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Monday, April 5, 2010

Crockpot Lasagna

(I ALWAYS double this recipe and it pretty much fills my five quart crockpot)

1 pound extra lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 28 oz jar/can spaghetti sauce
1 pound lasagna noodles
1 1/2 cups low fat cottage cheese
1/2 c. grated parmesan
1 1/2 cups part skim Mozzarella cheese, shredded

In a skillet, sauté beef, onion and garlic over medium-high heat. Drain and blot grease with paper towels. Add spaghetti sauce and blend well.

In a bowl, mix together all three cheeses, cottage cheese, Parmesan, and mozzarella.

On the bottom of your crock pot (which has been well-sprayed with Pam) spoon a layer of the meat mixture. Add a double layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (you will probably have to break them to make them fit.) Top noodles with a layer of cheese mixture, then repeat. Sauce, noodles, cheese, sauce noodles, cheese, sauce, noodles, cheese, sauce. You need to end with a layer of sauce so that all the noodles get tender.

Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or until the noodles are tender.

From whence it came: Someone who I love, admire and truly respect gave me this wonderful recipe. My friend, Michele Carnohan, shared this with me a while back and I've made it a bunch of times since then. Michele is just such a good person. She sees the best in everyone. She is positive and understanding and nonjudgmental and smart and spiritual and kind and fun and hilarious. I am part of a group of walking friends and we walk really early in the morning a few days a week. (I'm the slacker of the group, I usually only make it a couple of times each week, and sometimes not at all, but oh how I love being with these gals!) The other day on our walk Michele made me laugh so hard I almost couldn't go on. She's a hoot, and just as good as a person can be. I love you, Michele, and I love your lasagna, too!

Why it's blogable: It's just the best lasagna you'll ever eat, that's why! This looks kinda scary when it is done, but it tastes excellent. The reason it looks scary is more the presentation than anything else. When you scoop it out of the crockpot it is just that, a scoop of lasagna, not a neatly cut piece. But when you taste it, you'll never go back to the pretty stuff. You'll convert to the philosophy of "Beauty comes from within"...and within this lasagna is a beautiful mixture of flavors! It is a great after church dinner. Sometimes when I know I have a really busy Sunday, I'll put it together on Saturday, pop it in the fridge, then just plug it in before church. You'll come home to a heavenly aroma and a dinner that'll make your family love ya even more than they already do!

A little tip: I love this pasta sauce:

What's not to love? It's made by Butch Cassidy! Paul Newman may have been a bit older than me, but those blue eyes just made me swoon! And the man knew how to make pasta sauce. The two above are my favorite. I love them both equally! And would you look at the prices pictured here? Highway robbery I tell you! At my BFF Super Walmart, you can buy this saucy sauce for a buck eighty-eight! Speaking of Super Walmart, I just have to tell you again how I love that place. Today my teen boy needed a couple of things for a camping trip with the Boy Scouts this coming weekend. (I'll be on a strict diet of Tylenol PM while he's gone. I'm not a fan of boys hanging off cliffs and shooting at things and playing with fire. I'm always so happy to see that boy return home safely...until I get a wiff of him! Boys can be quite stinky!)

Anywho, the teen boy needed a backpack thingy that has what they call a bladder...no, I'm not kidding...built into it so you can drink water in a hands free fashion. He also needed a camp stove, and Super Walmart was the place. Here comes the good part...I was out of bananas and needed egg noodles to make chicken noodle soup and it was a one stop shopping experience. Where else can you buy a bladder and bananas under the same roof? Super Walmart rocks!

Where was I...oh yeah, Butch Cassidy. His pasta sauce is just about as good as anything you could make yourself so if you wanna save time, grab a couple of jars and make this recipe. You won't regret it, just like I never regret watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid again and again.

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!


1 comment:

  1. We always read and hear about Walmart here overseas and I have even watched a documentary about the store giant. Well! We are holidaying in Hawaii next year - and what do you think one of the "sights" is our kids want to see? Yes, sad I know...

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