What’s for Dinner Wednesday – Lasagna!

It’s the week of Christmas and I don’t know about you, but I really have no desire to cook…anything.

I’m planning our Christmas Eve and Christmas day menus and all I can think about is pumpkin roll, cranberry sauce, and cheese ball with summer sausage.

But I do have 2 little people and 1 handsome husband to care for so cooking dinner is kind of a priority.

And it would be so easy to make a run for fast food, especially this week…but I opted for something alittle more healthy and delicious.

I love Jessica Seinfeld and watched her a few months ago on Oprah (at midnight via Tivo). Jessica is known for her cookbooks, Deceptively Delicious and her most recent book, Double Delicious. I really love how she sneaks veggies in her cooking…although I am so thankful and lucky that both of my children are very good eaters.

I watched her make a crockpot lasagna that actually looked pretty good.

I love my crockpot…love it so much that every Thursday is Chicken Taco night because that is our super busy day and I put everything in the crockpot in the morning and it is ready by 6pm.

So here we are…the week of Christmas…I don’t wanna cook but I must…so Jessica Seinfeld’s Crockpot Lasagna to the rescue:

• 3 cans (14.4 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic , finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 containers (15 ounces each) fresh ricotta
• 2 cups (8 ounces) grated mozzarella
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 12 lasagna noodles (about three-quarters of a 1-pound box)
• 5 ounces (about 6 cups) baby spinach

The recipes calls crushed tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper.  I used 2 large cans of crushed tomatoes already seasoned with italian herbs and garlic…works perfect and one less step when in a hurry.

Mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella and Parmesan.

In the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, spread a thin layer of the sauce.

Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit as necessary).

Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture.

Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach and cheese mixture. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce and 1 cup mozzarella.

Cook on low, covered, until the noodles are tender—especially in the center of the lasagna—about 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

And enjoy!  Seriously the easiest lasagna…ever.