Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna with Veggies is healthy, family, dinner recipe that is simmered in tradition using RAGÚ® Homestyle sauce made with fresh ingredients for a thick, hearty texture that hugs every noodle. #SimmeredInTradition #Ragu #Homestyle #ad
Our family LOVES to eat!! We often joke as we are eating one meal, “Well now that we have lunch taken care of, what is for dinner?” (or substitute any of the meal times). So it is no surprize that the majority of my most favorite memories revolve around food. More recently it is cooking together with my sisters and my mom or our annual lake vacation (which is only 38 days away), where each family takes a day and they are in charge of all the meals for everyone for that day. Even the next generation loves to eat!! Lil man and Z man are certainly good eaters and most bribes revolve around food 😉 And I am sure, that my sister’s twins will be the same! You have to love to eat to be a part of our clan 😉
As I started thinking about tradition and favorite memories, I couldn’t help thinking back to my childhood and coming up to the farm, that I now live on, to spend a couple of weeks with my grannies. Back then, I would have never thought that I would end up living on our family land…it is amazing how things come full circle!!
My Great Grandmother made a mean fried chicken with all the fixins’!! Everything was made from scratch and mostly fresh from the farm. She raised chickens and they always had a garden. She would make it for “dinner” (which was really at lunch) and then we would sit on her front porch, rock in the rocking chairs shelling peas or butter beans for the rest of the afternoon. Those were the days… Back then, I think that I took those days for granted…I sure do wish that I could have another one of those afternoons now…
I am so glad that RAGÚ® inspired me to take a trip down memory lane by trying out their new Homestyle Thick and Hearty Sauces!! I love that they make their sauce the way that we would make our own sauce! They peel, chop and simmer the fresh ingredients in this sauce. Then add herbs like basil, fennel, oregano and black pepper to build layers of flavor. You won’t find any artificial flavors, artificial colors or high fructose corn syrup in this sauce either! YAY!!
Lasagna has always been a family favorite and so I decided to make an Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna with Veggies with RAGÚ® Homestyle Thick and Hearty Roasted Garlic Sauce (we are HUGE garlic fans so I knew that is the one that I wanted to try).
I realized that I actually had never made a lasagna in the slow cooker! Why? I have no idea, but I should have done it sooner!! It is so hot here already that just could stomach the thought of cranking up the oven, so that was my original reasoning behind using the slow cooker. But after finding out just how easy it is to make a lasagna in a slow cooker, it is now my go-to method. And after the rave reviews I got on this easy slow cooker lasagna, this is my go-to recipe 🙂
I loved how I was able to sneak in all of the veggies by mixing them into the ricotta mixture! I used kale & basil (from my garden) and chopped spinach, but you could use just about any combo of veggies that you like or have an abundance of in your garden 🙂 Here is a little tip on spinach: buy frozen chopped spinach! It is the best deal at the supermarket!! Let it thaw, drain and press all of the water out and you have tons of awesome spinach for about $1.
This Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna could easily be vegetarian by just leaving out the turkey sausage. I would have been fine with that, but since I was cooking for the hubs and my parents, I knew that they would miss the meat. My original plan was to purchase the Homestyle Thick and Hearty Meat Sauce, but my grocery store only carried the Traditional and the Roasted Garlic. So I just grabbed some fully cooked turkey sausage crumbles (located in the refrigerated section with breakfast meats at my store) to add to the lasagna.
Look at how thick and hearty that sauce is and how it is just hugging all the noodles!! My family knew that I had used a jarred sauce in my Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna, but they all said it tasted just as good as homemade. The recipe also makes enough to feed an army! I fed the hubs, myself and my parents on Sunday night. Then mom & dad took leftovers to work on Monday. I also took some down to my aunt and gave a very generous portion to my sis (who is eating for three, remember) and her husband. So this recipe easily feeds 10 people and you could probably stretch it to feed 12.
Here is your recipe for Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna with Veggies:
- 2 jars (23 oz. each) RAGÚ® Homestyle sauce (I used the Roasted Garlic)
- 1 bag (9.6 oz) turkey sausage crumbles
- 1 large container (32 oz.) ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup liquid egg whites or egg white from one large egg
- 1 package (9 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and water pressed out
- 1 small bunch baby kale, chopped
- 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
- 1 box (13.25 oz.) whole wheat lasagna noodles
- 1 bag (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
- Approximately ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine RAGÚ® Homestyle sauce and turkey sausage crumbles.
- In another medium sized mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg whites, spinach, kale and basil. Stir to combine evenly.
- Place a slow cooker liner in the bowl of the slow cooker or spray generously with with nonstick cooking spray.
- Layer a ladle of the sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker bowl to prevent noodles from sticking.
- Place 3 lasagna noodles over the sauce, breaking them up to fit. This will not be super pretty, so don't worry to much about that.
- Add about ⅓ of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles and gently spread to cover the noodles as much as possible.
