The Trim Healthy Mamas, Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison, shared a recipe for Save Your Waistline Crockpot Lasagna, from their latest cookbook, Trim Healthy Table. (see recipe below) Pearl and Serene's new cookbook, Trim Healthy Table, is available now! Learn more at www.trimhealthymama.com, and follow them on Twitter @TrimHealthyMama and on Instagram @TrimHealthyMama
Save Your Waistline Crockpot Lasagna
FAMILY SERVE—FEEDS 6 TO 8 (HALF IF YOUR FAMILY IS SMALLER, OR MAKE FULL AND FREEZE HALF)
· Coconut oil cooking spray
· 2 pounds ground meat, thawed if frozen (see Time-saving Tip)
· 2 (14-ounce) jars no-sugar-added pizza sauce (we use Walmart Great Value brand), or a double batch Perfect Pizza Sauce (page 516)
· 1 tablespoon garlic powder
· 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
· 1 tablespoon dried oregano
· ½ teaspoon Mineral Salt
· Red pepper flakes
· 2 doonks Pure Stevia Extract Powder, or 1. teaspoons Super Sweet Blend* (optional, but gives a richer, fresher tasting sauce)
· 2 large eggs
· 2 cups (16 ounces) 1% cottage cheese
· 1 (8-ounce) package 1⁄3 less fat cream cheese
· 4 medium zucchini or yellow squash, sliced 1⁄8-inch thick (sliced lengthwise or crosswise, but don’t bother peeling)
· 2 cups (8 ounces) grated part-skim mozzarella cheese
· 1⁄3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (green can kind is fine)
Come home to a delicious smell in the air promising you lasagna— the ultimate comfort food. Yes, you can eat it without exploding your waistline! We took all the great flavors of Lazy Lasagna, one of the biggest hits in Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook, and tweaked it for the crockpot. With much trial and error, we found out spinach doesn’t work so well cooking all day in a crockpot as a noodle layer but zucchini slices do! Just an FYI, slow-cooking lasagna does create more liquid. Just make sure you let your lasagna rest after cooking for about an hour before eating, and it won’t be soupy. The liquid will stay at the bottom so your lasagna can set properly and you can cut pieces to serve.
TIME-SAVING TIP: It is a great idea to take one day every week (or perhaps every month) where you brown up a lot of ground meat, then freeze it for quick prep meals. For this recipe, take your cooked meat out the day before to thaw in the refrigerator so that in the morning you can mix it with the sauce and seasonings right in the crockpot! No extra pans to wash!
1. Coat a crockpot with coconut oil spray.
2. Brown the meat in a large skillet, then drain off any excess fat. Add the pizza sauce, garlic powder, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper flakes, and stevia powder (if using) to the meat (or combine prepped browned meat with the above listed ingredients in a bowl).
3. Put the eggs, cottage cheese, and cream cheese into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
4. Layer half the meat sauce in the bottom of the crockpot. Top with half the cottage cheese mixture, then layer on half of the sliced zucchini. Follow with half the mozzarella. Repeat layers, ending with mozzarella, then the Parmesan on top.
5. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. Turn off the crockpot and allow the lasagna to settle for 1 hour before cutting it into pieces and serving.
ELECTRIC PRESSURE COOKER DIRECTIONS: Prepare the recipe according to the directions for the crockpot, except add ½ cup water or chicken broth to avoid possible scorching. Leave off the last layer of mozzarella and the Parmesan. Seal and cook on high pressure for 7 minutes. Use quick pressure release.
