Slow Cooker Lasagna

POINTS® Value:    8 Servings:  6 Preparation Time:  20 min Cooking Time:  360 min Level of Difficulty:  Easy

No need to cook the noodles first or stay home while it bakes. Just let it sit a few minutes before serving so it can firm up a bit.

Ingredients

	1 pound(s) uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
	1 small onion(s), chopped
	1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
	28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
	15 oz canned tomato sauce
	1 tsp table salt
	1 tsp dried oregano
	1/2 tsp dried basil
	1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
	1 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
	1 1/2 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
	6 item(s) dry lasagna noodles, no-cook
	1/2 cup(s) shredded Parmesan cheese, strong-flavored like Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
• Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.
• Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.
• In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes. Yields 1/6th of dish per serving.

Notes

• To boost your vegetable intake, add a can of zucchini in tomato sauce to the meat mixture. You can also add 2 cups of sliced shiitake mushrooms to the beef mixture.