- Add about ⅓ of the shredded mozzarella cheese over the ricotta mixture.
- Add another ladle of sauce to complete the layer.
- Complete steps 5 - 8 two more times using up all cheeses.
- Add a final layer of noodles and cover with remaining sauce.
- Top with parmesan cheese.
- Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
- Turn off the slow cooker, take off the lid and let the lasagna rest for at least an hour. This allows for all the remaining liquid to be absorbed and for it to be cut and served easily.
- Cut into slices and serve with a crusty whole grain baguette.
You can use any vegetables that you would like, just chop them finely.
For the shredded mozzarella cheese, you could grate your own from fresh mozzarella if desired.
Who wants to win either $20 in PayPal cash or a $20 Amazon Gift Card?
I am giving one lucky reader the chance to win either $20 in PayPal cash or a $20 Amazon Gift Card, winner’s choice!!
All you have to do for a chance to win, is to go to RAGÚ® Homestyle sauce home page by clicking HERE to discover your favorite Homestyle sauce and comment on this blog post with how you would use the sauce in a recipe. Easy enough, right? Good luck and I can’t wait to hear all of your ideas 🙂
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I would brown some onions, add some shrimp and smoked sausage, saute it, then add the sauce and cook for about 15 minutes then serve over pasta.
Sounds yummy, Harold!!
I would make Italian-Style Meat Loaf topped with RAGÚ Homestyle Thick & Hearty Mushroom Sauce
I would love to use the Homestyle Thick & Hearty Roasted Garlic Sauce and serve it with homemade meatballs and penne pasta.
Sounds perfect and yummy, Margaret!!
I love making lasagna in the slow cooker. Your photo looks perfect. I was wondering if you used the casserole shaped crock pot.
Thank you Patti!! I used a 4 quart oval shaped slow cooker 🙂
The roasted garlic sauce is perfect in meatballs.
The roasted garlic sauce is great on french bread.
I would love to use the ragu garlic sauce on top of chicken with Parmesan cheese and noodles to make an easy but flavorful chicken Parmesan
I love that idea, Candace!!
I would make Four Cheese Tortellini with Tomatoes and Basil using RAGÚ Homestyle Thick & Hearty Roasted Garlic Sauce.
Sounds so yummy, Cheryl!!
I would like the Four Cheese Sauce over some oven fried eggplant. Yummy!
I would too, Ashley 🙂
I love the Roasted Garlic Sauce. I would use it on ravioli.
Four cheese
I would like the Four Cheese Sauce over ravioli
I would make a quick meal by serving HOMESTYLE THICK & HEARTY MUSHROOM SAUCE over cheese ravioli.
I would use the Think & Hearty Mushroom Sauce in a ziti casserole I make.
That sounds sooo yummy McKim!!
I like the Traditonal sauce.
The Ragu Thick and Hearty Roasted Garlic Sauce will be perfect in my pasta bake, which consists of whatever pasta I have in the house, meat, veggies, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese and sauce all mixed together and baked. Yummmmmmm!
My favorite Ragu sauce is their HOMESTYLE THICK & HEARTY ROASTED GARLIC SAUCE. I love to make Puttanesca sauce with olives for my pasta so I would use this sauce for that.
Sounds so yummy, Jennifer!! We are HUGE olive fans too!!
My choice is for the Thick & Hearty Roasted Garlic Sauce and I would use it to make lasagna roll-ups. I like them because they are easier to prepare than a traditional lasagna and they cook a lot quicker too!
like the Four Cheese Sauce over ravioli!
My husband loves mushrooms and stuffed shells so I’d use the mushroom sauce to top off stuffed shells.
I would use the thick & hearty four cheese in a baked ziti.
I would make some pasta with that delicious mushroom sauce! Yum, my mom would love it. Thank you so much!
YUM!! That sounds delish!!
Oh, slow cookers. How would we ever survive without them!? I’m totally loving this recipe, and the fact that it’s jammed with veggies too. Can’t wait to try it out!
I seriously don’t know, Karly!! Especially when it is already like 100 degrees down here and it is just the first part of June… Thank you for the kind note on the lasagna!! We loved it!!
I WOULD MAKE Spicy Veggie Quesadillas with the Homestyle Thick & Hearty Traditional Sauce 🙂
all look yummy 😉 thx I’ll choose:
HOMESTYLE THICK & HEARTY TRADITIONAL SAUCE
i want now lol! <3
SO I WOULD DEFINATELY TRY RAGU ROASTED GARLIC MIXED WITH A LITTLE FRESH CREAM AND PUT IT OVER SPAGHETTI SQUASH! YUM!
I would like to try RAGÚ Homestyle Thick & Hearty Traditional Sauce and make Sun-Dried Tomato & Tonno Orecchiette.
