Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 lb Lean Ground Beef or Italian Sausage (or a mix)
  • 1 medium Yellow Onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1 (24 oz) jar good quality Marinara Sauce
  • 1 (15 oz) can Tomato Sauce
  • 1 tsp Dried Italian Seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 (15 oz) container Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
  • 1 large Egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese (plus extra for topping)
  • 1/4 cup fresh Parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp Salt (for ricotta)
  • 9 Oven-Ready (No-Boil) Lasagna Noodles
  • 2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Instructions:

  1. Brown the ground meat in a skillet until no pink remains. Drain off any excess fat.
  2. Return meat to the skillet. Stir in the chopped onion and cook until softened (about 5 minutes). Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the marinara sauce, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and remove from heat.
  3. In a separate mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the ricotta cheese, beaten egg, Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and salt until smooth.
  4. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of your 6-quart slow cooker insert.
  5. Spread about 1 cup of the meat sauce evenly over the bottom of the slow cooker insert.
  6. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over the sauce, breaking them slightly to fit.
  7. Carefully spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture evenly over the noodles, then sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese. Top this layer with about 1.5 cups of the remaining meat sauce.
  8. Repeat the layering sequence: 3 noodles, the remaining half of the ricotta mixture, the remaining mozzarella, and another layer of sauce (about 1.5 cups).
  9. Top with the last 3 noodles. Pour all the remaining sauce over the top, ensuring all exposed pasta edges are completely covered by sauce.
  10. Cover the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6–7 hours or on HIGH for 3.5–4 hours, until the sauce is bubbling and the noodles are tender.
  11. Turn the slow cooker off and allow the lasagna to rest, covered, for at least 15–20 minutes before slicing and serving to help the layers set.