bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, the parmesan cheese and the shredded mozzarella cheese.

a)

b)

c)

Spoon a layer of the meat mix at the bottom of the crock pot, add a double layer of the uncooked lasagna noodles, (I layer them both ways to cover all areas)

a)

b)

THIRD STEP:

Top the noodles with a layer of the cheese mix

FOURTH STEP:

Repeat the layers again until all the ingredients are used Cover and cook on low 4 to 6 hours

a)

b)

c)

Enjoy!

YUM!