I would make lasagna with Homestyle Thick & Hearty Four Cheese Sauce
I would use Ragu Thick & Hearty Roasted Garlic Homestyle sauce to make baked penne
I would use the thick and hearty mushroom sauce to make a penne primavera!
I would use Thick and Hearty with Roasted Garlic on my spaghetti.
I would use the honestly thick and hearty sauce in a nice chili
That looks so delicious! I would love to make a Homestyle Thick & Hearty Four Cheese Sauce with spaghetti. Sounds so good!
I would use the Thick & Hearty Four Cheese to make lasagna!
Thick and hardy roasted garlic is the ragu I would use and I woluld serve ti with spagetti and meatballs
I would try the BRAISED TUSCAN SHORT RIBS
I would use the Roasted Garlic sauce with rigatoni, spinach and sausage.
I would love to try all five of their sauces. I would make a chicken Parmesan and top it off with the traditional thick and hearty sauce.
I would use the Ragu Homestyle Thick and Hearty Meat Sauce spread on slices of frozen garlic bread and top with cheese and maybe some veggies and cook in the broiler or use my pizza pizzazz for a quick snack.
I would use the Homestyle Thick & Hearty Meat Sauce for dip with cheesesticks.
I would make baked ziti with turkey, along with Ragu’s Thick and Hearty Mushroom sauce.
My most recent blog post — sausage lasagna cups — shows exactly how I’d use the sauce. 😉 I used the traditional, but I bet the garlic is great, too.
The roasted garlic sauce sounds great. I would love to use it in my mini lasagna rolls.
I would try the Thick and Hearty Four Cheese Sauce on spaghetti.
I would use HOMESTYLE THICK & HEARTY MEAT SAUCE to make eggplant lasagna
I would brown some ground beef and add green peppers and onions until softened then add the Thick and Hearty Mushroom Sauce to make Spaghetti Bolognese.
I would get the Homestyle Thick and Hearty Roasted Garlic Sauce variety, and would most likely use it for spaghetti.
I would make rigatonis and add HOMESTYLE THICK & HEARTY MEAT SAUCE -warm bread and a salad a simple hearty winter meal
I would use the Homestyle Thick & Hearty Roasted Garlic Sauce and serve it with spaghetti and meatballs.
The Thick and Hearty Traditional Sauce might be good on its own on pasta, but you could always add vegetables or shellfish.
I would use the Thick and Hearty Roasted Garlic in my baked ziti
I’d use the Roasted Garlic sauce when I make Meatball Sub Casserole.
I would make a pizza and use Four Cheese Sauce as the pizza sauce. Because you can never go wrong with extra cheese!
Roasted garlic would be good in spaghetti.
I would like to get the Thick and Hearty sauce and combine it with Italian sausage over spaghetti.
I would use the roasted garlic to make lasagna. My 5 year old loves “mamasana”
Homestyle Thick & Hearty Roasted Garlic Sauce with spaghetti
I’d like to try the roasted garlic with my tortillins.
I would love to use the Homestyle Thick & Hearty Meat Sauce to make spaghetti and meatballs
Homestyle Thick & Hearty Mushroom Sauce
i would use the thick and hearty roasted garlic in my veggie lasagna.
I would use the Ragu Homestyle Thick & Hearty Four Cheese Sauce to make stuffed shells…. Or maybe baked ziti. 🙂
Spaghetti with meat sauce smothered in cheese make the spaghetti and then top with as much and as many different cheeses and back for about 10 to 15 min
I like the Homestyle Thick & Hearty Four Cheese Sauce with Italian sausage and french bread!
THE ROASTED GARLIC SAUCE WOULD BE FANTASTIC OVER PASTA OR CHICKEN
4 cheese sounds yummy, I would use it for meatballs
I think I’d use the Thick and Hearty Meat Sauce to make Stuffed Shells for my hubby, he loves them!
I’d make the CHICKEN & BROCCOLI ALFREDO WITH FETTUCCINE.
Thanks for the contest.
I would use the HOMESTYLE THICK & HEARTY ROASTED GARLIC SAUCE on our spaghetti. Spaghetti is my hubby’s favorite meal . Thank you!
I’d love to give the roasted garlic sauce a try in our spaghetti & meatballs…you can never have enough garlic!
i would try the RAGÚ Homestyle Thick & Hearty Four Cheese Sauce on some homemade lasagna
I would use the garlic sauce as a dip for some homemade calzones!
I would use Thick & Hearty Roasted Garlic Sauce with my spaghetti.
I would use the RAGÚ® Homestyle Thick & Hearty Meat Sauce while I make pizza pasta. Rotini noodles, ground beef, add the sauce, top with pepperoni’s and cheese.
I would use it in my mom’s lasagna recipe.
I like the traditional and use it in my meat sauce recipe.
We would use RAGU Homestyle Thick & Hearty Roasted Garlic Sauce to make SPAGHETTI PUTTANESCA !!!