Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna with Mushrooms & Kale Recipe

Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna with Mushrooms & Kale Recipe

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
20 ounces from a 32 oz. container part-skim ricotta
4-5 ounces of low-fat cottage cheese
1 large egg
1 cup coarsely chopped Kale leaves
6 oz. mushroom caps, stems removed, roughly minced
3 1/2 cups or so (maybe 30 ounces) of high quality marinara sauce (low sugar, low salt)
15 lasagna noodles (whole-wheat preferred), uncooked
1 cup shredded parmesan or reduced-fat cheddar
Coarse salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. In a skillet (I used the ninja cooking system so I cooked in it on stove-top function), heat the oil over medium heat. Begin sauteing the onion and green pepper, stirring often for about 5 minutes. Turn of the heat, toss in the garlic, stir and allow to cook 30 seconds or so.

2. Meanwhile combine ricotta, cottage cheese, egg, kale and mushrooms in a large bowl. Mix the saute mixture into the ricotta mixture and mix well.

3. Unless nonstick, coat a 6-quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray and spread 1 cup or so of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the slow cooker. Place 4-5 noodles over the sauce, overlapping them slightly and breaking into pieces as necessary to fill up the space.

4. Spread some of the ricotta-vegetable mixture over the noodles followed by some marinara sauce. Repeat until you have used up all of the luscious ingredients.

5. Sprinkle the Parmesan or cheddar on top and set the slow-cooker on high for 2 hours (or 4 hours on low). I found mine was done at about 1 hour and 40 minutes.