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Health & Fitness

CROCK POTS ARE MAKING A COMEBACK

The Reason: they do all the work and give you all the credit with their saucy warming suppers. Slow-cooked dishes are ideal for making ahead and reheating, and leftovers can be enjoyed for several days. A slow cooker provides advantages for healthy cooking by stretching small amounts of meat with flavorful sauces and a generous portion of vegetables. Dust off your slow cooker and try this easy, healthy vegetarian crock pot recipe. It can well adapt to whatever vegetables or greens you like, even leftovers. 

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna

Ingredients

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6-quart slow cooker

1 large egg

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1 15- to 16-ounce container part-skim ricotta

2 cups vegetables: zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, white or baby bello mushrooms and/or baby spinach

1 (28-ounce) can crushed Italian tomatoes

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

3 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

5 or 6 basil leaves, chopped

Salt and pepper

15 whole-wheat lasagna noodles (12 ounces), uncooked

3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella, divided

1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano cheese

Preparation

Combine egg and ricotta. Place the vegetables of choice in a food processor and pulse to a rough chop or chop by hand. 

Combine crushed and diced tomatoes with their juice, garlic, crushed red pepper (if using), oregano, fresh basil and salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

Generously coat a 6-quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray or brush lightly with olive oil.

Spread about 1-1/2 cups of the tomato mixture in the slow cooker. Place 5 noodles over the sauce, overlapping them slightly and breaking into pieces to cover as much of the sauce as possible.

Spread half of the ricotta and then the vegetable mixture over the noodles and firmly pat down, then spoon on 1-1/2 cups sauce and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano and 1 cup mozzarella.

Repeat the layering one more time, starting with noodles. Top with a third layer of noodles. Evenly spread the remaining tomato sauce over the noodles; sprinkle with the Parmigiano cheese. Set aside the remaining 1 cup mozzarella in the refrigerator.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on High for 2 hours or on Low for 4 hours. Turn off the slow cooker, sprinkle the reserved mozzarella on the lasagna, cover and let stand for 10 minutes to melt the cheese. Makes 8 servings

I welcome your comments and your questions about any recipe I post.

From Amelia's Kitchen 9012013

The Greenwich Fall Continuing Ed catalogs have been mailed and the classes are filling up fast so call now to reserve a seat. To register for the ALL NEW Fall GACED Classes that begin on September 25, 2013 at Greenwich High School on Hillside Avenue, go to www.greenwichace.com! Classes begin at 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.  Fall theme centers around SUNDAY DINNER IN AN ITALIAN HOME.

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