Authentic Italian Crock Pot Lasagna Recipes

Steps:

• Cook sausage and onion in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir in undrained tomato sauce, basil and salt.
• Mix 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. Refrigerate remaining mozzarella cheese while lasagna cooks.
• Spoon 1/4 of the sausage mixture into 6-quart slow cooker; top with 5 about noodles, broken to fit the pot. Spread with 1/2 of the cheese mixture and 1/4 of the sausage mixture. Top with 5 noodles, remaining cheese mixture and 1/4 of the sausage mixture. Top with remaining 5 noodles and remaining sausage mixture.
• Cover and cook on Low heat setting 4-6 hours or until noodles are tender.
• Sprinkle top of lasagna with remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover and let stand about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut straight down and enjoy!
• Tips: Sprinkle some chopped fresh parsley on top before serving for added appeal. Italian sausage can be interchanged with the hot or spicy varieties for more zing. Links can be substituted by cutting the casings and squeezing the meat out and cooking as directed.

Steps:

• Spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.
• Heat olive oil and saute onion and garlic in Dutch oven.
• Add ground beef and cook until lightly browned.
• Add salt and pepper and mix well. Remove meat from pan and set aside.
• Add tomato paste and cook approximately 5 minutes, until browned.
• Add crushed tomatoes, basil, wine, sugar and hot pepper. Stir in the browned ground beef and mix well.
• Cover and let simmer 30 minutes while you prepare the cheese mixture.
• Place ricotta cheese in large mixing bowl.
• Make a well in the center and add 1/2 cup Romano cheese, mozzarella cubes, salt, pepper, and parsley.
• In a small bowl, beat egg lightly. Pour into center well with cheeses.
• Mix until thoroughly combined.
• When tomato sauce has cooked for 30 minutes, spoon a layer of tomato sauce into a 6-qt. oval crock pot.
• Cover with a layer of lasagna noodles, overlapping and breaking pasta to fit all around the bottom, if necessary.
• Add half of the ricotta mixture and carefully spread over lasagna noodles with a frosting knife.
• Cover with a layer of sauce. Then add another layer of lasagna noodles, ricotta mixture, sauce.
• End with a final layer of lasagna noodles and the remaining sauce.
• Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. (I have to set mine on 8 hours and shut it off or switch it to keep warm after 4 hours since my slow cooker cooks anything under 8 on high.).
• In the last 60 minutes, sprinkle top with remaining Romano cheese and slices of mozzarella.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bechamel sauce:
• In a 2-quart pot, melt 5 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When butter has completely melted, add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming. Continue to simmer and whisk over medium heat until the sauce is thick, smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of wooden spoon. Remove from heat and add the nutmeg and tomato sauce. Stir until well combined and check for seasoning. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
• In a saute pan, heat extra-virgin olive oil. When almost smoking, add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Brown meat, breaking any large lumps, until it is no longer pink. Remove from heat and drain any excess fat. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
• In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly mix the ricotta and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Into the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, spread 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Arrange the pasta sheets side by side, covering the bottom of the baking dish. Evenly spread a layer of all the ricotta mixture and then a layer of all the spinach. Arrange another layer of pasta sheets and spread all the ground beef on top. Sprinkle 1/2 the mozzarella cheese on top of the beef. Spread another 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Arrange the final layer of pasta sheets and top with remaining bechamel, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into 1/4-inch cubes and top lasagna.
• Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place lasagna dish on top, cover and put on the middle rack of the oven and bake until top is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue to bake for about 15 minutes.
• In a large casserole pot or Dutch over, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
• Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease a 9 x 13-inch (22 x 33 cm) baking dish lightly with nonstick spray.
• In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef and marinara sauce.
• In a separate large bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, basil, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
• Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with 5 cooked lasagna noodles, overlapping as needed to completely cover the sauce. Spread 2 cups of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Top with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Repeat with the remaining meat sauce, noodles, ricotta, and mozzarella to make 2 more layers.
• Bake the lasagna for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling up through the layers. Turn the broiler to high and broil for 1-2 minutes, until the top layer of cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
• Let the lasagna cool for 30-45 minutes, then serve.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• In a skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, tomato paste, salt and oregano. , Spread a fourth of the meat sauce in an ungreased 5-qt. slow cooker. Arrange a third of the noodles over sauce (break the noodles to fit if necessary). Combine cheeses; spoon a third of the mixture over noodles. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce., Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until noodles are tender.