Crockpot Lasagna

It had been several weeks since I'd used my crockpot, and that was just too long of me! I wanted to try out something new, so I grabbed this recipe for crockpot lasagna from Kelly. I had tried to make lasagna in the crockpot once before, but my pot was small and it was hard to layer. But for my birthday this year my mom gave me a large, oblong crockpot that I thought would be perfect for this dish. And it was! The lasagna layered in perfectly and smelled fantastic while it cooked. The end result was a tiny bit dry, but I made it the night before and let it sit in the fridge before cooking so I think some of the sauce was absorbed. The only change I made to Kelly's recipe was to reduce the amount of shredded cheese. Overall it was a super easy alternative to an Italian favorite.

Crockpot Lasagna

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz package of no-bake lasagna noodles
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup of milk (I used skim)
15 oz of ricotta cheese (I used skim)
1 egg
1 1/2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese

Using a little olive oil, add onion and garlic to a saute pan. Then add beef. Over medium heat, cook until completely browned. Add sauce to meat and simmer for a few minutes.
Mix milk with ricotta cheese, add egg and mix completely. Add shredded cheeses and mix well.
Using cooking spray, cover sides and bottom of crockpot.
Pour 1/4 of meat mixture into crockpot, then a layer of noodles (you will probably need to break them in order to fit), followed by a layer of the 1/3 cheese mixture. Repeat 3 times. Then top with remaining meat mixture. Make sure all noodles around the edges are covered with sauce. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.