Slow Cooker Lasagna

Our office at work gets a little chilly – all the time! We moved offices this summer from a tiny little dark area above the arts center to a big light filled corner of the building. I plopped myself in the corner of the room (corner of the corner) with my back to large beautiful windows, views of churches and our downtown skyline. The sunshine factor of our location is amazing. I felt my mood and outlook on work change dramatically once I could see the sky from my desk again.

On my right

However, I live in the Midwest and it gets darn cold here. Already I’m chilly throughout the day. I keep a blanket tucked in a desk drawer and I wear lots of layers to work. I’m thinking of investing in wrist warmers this winter. My travel mug keeps my morning tea nice and hot so that helps warm things up.

On my left

Since it’s not just me that gets cold, my coworker, Ms. K, and I dreamed up “Warm Up Wednesdays.” If I do say so myself, this is a genius idea. Each Wednesday someone from the office brings in a slow cooker meal to share. Everyone in the office signs up for a different week. You bring lunch once and receive six others in return! It really does give you something to look forward to each week – free lunch!

I tried a new recipe for Warm Up Wednesday. One of my coworkers is not a fan of beans so that eliminated most of my favorite slow cooker recipes. Also, I didn’t want to bring in anything too adventurous since I had six other people to consider with my meal choice. So I went with one that was comfort food for almost everyone I know. Lasagna! Kraft had a recipe for slow cooker lasagna that would be cooked in four hours. Four hours is the perfect amount of time to bring something to work and have it cooked by lunch. The lasagna was quick to put together (I did it the night before), not too expensive and turned out wonderfully.

Enjoy!

1 lb. ground beef

24 oz. mariana sauce (or 24oz Salsa All'Amatriciana)
1 c. water
15 oz. ricotta (or 24 oz. 4% cottage cheese)
7 oz. mozzarella, shredded and divided
¼ c. parmesan, shredded and, divided
1 egg
2 T.  parsley, chopped
6 lasagna noodles, uncooked

Brown meat in large skillet. Drain and rinse.  Return to skillet and add mariana and water.

In a bowl mix together ricotta, 1 ½ cups mozzarella, two tablespoons parmesan, egg and parsley.

Spoon one cup of the meat sauce into the slow cooker. Top with three noodles, broken to fit, and half of the cheese mixture. Cover with two cups of meat sauce. Top with remaining noodles, broken to fit, and remaining cheese mixture and meat sauce. Cover with lid.

Cook on low for four to six hours or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses and let stand, covered, for ten minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Make Ahead: If your slow cooker has a removable liner, layer ingredients in liner as directed. Refrigerate overnight. Place liner in slow cooker the next day and cook as directed.

 Adapted from http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/slow-cooker-lasagna-114123.aspx?cm_mmc=eml-_-rbe-_-20110929-_-1034&cm_lm=4D7D535C64198320269D1D91F8C91141