Crockpot Vegetable Lasagne

Crockpot Vegetable Lasagne

Recently, I received a new crockpot. This may not seem like such a big deal, but my old one was pretty bad. It had three settings – low, high, and warm. They were in that order, too, which never made sense to me. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to put a couple of chicken breasts in thinking it will make a good soup, only to find hours later that you accidentally put it on warm instead of high and you have to toss the whole thing in the garbage. Not fun. Of course, if I used the high setting it was usually done in a scant two hours which really defeated the purpose of “slow-cooking”. It was definitely time for a replacement. After doing some research I decided to go with the Cuisinart Programmable 3 1/2-Quart. It is the perfect size for the small meals I tend to make, plus, being digital, I can set it for a specific time and setting and there are no worries about it being finished hours early or overcooking. When it is finished it will keep it warm for up to eight hours. I couldn’t wait to try it out.  

Crockpot Vegetable Lasagne Crockpot Vegetable LasagneCrockpot Vegetable Lasagne Crockpot Vegetable Lasagne

I have never made a pasta dish in the crockpot before; I was always worried about the pasta just turning to mush. I am a huge fan of lasagne, though, and thought this might be an easy way to make it. No cooking the noodles, no messy prep work, just grating and chopping. Easy. Although I was still worried about the mushiness factor, I was hoping since there isn’t much liquid that it wouldn’t be a problem. This ended up being one of the easiest lasagnes I’ve ever made. It took me about 20 minutes to get everything ready and into the crockpot. The pasta wasn’t too mushy either. The flavors all melded together and letting it sit for about an hour at the end was the key to getting out decent slices. I may have to try this again with a non-vegetarian recipe.

Crockpot Vegetable Lasagne Crockpot Vegetable LasagneCrockpot Vegetable Lasagne

Crockpot Vegetable Lasagne

[adapted from Pinch of Yum]
 
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
36 ounces pasta sauce
9 lasagne noodles
3-4 cups chopped vegetables – your choice (I used spinach, zucchini, and broccoli)
2 cups shredded Mozzarella
Parmesan cheese for topping
fresh parsley for topping
 
Mix the ricotta, garlic, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Spray the crockpot with a non-stick cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce on the bottom. Break the noodles so they cover the bottom. Cover them with one-third of the ricotta. Layer a third of the vegetables, sauce, and cheese. Repeat the layers two more times to make three complete layers. Top with one last layer of noodles. Cover them with a thin layer of sauce, a bit more mozzarella, and the parmesan.
 
Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5-6 hours. Turn off the crockpot and let it sit for at least an hour to allow the moisture to get soaked into the lasagne. Serve.

Crockpot Vegetable LasagneCrockpot Vegetable Lasagne 

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