One type of food that everyone seems to enjoy, old or young, man or woman, is Italian food. Italian dishes are great whether it's sunny and ninety degrees outside or if there is snow on the cold ground and the weather is conducive to wearing gloves and a scarf. However, it is especially comforting when the air is chilly outside and you're spending dinner huddled up at the table with a bottle of wine (sparkling cider for the little guys) and some hungry loved ones.
Going along with that idea, one method of cooking that, to my small knowledge and wisdom, everyone seems to enjoy is crockpot cooking. It makes the sometimes daunting chore/experience/adventure (whichever it happens to be for you) of bringing a dinner together seem like a little less work and a little more fun. You get to grab a bunch of (this time, edible!) components and throw them into an abyss, just like when you made pretend when you were five on the sidewalk making Mom and Dad a meal out of dirt.
Going along with that idea, one method of cooking that, to my small knowledge and wisdom, everyone seems to enjoy is crockpot cooking. It makes the sometimes daunting chore/experience/adventure (whichever it happens to be for you) of bringing a dinner together seem like a little less work and a little more fun. You get to grab a bunch of (this time, edible!) components and throw them into an abyss, just like when you made pretend when you were five on the sidewalk making Mom and Dad a meal out of dirt.
Crockpot lasagna is a great simple recipe you can concoct with few ingredients and a shortage of time. You can stick everything in the pot and let it cook without supervision (of course, you don't want to go on vacation and leave your crockpot running, but that's self explanatory).
The ingredients you will need are as follows:
some kind of spaghetti/pasta/tomato sauce, two jars usually works best
a pack of oven-ready or no-bake lasagna noodles
1 pound of ground beef (or any other meat you'd like to use, if any!)
2 cups of mozzarella cheese
1 cup of parmesan cheese
1 small container of ricotta cheese (cottage cheese is a delicious, less fattening substitute for this)
a cup of water
The ingredients you will need are as follows:
some kind of spaghetti/pasta/tomato sauce, two jars usually works best
a pack of oven-ready or no-bake lasagna noodles
1 pound of ground beef (or any other meat you'd like to use, if any!)
2 cups of mozzarella cheese
1 cup of parmesan cheese
1 small container of ricotta cheese (cottage cheese is a delicious, less fattening substitute for this)
a cup of water
directions:
1) in a large pan, brown ground beef. drain
2) mix sauce into the beef and stir until warm and fully combined
3) spray crockpot with non stick grease
4) add a layer of the meat sauce to the bottom of the crockpot
5) top the sauce with lasagna noodles, usually two pieces broken up make a perfect fit
6) add ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella (no specific measurements, just eye it)
7) top the cheeses with more lasagna noodles, again two pieces broken up
8) add sauce on top, and continue to follow steps 5-8 until you use up the noodles
9) take a cup of water and pour around the edge of the layered mixture. this helps keep moisture in and helps keep the edges from burning
10) add the rest of the mozzarella on top (I found some flavored mozzarella chunks at Aldi so I added those to finish garnishing the lasagna)
11) plug in the crockpot and turn to low. cook lasagna for 4.5 hours, checking a few times to make sure there is no burning or overcooking. some crockpots may take less or more time
1) in a large pan, brown ground beef. drain
2) mix sauce into the beef and stir until warm and fully combined
3) spray crockpot with non stick grease
4) add a layer of the meat sauce to the bottom of the crockpot
5) top the sauce with lasagna noodles, usually two pieces broken up make a perfect fit
6) add ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella (no specific measurements, just eye it)
7) top the cheeses with more lasagna noodles, again two pieces broken up
8) add sauce on top, and continue to follow steps 5-8 until you use up the noodles
9) take a cup of water and pour around the edge of the layered mixture. this helps keep moisture in and helps keep the edges from burning
10) add the rest of the mozzarella on top (I found some flavored mozzarella chunks at Aldi so I added those to finish garnishing the lasagna)
11) plug in the crockpot and turn to low. cook lasagna for 4.5 hours, checking a few times to make sure there is no burning or overcooking. some crockpots may take less or more time
The thing I absolutely love about crockpot lasagna is that it is a great item to put on the table at family gatherings, especially during the Holidays! Whether it's Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas or Dad's 50th birthday party, you can produce it quickly and easily, place a serving spoon in it and let everyone dish some out onto their plates. It goes great as a side dish or as a main course, and you will always have enough for seconds. And believe me, with how yummy it is, they will always come back for more! :)