Healthy Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe

Ingredients

1 large egg
1 15- to 16-ounce container part-skim ricotta
5-ounce bag baby spinach, coarsely chopped
3 large or 4 small portobello mushroom caps, gills removed, halved and thinly sliced
1 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 carton on cherry tomatoes slightly smushed *
3 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)
15 whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 12 ounces), uncooked
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella, divided

Directions

You'll need a slow cooker (or crockpot) to make this recipe.

• Combine egg, ricotta, spinach, mushrooms, and zucchini in a large bowl.
• Combine smushed and diced tomatoes and their juice, garlic, and crushed red pepper in a medium bowl. *We did not have enough canned tomatoes (trying to cut back due to the nature of the acid of the tomatoes reacting with the can). So we placed a carton of cherry tomatoes in a large bowl and gently mushed them with a small bowl. High tech let me tell you.
• Generously coat a 6-quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the tomato mixture in the slow cooker. Arrange five 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-vegetable mixture over the noodles and firmly pat down, then spoon on 1 1/2 cups sauce and sprinkle with one 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. Set aside the remaining one cup mozzarella in the refrigerator.
• Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for two hours or on low for four hours. When done, turn off the slow cooker, sprinkle the reserved mozzarella on the lasagna, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
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