Healthy Crockpot Lasagna
A perfect lasagna for people wanting to change their lifestyle to healthier food choices that tastes just like regular lasagna
A perfect lasagna for people wanting to change their lifestyle to healthier food choices that tastes just like regular lasagna
- 1 cup water
- 1 and 1/2 package whole wheat lasagna pasta uncooked
- 16 ounces fat free cottage chees
- 8 ounces low fat ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces shreaded soy cheese or non fat mozzarella cheese
- 4 ounces egg beaters equal to 1 egg
- 8 ounce morningstar crumble meat
- 1 tablespoon black pepper sprinkled on
- 1 tablespoon sea salt sprinkled on
- 2 jars no salt spaghetti sauce
- 1 can low salt olives small
- Carbohydrate 81.3481211785714 g
- Cholesterol 14.91145 mg
- Fat 14.2551737678571 g
- Fiber 11.3064883702874 g
- Protein 29.5535870659938 g
- Saturated Fat 3.4883501875 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (451g)
- Sodium 1539.81817632795 mg
- Sugar 70.041632808284 g
- Trans Fat 4.20878885535714 g
- Calories 578 calories
Step-by-step
- Pour enough spaghetti sauce in crockpot to cover the bottom
- Mix cheese, egg beaters, cottage cheese, ricotta, Morningstar meat, pepper, and salt together
- Put 1 layer of lasagna noodles over the layer of spaghetti sauce (break noodles in half to fit crockpot)
- Spoon a layer evenly around of the mixed ingredients on top of the lasagna noodles
- Sprinkle olives on top evenly around mixed ingredients
- Pour spaghetti sauce evenly on top all around mixed ingredients and olives
- Repeat steps 3, 4, 5, 6 until all ingredients are gone
- Put lid on and turn on low
- Pour small amounts of your cup of water around edges of all the ingredients to keep from over burning
- Do step 9 every 1/2 hour until 2 hours is up or noodles are soft
Ingredient labels omit the reality of thermal dynamics inside a ceramic slow cooker insert, where moisture escapes differently than in an open oven vessel. Whole-wheat noodles demand adequate hydration because unboiled pasta draws liquid directly from the surrounding sauce during the initial hours of heating. Adding water incrementally around the perimeter prevents the edges from scorching against the heating element while maintaining the viscosity needed to soften the starch.
Managing Moisture and Starch in the Slow Cooker
Building this dish requires a disciplined stacking method. Pouring sauce on the bottom prevents the dry pasta from bonding directly to the ceramic base. Mixing the ricotta, cottage cheese, egg substitute, and meat crumbles creates a dense protein binder that holds its shape when portioned. Break the uncooked whole-wheat sheets cleanly to fit the geometry of the vessel without overlapping thickly, ensuring heat penetrates every layer uniformly. Monitoring the cooking liquid every thirty minutes for the first two hours ensures the pasta rehydrates without turning waterlogged.
- Do not submerge the entire assembly in extra liquid upfront, or the structure will disintegrate into a casserole soup.
- If freezing leftovers, portion the lasagna into airtight containers within two hours of cooking and consume within three months for optimal texture.
- Reheat refrigerated portions covered at moderate power to prevent the cheese proteins from tightening and releasing excess oil.
