December 2009

Weight Watchers has a new meeting feature: Weight Watchers Weekly. This is their weekly handout for meeting members and it includes discussion on the current week’s topic, some inspiring stories, a coupon or two, and at least one good recipe. This week’s recipe is Slow Cooker Lasagne.

I got my copy last night and immediately went out and bought the ingredients to make this recipe – it looked THAT good! The recipe tells us that their prep time is about 20 minutes, and that’s close. I think I prepped this in more like 15 minutes.

Serves: 6
Weight Watchers Points: 8 per serving

Ingredients:

• 1 lb uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes (this is one large can)
• 15 oz canned tomato sauce (this is one medium can)
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1-1/2 cups part-skim mozzarella, shredded, divided
• 6 dry lasagna noodles, no cook
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, such as Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

(I omitted the salt to lower the sodium count and used Romano cheese in the last ingredient option.)

Instructions:

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion, and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5-7 minutes.

   (I thought it odd at first that they didn’t have you drain the grease from the beef, but since it’s lean beef, I think the grease helps somehow. I also wondered at the significance of using a wooden spoon versus any other type of spoon – but that’s just the editor in me editing their writing. LOL)
   
   

2. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
   
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella.
   
4. Spoon 1/3 of the beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half, and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of the ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with the remaining 1/3 of the beef mixture.

   (I found that either I have a small crock pot or three lasagna sheets broken in half more than covered the mixture. I actually had a sheet too much for a single layer of lasagna noodles. )

    

5. Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.
6. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella and the parmesan; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until the cheese melts and the lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes.

The Verdict:

Oh. My. God. If you love lasagna, then this is a great recipe. And I love lasagna. One of the things I used to eat – heartily – was Italian foods. And, since my oven is broken and won’t bake (and I’m in no hurry to get it fixed since the stove top and broiler still work) being able to make this in a slow cooker and enjoy something that’s typically baked is a pure treat for me.

Did it look like the picture in the weekly handout? I think so. I also think that the serving size was very generous. The plate in the picture below is a *huge* plate, so look how one-sixth of the recipe fills up nearly half that plate.

If you feel that you might want a more filling serving, you can always add zucchini or broccoli or other vegetables to your meat sauce before cooking. I didn’t do that and chose to make the recipe exactly as written, and I was not disappointed.

Give it a try, and let me know what you think.

Tagged as: comfort food, cooking, Food & Nutrition, Recipes, Weight Watchers, weight watchers recipes

{ Comments on this entry are closed }