Crock Pot Lasagna

Here is an easy recipe for making lasagna in the crock pot. This is great for days you know you will be busy but still want to put a satisfying meal on the supper table. Thanks to my friend, Lindsay, for sharing this with me. My family finds it very tasty.

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 (26-28 oz) jar tomato sauce (or spaghetti sauce)

1 (8 oz) can no-salt added tomato sauce

½ (9 oz) package no boil lasagna noodles-about 8 noodles

1 jar Alfredo sauce

12 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese 

Brown ground beef –Drain

Spread ¾ cup of the tomato sauce in bottom of sprayed slow cooker.  Stir remaining pasta sauce into the ground beef.

Layer 3 lasagna noodles over sauce in slow cooker, breaking noodles as necessary.  Top with 1/3 of the alfredo pasta sauce spreading evenly.  Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.  Top with 1/3 of the ground beef.

Repeat layering twice.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top.

Cover, cook on Low for 3 ½ to 4 ½ hours.

Taco Salad

Last night I prepared taco salad for my family and the two other families in our supper co-op. This recipe came from Nan's recipe blog which you can find here. I made some slight modifications to the recipe, so am recording it all here (if I don't record it somewhere, I will forget what I did).

Here is a list of ingredients needed:

lettuce (I mixed bagged Romaine lettuce with iceberg)

1 to 1 1/2 c. grated cheese ( I used low fat mild cheddar)

1 can black beans (rinsed, of course)

sliced olives

chopped onions

sliced avocados

cooked chicken

tortilla or corn chips


Nan used a store-bought rotisserie chicken! Those things are yummy and convenient, but since I was cooking for 3 families, I opted for a more economical route. I bought chicken leg quarters and after consulting Main Street Mom, used this recipe (from the Oct. 2008 issue of Everyday Food) to give it a Mexican flavor:

In a slow cooker, combine chicken, 4 garlic cloves (thinly sliced), 1/2 c. salsa, 1 to 2 T. chopped canned chipotle chilis in adobo, 1 T. chili powder, 1 t. salt, and 1/4 t. pepper. Cover; cook on high 4 hours or on low 8 hours.

Transfer chicken to a bowl, and shred, using 2 forks; moisten with cooking juices.

The results of the slow cooking and wonderful spices produces a very tasty chicken that can be used for tacos, quesadillas , etc.

To make the taco salad, place chips on a plate or bowl and top with all other ingredients. Then, pour this dressing over it all:

1/2 c. Ranch dressing

1/2 c. salsa

1/4 c. sour cream

3-5 shakes of Tabasco sauce

1 can diced green chilis


Combine all ingredients and stir.

Then get ready to "slap your mamma!" (never heard that phrase? you must not live down south!)

Chicago Italian Beef

5 lb rump roast
1 medium onion
2 c. beef stock
1 T. fresh oregano or 1 t. dried oregano
1 t. thyme
1 t. marjoram
1 bay leaf
1 t. hot pepper sauce
2 T worcestershire sauce
3-6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 T fresh basil
Italian bread or rolls

Cook all (except bread) in crock pot until roast is done. Slice roast thinly and serve on buns. Use gravy for dipping sandwich.

*This recipe was given to me by my sister, Rachel.

BBQ Ribs

2 or 3 pounds country style pork ribs
salt and pepper
onion salt
1-2 cups BBQ sauce


Put the country style ribs in a 9 X 13 pan. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and onion salt. Do not add any water. Cover lightly with aluminum foil,and bake at 300 degrees for 4 hours. Allow to cool slightly, then pick out the meat (discarding bones and fat). Place this meat into a crockpot, layered with BBQ sauce. Cook on high for one hour, or low for two hours. Serve with additional BBQ sauce.