29 December 2008

Slow Cooker Lasagna



My mother, living in Hawaii, likes to use her slow cooker a lot to avoid heating up her condo.  Because I was doing a lot of the cooking while we were visiting, I adopted her cooking habits.  I came upon this recipe for slow cooker lasagna from Fix it and Forget it Big Cookbook, which is fast becoming my new go to book for quick and cheap dinners.  It made an absolutely HUGE amount that we ate for a few days and then threw out, I'm sure you could halve it.

Convenient Slow Cooker Lasagna adapted from Fix it and Forget it Big Cookbook

Serves: 6-8
Cooking time: 4-6 hours on LOW
Use a 6 quart slow cooker

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
2 29oz. cans tomato sauce
1 onion, chopped
10 oz. elbow macaroni
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
3/4 cups water

1.  Spray the interior of the cooker with nonstick cooking spray or line with a slow cooker bag.
2.  Brown the ground beef and the onion in a nonstick skillet.  Drain off the drippings.  
3.  Stir in the tomato sauce.  Mix well.
4.  Spread one-fourth of the meat sauce on the bottom of the slow cooker.
5.  Arrange one-third of the noodles over the sauce.
6.  Combine the cheeses in a bowl. Spoon one-third of cheeses over the noodles.
7.  Repeat these layers twice.
8.  Top with remaining sauce.
9.  Add water.
10.  Cover and cook on LOW 4-6 hours.


Papaya and Cottage Cheese Salad

My mother made this simple salad of a halved papaya filled with cottage cheese to accompany the lasagna.  At first I wasn't sure about it but the combination of the sweet/salty, lumpy/creamy consistencies really works.  Of course it helps being able to find papayas this sweet and ripe at the local farmers market.

12 comments:

Reeni said...

The papaya looks so refreshing after all the heavy foods I've been eating. The slow cooker is so under utilized, I love this lasagna!

Chef E said...

I have not had a slow cooker around in years...but do more slow cooking on stove top...the papaya look amazing!

BTW the muung beans do not smell unless you cook them...my hubby watches that show and laughed when I told him...

Bob said...

Nice, I never would have thought to use a slow cooker for lasagna. Course, I live in Boston where half the year we want to heat up our apartment. :)

Wandering Coyote said...

That lasagne recipe looks amazing! Do you think it will freeze well?

Sam said...

I would never have thought of using a slow cooker to make lasagna, that's one to try.

Diana said...

My slow cooker was pretty much all I used in my tiny apartment in Hawaii. The papaya makes me homesick! Papayas here are not the same as in Hawaii.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Oh, yummy! I love lasagna!

Cheers,

Rosa

Sutapa said...

The papaya salad look really yummy !
Papaya is also very good for health.
I must try for me.

anudivya said...

I love papaya, and we used to have a tree back home. It reminds me of that. Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

I know papaya is great for you, especially the seeds since they aid digestion, and are a common ingredient in tenderizers. I also love papaya, but only when someone else makes it for me. For some reason, I am incapable of picking fresh/good papaya from the store. Any tips?

Anonymous said...

I have never eaten papaya in such way!! Thanks for sharing!

James said...

Lasagne and papaya - now that's something I have to try. In my house it's the reverse - I have to switch the oven on to get the temperature in the kitchen above freezing.....

ShareThis