Monday, November 5, 2012

thankful {day 5}

Today, I am thankful for the worldwide web giving me access to new recipes.
 
I was feeling pretty happy to have dinner going in the crock pot...lasagna, of all things!  I know, right?  Lasagna in the crock pot!!  But seriously, I have been in a recipe rut, so it was nice to try something new, & it really does make me feel good when I have dinner going for my family.
 
I must say I was pretty skeptical.  Maybe that's why I pinned this on pinterest almost a whole year ago & am just now trying it.  Ya, that's the reason.  Go with it.
 
I got the recipe here, so you can go check out the original, but I will share what I did.
 
 
Crock Pot Lasagna
 
2 lbs. Ground Beef
2-29 oz Cans Tomato Sauce
1/2 Large Onion, Chopped
Garlic, To Taste
Italian Seasoning, To Taste
3 Cups Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
6 Cups Mozzarella Cheese (Approx.)
8 oz. Lasagna Noodles (Regular, not oven ready), UNCOOKED
 
Sauce:  Brown ground beef, onion, & garlic; drain grease.  Add tomato sauce & seasoning.
 
Cheese Mixture:  Mix ricotta, parmesan, & 2 cups of mozzarella.
 
Alternate layers of sauce, noodles (break them up to fit in single layer covering sauce...may want safety goggles for this step...lol! Those suckers can splinter, for real!), cheese mixture, & enough mozzarella cheese to fill in the spaces the cheese mixture doesn't fill.  I got three full layers out of this, finishing with sauce on top (so 4 layers of sauce). 
 
Cook on low heat for 4 hours.  Sprinkle with additional mozzarella cheese & let stand for 10 minutes with the lid off before serving.
 
This made a lot.  A whole lot.  So, if you don't have an army to feed or have a smaller crock pot, I would definitely halve my ingredients.  I was really glad I "doctored" the sauce (the original recipe calls for just sauce & meat).  As it was, I was wishing I had added a bit more seasoning or even some turkey Italian sausage for some zip.  But the overall verdict was....YUMMY!  Easy, yummy comfort food, for sure.  I will definitely make this one again & am thinking I now need to start trying some of the other recipes I have pinned. :o) 
 
Do you have a go-to crock pot recipe?  If so, PLEASE do share!  I would be most thankful to add more recipes to my repertoire.

3 comments:

Karen said...

My favorite crock pot recipe is chili. Brown some ground beef. Add seasonings. Add assorted cans of beans, a can of petite diced tomatoes (or regular if you prefer), a can or two of tomato soup to thicken it. Easy, and you can change it up anytime. I usually make it in my largest crock pot (just add more of each ingredient) and then freeze what's left for another meal. Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips.

Also, spaghetti. Brown & drain ground beef. Put dry spaghetti noodles, ground beef and lots of sauce (also, rinse out the sauce jars with water and add that watery sauce as well). The noodles will cook as it cooks. Very easy. Oh yes, break the noodles...works a bit better when trying to combine the ingredients.

Laurel said...

No added water in the lasagna? Sounds like the lasagna I bake in my oven, except I pour a bit of water over the top before covering to bake.

LOVE my "Fix It and Forget It" crockpot cookbook. Oh. So. Many. Good. Recipes.

Love. Love. Love using my crockpot all fall and winter, without having the "just before dinner" rush in the kitchen.

:) :) :)

Dardi said...

No added water! I think using the tomato sauce as base to sauce is where the moisture for the noodles comes from? That & it's pretty steamy in there! I'll have to check out that cookbook! :o)