Big Weather's Big Recipe: Crockpot Lasagna

HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. (WTVD) -- I try to keep different types of recipes rolling through, but I keep hearing "More crockpot recipes!" Well, here's one I got off the internet a dozen years ago, and tweaked it to fit my tastes.

If your kids eat spaghetti, make sure and get the same sauce they eat for this recipe and you should be fine with any picky eaters (he says from experience)!

Plus, with this Lasagna, it cooks all day and makes the house smell great!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. lean ground beef (I used 80/20 and drained the fat)

1/2 onion, chopped

45 oz. jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I used Prego, because it's my daughter's fave)

8 oz. can tomato sauce

14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained (I bought one with roasted garlic in it, perfect!)

2 cups water

15 oz. ricotta cheese

1 Tablespoon dried parsley

1 lb. pkg. mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 lb. pkg. Mafalda noodles uncooked (couldn't find any, so I used Fusilli noodles)

Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1. In a large skillet, brown ground beef with chopped onions.

2. Drain thoroughly.

3. Add spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and water. Simmer on low heat for 10 - 15 minutes.

4. In a large bowl, combine mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, and parsley.

5. In 5-6 quart crockpot, pour 1 cup of the beef sauce. Then top with a layer of noodles.

6. Top with more cup of ground beef sauce, then a layer of the cheese mixture (about a 1/3 of the mix).

7. Repeat layers to fill crockpot almost full. Leave an inch at the top for the noodles to expand. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 6-7 hours - DO NOT STIR.

8. Spoon it out and top with the Parmesan cheese.

9. Enjoy!

On a side note, if you like Italian sausage, you can brown a 1 pound of it for one of the pounds of ground beef. But a word of caution, it will permeate the entire recipe and give it a strong sausage flavor.

I like to serve the whole shooting match with some sort of green veggie like Italian green beans or a fresh salad. Yum. Good luck and good eating...

OTHER FAVORITES FROM BIG WEATHER

• Mexican shepherd's pie
• Sweet potato chili
• Restaurant-style nachos
• Biscuits and gravy
• Pierogi casserole
• The big sandwich
• Cheerwine pork sandwiches
• That strawberry thing
• Chicken in a basket
• 5-minute pie
• Broccoli ramen slaw
• Spicy beans and rice
• Pork chop marinade
• Garden fresh salsa
• Chicken and noodles
• 4-Ingredient sloppy joes
• Slow cooker pork chops
• Zucchini bread