Indulge in the delectable flavors of Weight Watchers Slow Cooker Lasagna, a lightened-up version of the classic Italian dish. This guilt-free lasagna is made with lean ground turkey, low-fat ricotta cheese, and whole wheat lasagna noodles, resulting in a hearty and satisfying meal that won't weigh you down.
The slow cooker method ensures a tender and flavorful lasagna, with the rich tomato sauce and herbs infusing every layer. You'll find two variations of this recipe in the article: one made with traditional lasagna noodles and another using zucchini noodles for a low-carb option. Both versions are packed with flavor and sure to please everyone at the table.
WEIGHT WATCHERS CROCKPOT LASAGNA
Provided by YouBrewMyTea
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- In a large skillet, add beef, onion, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, making sure the meat breaks up into small bits while cooking. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat. This should take about five to seven minutes. Remove pan from heat.
- In a separate saucepan, combine crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and dry seasonings. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat, then turn to low and let simmer for 15 to 30 minutes so the flavors can combine nicely.
- Add tomato mixture to beef. Heat over medium-low heat to combine flavors.
- In a separate bowl, combine shredded mozzarella and ricotta cheese until well blended.
- Place one third of the beef mixture into your slow cooker. Take three pieces of uncooked lasagna noodles and break in half. Arrange lasagna on top of the beef mixture.
- Top noodles with half of the cheese mixture.
- Repeat with meat sauce, noodles, and cheese layers.
- Top with remaining one third of the beef and sauce mixture.
- Cover the slow cooker, then to low, and cook for four to six hours. At end of cooking period, you may want to add more seasonings on top to taste.
- In a small bowl, mix remaining mozzarella cheese with the grated Parmesan cheese and sprinkle on top of beef mixture. Replace cover and let sit for five to 10 minutes so the cheese melts and lasagna gets a bit firmer.
SLOW-COOKER LASAGNA
This Italian comfort food classic takes only 10 minutes to prep and needs no supervision to come together beautifully. Unlike time-consuming traditional versions, this recipe is so easy, there is no need to cook the noodles first. Two full layers of savory tomato sauce, rich cheese sauce and pasta present the perfect meal for a family dinner any night of the week. Paired with a crunchy and simple salad of lettuce, carrots, cucumber and tomatoes and topped with a light Italian vinaigrette, you will not have to call anyone to the table, they will be waiting. When the lasagna is fully cooked let it sit a few minutes before serving so it can firm up a bit. Leftovers are sure to be sought-after so making a double batch might be best.
Categories Dinner
Time 6h20m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.
- In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes.
- Serving size: 1/6 of lasagna
Nutrition Facts : Calories 250 kcal
SIMPLY DELICIOUS LASAGNA
The slow cooker makes an extra creamy, gooey lasagna-the last word in comfort food.
Categories Dinner
Time 3h32m
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they release their liquid and it is almost evaporated, about 6 minutes. Add spinach in batches. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. With slotted spoon, transfer spinach mixture to bowl. Discard liquid.
- Spray same skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add beef, onion, and garlic and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, pepper flakes, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, stir together ricotta, 3/4 cup mozzarella,2 tablespoons Parmesan, and 1/4 cup basil in medium bowl.
- Spread one-third of beef mixture in bottom of 6-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna noodles in half and arrange over beef, breaking to fit as needed. Scatter one-third of mushroom mixture over noodles and top with half of ricotta mixture. Spoon half of remaining beef on top; break remaining 3 noodles in half and arrange on top of beef. Top with remaining mushrooms, ricotta, beef, and mushrooms.
- Cover and cook until noodles are tender when pierced with knife, 3-4 hours on Low. Uncover and turn off slow cooker. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella and 3 tablespoons Parmesan over lasagna. Cover and set aside until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup basil. Cut into 8 portions.
- Per serving: 1 portion
Nutrition Facts : Calories 185 kcal
WEIGHT WATCHERS SLOW COOKER LASAGNA
BEST lasagna I've ever made. Two modifications - I use ground chicken and Italian Chicken Sausage (no casing), tho the sausage will impact points value. If you're looking to scale back points, consider whole wheat (or Ronzoni) noodles, or substitute thinly sliced eggplant or zucchini in stead of noodles.
Provided by Becky Wilder
Time 6h25m
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- 1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground chicken, chicken sausage, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. I also add mushrooms after the meat browns, but that's optional. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
- 2. In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- 3. Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.
- 4. Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.
- 5. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes. Yields 1/6th of dish per serving.
- 6. Notes: To boost your vegetable intake, add a can of zucchini in tomato sauce to the meat mixture. You can also add 2 cups of sliced mushrooms to meat mixture. I add the chicken sausage (Italian style) to the mixture to kick the flavor a little, but it's great without it too. Adding it will affect points value. Without it, this recipe is 10 points per serving.
SLOW COOKER VEGETARIAN LASAGNA WITH WEIGHT WATCHER'S POINTS
From Eating Well (November/December 2011) Sure, the slow cooker's great for stews and soups, but it also happens to make a mean lasagna! In this ingenious slow-cooker recipe, all you have to do is chop your veggies, then layer the ingredients (raw) into the crockpot. Serve with: Garlic bread and a green salad. This recipe is courtesy of Eating Well, and contains 11 Weight Watcher's points as written. You can decrease the points to 8 per serving by substituting fat-free ricotta and mozzarella cheese. This recipe can be modified by adding different vegetables or a precooked protein.
Provided by Cook4_6
Categories One Dish Meal
Time 2h30m
Yield 8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Combine egg, ricotta, spinach, mushrooms and zucchini in a large bowl.
- Combine crushed and diced tomatoes and their juice, garlic and crushed red pepper (if using) in a medium bowl.
- 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 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-vegetable mixture over the noodles and firmly pat down, then spoon on 1 1/2 cups sauce and sprinkle with 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. 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.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 290.1, Fat 14.9, SaturatedFat 8.9, Cholesterol 77.8, Sodium 690.4, Carbohydrate 16.2, Fiber 4, Sugar 4.8, Protein 25.4
Tips:
- Use a slow cooker liner to make cleanup easier.
- Brown the ground beef and sausage before adding it to the slow cooker.
- Use a variety of cheeses to create a flavorful lasagna.
- Cook the lasagna on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
- Let the lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
- Garnish the lasagna with fresh parsley or basil before serving.
Conclusion:
Slow cooker lasagna is a delicious and easy-to-make meal that is perfect for busy weeknights. It is a great way to use up leftover meat and vegetables, and it can be customized to your liking. With a few simple tips, you can make a slow cooker lasagna that is sure to please everyone at the table.
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