Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna
Sure, the slow cooker’s great for stews and soups, but it also happens to make a mean lasagna! In this ingenious slow-cooker recipe, all you have to do is chop your veggies, then layer the ingredients (raw) into the crockpot. Serve with: Garlic bread and a green salad.
Servings
8 servings
Prep Time
30 minutes
Total Time
2 hours on High or 4 hours on Low
Ingredients
- 1large egg
- 115- to 16-ounce container part-skim ricotta
- 15-ounce package baby spinach, coarsely chopped
- 3large portobello mushroom caps, gills removed, halved and thinly sliced
- 1small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 128-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 128-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 3cloves garlic, minced
- Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)
- 15whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 12 ounces), uncooked
- 3cups shredded part-skim mozzarella, divided
Instructions
- Combine egg, ricotta, spinach, mushrooms and zucchini in a large bowl.
- Combine crushed and diced tomatoes and their juice, garlic and crushed red pepper (if using) in a medium bowl.
- Generously coat a 6-quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the tomato mixture in the slow cooker. Arrange 5 noodles over the sauce, overlapping them slightly and breaking into pieces to cover as much of the sauce as possible. Spread half of the ricotta-vegetable mixture over the noodles and firmly pat down, then spoon on 1 1/2 cups sauce and sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat the layering one more time, starting with noodles. Top with a third layer of noodles. Evenly spread the remaining tomato sauce over the noodles. Set aside the remaining 1 cup mozzarella in the refrigerator.
- Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on High for 2 hours or on Low for 4 hours. Turn off the slow cooker, sprinkle the reserved mozzarella on the lasagna, cover and let stand for 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
Tips
Tip: The dark gills found on the underside of a portobello mushroom cap are edible, but can turn a dish an unappealing gray color. If you like, gently scrape the gills off with a spoon.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (recipe makes 8 servings)
| Calories | 414kcal |
|---|---|
| Carbohydrate Total | 48g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Fiber | 7g |
| Total Fat | 14g |
| Saturated Fat | 8g |
| Mono Saturated Fat | 4g |
| Cholesterol | 63mg |
| Sodium | 641mg |
| Protein | 28g |
| Potassium | 829mg |
| Calcium | 563mg |
| Folate | 70mcg |
| Omega-6 | 1g |
| Vitamin E | 3mg |
| Zinc | 4mg |
| Vitamin B3 | 4mg |
© Meredith Operations Corporation. All rights reserved. Used with permission.