Slow Cooker Lasagna With Gluten-Free Noodles

My family loves lasagna, but it can be a rather timely venture. So, I took an old recipe that I used to make and turned it into a gluten-free meal. Everybody was happy whether they eat gluten-free or not. And did I apologize that it was gluten-free? I think you know the answer to that!

One thing you need to know is that this meal has a slightly lower cook time, so if you want to put in on for dinner before you go to work you will need a slow cooker with a time or a heavy-duty lamp timer. Over-cooking this will burn the cheese.

The no-boil lasagna noodles I used turned to mush, but the flavor was amazing! I'm going to try my usual noodles next time. They aren't labeled no-boil, but they tend to do a little better with longer cooking times. I'll let you know how they work out.

Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Lasagna

1 Package Gluten-free no boil lasagna noodles
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I used a 45 oz jar of Ragu traditional)
1 16 oz ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3-4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Brown beef or turkey in pan adding a minced garlic clove and salt. Add pasta sauce and set aside (This step can be done the night before and refrigerated for use in the morning). Put tablespoon or two of oil in the bottom of your slow cooker, then layer as follows:

Noodles (break them as needed to create a good layer)
1/3 Sauce/Meat Mixture
1/2 Ricotta cheese
1/2 Parmesan cheese
1/3 mozzarella cheese
Noodles
1/3 sauce/meat Mixture
1/2 Ricotta cheese
1/2 Parmesan cheese
1/3mozzarella cheese
Noodles
Sauce/Meat Mixture
1/3 mozzarella cheese

Note: you may want to hold off on the top layer of cheese until an hour before you eat so that it doesn't get quite so brown.

Cook on low setting 5-6 hours. Allow to cool a bit and serve with salad.

Don't feel bad about breaking up those noodles. No one will notice when it is finished!

Before cooking

Finished! Not a beautiful picture, and if you want your cheese a little less brown, try putting on that top layer when there is only an hour left to cook.