Slow Cooker Lasagne...

Well, who knew you could make lasagne in your slow cooker (crockpot) and have it turn out just like the oven baked variety? Of course, not every variation of lasagne will suit a slow cooker but your bolognaise/white sauce variety will work. I used this recipe (from Weight Watchers) as a guide then modified it slightly to suit my tastes. The smell coming from the kitchen when I got home at 6pm was amazing!

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I browned the onion, garlic and mince in a fry pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. Then added 1 small zucchini and carrot, both grated - this adds extra veggies and you can hide them. I cooked this off for 2 minutes then added a jar of my favourite pasta sauce (in this case, Five Brothers Summer Tomato & Basil). I gave a few shakes of dried oregano, basil and thyme and a good crack of salt and pepper.
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Now the layering - I used fresh lasagne sheets (Latina) - first spoon in enough sauce to cover the bottom of the cooker then top with a sheet of lasagne, cut to size - fill in gaps with bits of lasagne sheet. Top this with more beef sauce and mushroom slices...
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I used light cheese mix and ricotta - spoon dollops of the ricotta/cheese mix over the beef (be naughty and add a bit of extra cheese too) ...
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Continue with another layer ...
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When you get to the top layer (I used 3 layers of lasagne sheets), top with beef and mushrooms again then sprinkle with parmesan and mozzarella.
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Make sure you TURN ON your slow cooker (I used the auto setting but low would do) - leave the house for 3 hours and return to the beautiful aroma of a cooked lasagne - ready to go!
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Some recipes say to cook for 6-8 hours but mine was ready in 3 hours (2-5pm) so I turned it off then until dinner time (and switched back on for 1/2 hour to bring up to heat). Serve with a simple green salad and crusty bread rolls (or not, if you are watching your weight!).
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TASTE EVALUATION: The taste was certainly there but after that much cooking the pasta had practically melted into the dish. I would like to try the dry frilly lasagne sheets next time as they might be thicker. Definitely a dish to play around with - I might try a proper white sauce next time too. Chalk it up as a success!
Cheers - Joolz