Summer Slow Cooker Veggie Lasagna

This post was originally published on my old blog. This version may contain minor edits and updates. The original is preserved at Recipe Repository. 

Making pasta the right way is an art.

Getting the perfect al dente bite. Building the flavors in your sauce for hours on the stove. It’s a process that’s been perfected, taught and argued over for years and years.

But you know what? Sometimes you just need to eat some freaking pasta right now.

Or perhaps you need it right when you get home from work/school/marathon/sockhop.

Two practical truths:

1. Compromising on traditional perfection is actually progress if it gets you fed in time to finish out your day and get some sleep. “Imperfect” homemade lasagna is much more healthful than making some “perfect” ramen.
2. Sometimes pasta done the “wrong” way can be just as good as pasta done the “right” way.

I know. Burn.

I like authenticity as much as the next food-obsessed person, but there are days when you really just need a win. This is quick and easy victory that takes care of itself while you focus on everything else.

Considering the above, this lasagna is basically American Pharoah.

It delivers on what I consider to be the true markers of a great lasagna: smooth, creamy ricotta layers; aromatic sauce with simple ingredients and complex flavors; plenty of gooey mozzarella; and above all a beautiful balance of acidity and richness.

The vegetables make this dish surprisingly fresh and bright for both a lasagna and a slow-cooker meal.

This recipe calls for you to hand-crush the tomatoes to make the tomato sauce, which I think warrants a little explaining for people who didn’t hover over their grandma’s counter while she made spaghetti.

The reason for hand-crushing the tomatoes is mostly about texture for me. I’m a big fan of using whole canned tomatoes because I love the way they taste when they’re squashed into bits. You could use canned diced tomatoes, but I’m just not a fan of the texture. They don’t break down as well while cooking, because companies add calcium chloride as a preservative to help them keep their perfect square shape.

Besides, it’s super easy! I probably do it at least once or twice a week for pretty much any dish I make with canned tomatoes

How to hand-crush tomatoes

1. Wearing an apron or other cover, hold tomato in the palm of your hand over a mixing bowl, fingernails facing down, and the stem end facing your thumb.
2. Carefully pierce the stem end of the tomato with your thumb and push it in as far as it will go.  Gently squeeze out as much juice as possible.
3. Keeping your thumb in the center of the tomato, close your fingers around it and squeeze as hard as possible to crush the tomato’s flesh. It doesn’t matter whether the fibers fully separate. Repeat with all remaining tomatoes.

That’s it! The perfect texture for tomato sauces, soups, stuffed peppers and more.

Another win: I consider this to be a pretty healthful meal. Lots of veggies, a good amount of protein and no added sugar. Pasta isn’t even so bad as long as you have it in moderation, as this meal encourages.

You know what else is pretty healthful? Using full-fat cheese. It tastes better, has a better texture AND guess what: eating fat isn’t what causes weight gain.

Generally if something says fat-free or reduced-fat it actually means sugar and carbs have been added and THOSE are what make you gain weight. Backwards, right?

I’m gonna step down off that soap box and refer you both to Emily Schromm and the documentary “Fed Up” (on Netflix). I did Emily’s 21 Day Superhero Challenge in February. I’ve always been fascinated with food and nutrition and I learned a lot from her.

I also gained the ability to do push ups. It was a big deal.  Look her up after you read this!

Emily probably tell you not to eat the pasta though, so… I mean you could try sautéed eggplant slices instead?

Or eat the pasta. I triple-dog dare you.

Summer Slow-cooker Veggie Lasagna

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• Author: Leannda Cavalier
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 4-6 hours
• Total Time: -26112905.9 minute
• Yield: Serves 8-10
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Slowcooking
• Cuisine: Italian American

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Ingredients

For the cheese mixture

• 16-oz container full-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon Italian spices
• ¼ cup minced shallots
• 2 cups spinach or other baby greens, cut into thin ribbons
• 1 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced thin
• 2 cups finely chopped baby bella mushrooms or portobello mushrooms

For the tomato sauce

• 2 28-oz cans whole tomatoes, in juice, no salt added*
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• ¼ cup fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons
• ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced (or ¼ dried rosemary, crushed)
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the lasagna 

• 1 Tablespoon good quality extra virgin olive oil
• Tomato sauce mixture
• Cheese mixture
• 15 lasagna noodles (about 12 oz)
• 4 ½ cups full-fat shredded Italian cheese blend or mozzarella, divided

Special equipment

• 6-quart (or larger) slow-cooker

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Instructions

For the cheese mixture

1. Combine ricotta, egg, shredded parmesan, Italian spices and shallots in a large mixing bowl.
2. Stir in spinach, and mix until evenly distributed.
3. Stir in zucchini and mushrooms until mixture is even.

For the tomato sauce

1. Drain tomato juice into a large mixing bowl.
2. Crush the tomatoes into the bowl by hand (I explained this method in post above if you need it).
3. Add the garlic, basil and red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, then stir to combine

For the lasagna

1. Pour olive oil in slow-cooker and use a brush or paper towel to coat the bottom and sides
2. Pour 1 ½ cups tomato sauce mixture in and spread to cover the bottom evenly.
3. Lay five noodles over the sauce mixture, breaking as needed to cover as much sauce as possible. I find laying them lengthwise and breaking to cover the corners works best.
4. Carefully spoon half of the cheese filling over the noodles and spread to cover, packing it down firmly and cover with 1 ½ cups of the tomato sauce mixture.
5. Sprinkle 1 ½ cup of the Italian cheese blend over the sauce evenly.
6. Add another layer of noodles, cheese filling, sauce and Italian cheese blend.
7. Add the last five noodles, and remaining sauce. Reserve last cup of Italian cheese blend in the refrigerator for serving.
8. Place lid on and cook on low for 4-6 hours OR on high for 2-3 hours.
9. Take the lid off and spread remaining shredded Italian cheese blend on top. Turn off heat, replace lid, and let sit for 45 minutes to allow the noodles to absorb the juices.***
10. Serve warm!

Notes

• *You can always use pre-crushed or diced canned tomatoes and skip the tomato-crushing step. I personally prefer the rustic and varied texture of hand-crushed tomatoes.
• Hand-crushing tomatoes is messy no matter how careful you are! Move anything you don’t want tomato splattered on at least four feet away.
• ***In the picture above you can see a small amount of cooking liquid around the edges of the lasagna. That’s from all the veggies, and it’s the result of not letting it rest for 45 minutes. It’s not pretty, but it’s delicious—plus, it means the noodles are more firm because they haven’t soaked all the liquid up. If you let it sit, the noodles absorb all that extra liquid, meaning less sits on the plate, and the layers are easier to keep together, more like a traditional lasagna. To me it’s a toss-up in terms of taste, but letting it rest is definitely more aesthetically pleasing in the end.
• Cheatsheat for the layer breakdown, going in order from the bottom to the top:
  1. 1 ½ cups tomato sauce
  2. 5 noodles
  3. Half of the cheese filling
  4. 1 ½ cups tomato sauce
  5. 1 ½ cup shredded Italian cheese blend
  6. 5 noodles
  7. Half of the cheese filling
  8. 1 ½ cups tomato sauce
  9. 1 ½ cup shredded Italian cheese blend
  10. 5 noodles
  11. Remaining sauce
  12. (After it’s finished cooking) 1 ½ cup shredded Italian cheese blend

Keywords: summer slowcooker veggie lasagna, slowcooker lasagna, veggie lasagna, lasanga, slowcooker pasta, vegetarian slowcooker meals

This recipe is loosely adapted from an “Eating Well” slow-cooker vegetarian lasagna recipe, which you can find here.