Family Dinners: Slow Cooker Veggie Lasagna

by Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD on April 28, 2010

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One of the moms in my daughter’s playgroup shared this slow cooker veggie lasagna recipe. She got it from a magazine 5 years ago and now it’s a family favorite.

I was thrilled because the veggie lasagna I used to make is tasty, but time consuming. I really think I like this one better. It’s pretty amazing actually.

I started the prep work at 2:45pm and turned the slow cooker on at 3:08. But I’m pretty slow so you probably could get it done in 15 minutes. The only downside is it cooks for 3 hours so it might not work for a work day. I think it’s perfect for a Saturday or Sunday or an at home weekday.

Ingredients:
-8-ounce package shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
-15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
-2 large eggs
-¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
-1 teaspoon salt, divided
-1 cup carrots, shredded
-3 cups zucchini, shredded and firmly packed
-26-ounce jar roasted garlic marinara sauce
-8-10 regular lasagna noodles (not no-boil)

Directions
Remove ½ cup mozzarella cheese. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine remaining mozzarella, ricotta, eggs, Parmesan and ½ teaspoon salt.
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Cook carrots in microwave for 2 minutes. Stir into cheese mixture and set aside.
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In a separate bowl, stir remaining ½ teaspoon salt into zucchini.

Spray Crock Pot with cooking spray.

Spread 1/3 sauce on bottom. Gently break 2 noodles to fill and cover bottom (this part will be hard for you neat freaks — just remember it turns out in the end)
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Spread 1 cup cheese mixture over the noodles. Top with 1 cup shredded zucchini. Top with 2/3 cup marinara sauce.
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Repeat with a second layer (2 noodles, 1 cup cheese mixture, 1 cup shredded zucchini and 2/3 cup marinara sauce).

Add a third layer of noodles and top with remaining cheese mixture and zucchini only.

Top with noodles and remaining marinara sauce, then sprinkle with the reserved ½ cup mozzarella.
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Cook on High for 3 hours. Let stand 15-20 minutes before serving.
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }

Evelyn April 28, 2010 at 8:39 am

Thank you for posting. I cannot wait to try it out.

Katja Rowell April 28, 2010 at 9:00 am

looks delicious. I have an enormous crockpot, wonder if I should double the recipe? I made a double batch of white chicken chili that was gross and I was disappointed! I try never to double up on a new recipe, but the huge crock is a problem. (I have two already, and no room for a third :)

Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD April 28, 2010 at 10:12 am

The recipe didn’t say what size to use. I used a 4-quart crockpot. It will probably work okay in a larger size. It might be done sooner though. Let me know how it turns out!

Lasagna April 29, 2010 at 3:59 am

Crock pot lasagna is simply heartwarming for me. There’s this homey feel, more like a countryside feel, every time we’re having this dish at our table. And of course, it’s so easy to cook. You can just forget about it after you’ve set it up. You can prepare your dessert or attend to your other chores while it’s cooking.

Liz - Meal Makeover Mom April 29, 2010 at 8:46 pm

This looks fabulous! I am definitely going to try it. Did you use regular noodles or the no-bake lasagna noodles?

Liz - Meal Makeover Mom April 29, 2010 at 8:47 pm

Oops .. just saw your note on no-boil noodles. Never mind!! I guess it’s too late to be reading blogs anyway.

Amy May 23, 2010 at 6:24 pm

Fantastic! Just made it for my slightly veggie-phobic husband, who is on his 2nd portion!!

Zohraa October 7, 2010 at 2:26 pm

Looks yummyyyy. Can’t wait to try it. I hope my kids with be fooled by the veggies mixed in there and gobble it down!! Always trying to find recipes with hidden veggies. Thanks again for posting this :)

Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD October 7, 2010 at 9:04 pm

If they like lasagna they’ll eat it….veggies and all!

Zohraa October 26, 2010 at 2:14 pm

Thanks for posting this. I tried this two weekends ago. My kids loved it! Especially my 28 month old boy! I froze the leftovers , but it didn’t reaheat too well, it was a bit soggy. If you have any tips for freezing this dish , let me know. Thanks again!
Zohraa :)

Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD October 26, 2010 at 2:47 pm

Glad your family liked it — this is one of my favorite slow cook recipes. I’ve never tried to freeze this recipe so can’t give any suggestions. Actually, I do little freezing but will after we move and have more space (so should be blogging more about it in the future!).

Erin November 30, 2010 at 10:13 pm

I made this for dinner tonight and it was really good! I misread the recipe and used no boil noodles, but it still turned out well in about half the time.

Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD December 2, 2010 at 6:49 pm

That is so funny. I made it the same night you did. Glad to hear the no boil noodles work too!

Lauren March 9, 2011 at 9:52 pm

I am going to try either this or the spinach one this week, can’t decide yet!

Jaime July 25, 2011 at 8:27 pm

I made this for my fussy husband and 3 kids and they couldn’t get enough! I’m trying to cut down the amount of meat my family eats, and this was a very filling and satisfying dinner. Definitely something I will be making again. Very delicious! My slow cooker tends to cook pretty quickly, so I turned it down to low after 90 minutes, but other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. Thanks for the awesome recipe.

Mary Ann July 26, 2011 at 12:37 pm

Are we suppose to squeeze out the liquid of the zucchini? Or just shredd it up and use it?

Thanks,

Mary Ann

Jaime July 26, 2011 at 8:28 pm

I didn’t squeeze out the zuchini and the noodles weren’t quite as firm as I would like, so I would probably squeeze it out the next time I make it. There is plenty of liquid from the sauce to cook the noodles.

Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD July 26, 2011 at 10:06 pm

I usually don’t squeeze out the zucchini. Sorry would have responded earlier but having some computer trouble.

Audra October 3, 2011 at 9:25 am

This is a great recipe and in fact I planned to make it for my family again this week so it was neat to see it posted again. My husband and son are not big veggie fans but will eat this one. It’s so easy too, I just need to pop home at lunch and throw it together and it’s ready for supper on a busy weeknight! BTW, Pre-prepping the veggies helps save time.

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