Due to unfortunate circumstances beyond our control, I was not able to meet my goal of cooking 1 new recipe each night for 5 nights. So over the weekend, in between some other things, I managed to cook the last two. First, I got the crock pot lasagna going so that it had the day to cook.
I started by browning up my ground turkey. I can't hep but add big chunks of garlic and some Italian spices when I'm cooking meat for a ziti or lasagna. I threw in salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, rosemary, and some fennel. I love to put fennel in ground turkey because it instantly transforms it into sausage!
Then, I mixed together 15 ounces of ricotta cheese, an Italian cheese blend, and chopped spinach.
That's it! Time to layer. First, I coated the bottom with some chunky veggie tomato sauce and lasagna noodles. I had to break them in half to get them to fit nicely.
Next, I threw in some of my meat, sauce, a little water, cheese mixture, sauce...and then another layer of noodles.
And ta-da! Isn't it lovely??? I wasn't sure the noodles would actually cook. Then, in true slow-cooker style, I let everything cook a little longer than I was told. After it was a little too late, I remember that noodles should not be overcooked! They did end up a little mushy but the dinner was un-be-lievable!
Check out all of these layers! Sooo filling and delicious. This just became a go-to meal. Thought I have to admit, I hate pre-cooking food before it goes in the slow cooker. It kind of defeats the purpose of quickly throwing dinner together before you leave the house in the morning. Maybe this is more of a weekend treat.
This looks so yummy! I use my crockpot all the time, and now I can try this recipe...Thanks for sharing! A appreciate your visit and comment on my bench!
ReplyDeleteThis looks really REALLY good. And good tip on the fennel, I never knew it would make that kind of difference! But yeah, I'm with ya, it's kind of a pain pre-cooking for the slow cooker. But I keep doing it :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious!
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