Crock Pot Vegetarian Lasagna

• Layer #1-2

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  Spaghetti sauce and lasagna noodles make the base of this dish.

• Layer #3

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  Sliced zucchini keeps its texture well and adds moisture to cook the noodles.

• Layer #4

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  Add more sauce on top of the zucchini.

• Layer #5

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  Add another layer of noodles to your growing lasagna stack!

• Layer #6 prep

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  Mix together the ricotta cheese, egg, and seasonings. You can also add some shredded mozzarella cheese or parmesan cheese here for some extra gooey goodness.

• Layer #6

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  Spread the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles.

• Layer #7

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  Add an entire bag of fresh, washed spinach. This will cook down to a normal size layer, don't you worry. Your family won't even realize how many healthy greens they are consuming!

• Layer #8

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  Almost done... one more layer of noodles created the top layer of your vegetarian lasagna.

• Layer #9

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  Final ingredients--- cheese, cheese and cheese! This created a wonderful crust to the top of your vegetarian lasagna!

• Time to cook!

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  Cook on low for three hours.

• Dinner is ready!

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  Your crock pot vegetarian lasagna is ready to serve! It might not come out in pretty squares, but it won't last long on the dishes anyway.

• Crock Pot Vegetarian Lasagna

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  Dinner is ready!

I love lasagna! Anytime you can combine everything into one dish and it hits pretty much every food group, then I’m a happy girl. But oven-baked lasagna takes way too much work… all the boiling and layering and smoothing and baking and spilling, then oven cleaning… I would rather just order lasagna from a nice little Italian restaurant than go through this whole charade.

So after doing a little research, I’ve figured out that crock pot lasagna is very doable. Not only can you assemble it in the pot, but I am convinced that most of the cooking should take place in the pot, too. This dish is easy to cook, doesn’t take more than an afternoon to finish and you can even freeze the leftovers for another night. That is, if there are any leftovers!

I hope you enjoy this take on one of my favorites. Enjoy!

1 12 oz. box of lasagna noodles, uncooked

1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 24 oz. container chunky spaghetti sauce

2 zucchinis, sliced thick

2 c. fresh spinach leaves

1/2  c. fresh basil leaves

1 egg

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 t. black pepper

1 t. dried oregano

3/4 c. water

1/2 c. parmesan cheese

This recipe is best made in an oval-shaped crock pot; a round one will work, it just creates a very tall lasagna.

In a separate bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, garlic and seasonings.  Pour 1 c. of spaghetti sauce into the pot and stir it around so it coats the bottom of the crock pot. Fill the sauce jar up with 1 c. water and shake it around– this watered down sauce helps the noodles soften more when cooking. Place first layer of 3-4 noodles in crock pot. Cover noodles with 1/2 of ricotta mixture. Lay zucchini slices on next, followed by another layer of 3-4 lasagna noodles. Add 1 c. spaghetti sauce and cover noodles with 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, spinach leaves, basil leaves and then the remaining ricotta mixture. Add final layer of noodles. Cover with remaining sauce and then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Cook on low for 3 hours.