Slow Cooker Lasagne

Image: Slow cooked lasagne, cooling on the kitchen bench

This slow cooker lasagne recipe is a winter go-to for my family (who am I kidding? - we eat it year round!). If you’re anything like me - lasagne is avoided at all costs, because the perception is that a meal like lasagne costs two hours of time and more blood, sweat and tears than it could possibly be worth!

If you haven’t already given this a go … let me introduce you to slow cooker lasagne - your new wintertime BFF. You’ll notice pretty quickly that more often than not, recipes I post to this website revolve around slow cooking. Because friends, I’m a busy mum … I have three kids 6 and under (who combined, have the energy and athletic ability of an Olympic gymnastic squad) and a hubby who’s work hours rarely permit him to be home in time to run interference while I’m busy in the kitchen - so ‘set and forget’ meals are my best friend. I simply do the prep after I’ve dropped my eldest to school and settled the little ones back in at home and then I forget about it until 20mins before dinner when I switch the slow cooker off, plate up a side and prepare to enjoy a warm, hearty meal with my family.

I cheekily refer to this one as ‘cheeseburger lasagne’ because every bite contains all the indulgent flavours of your favourite juicy burger. It’s gorgeous to look at (plop it in the middle of your dining table amidst a few rustic decorations and your dinner guests will be gushing), it’s hearty, it’s rich tasting and best of all - it feeds a crowd!

Image: slow cooker insert with lasagne, served to the table and ready to eat!

This recipe is to my family’s taste, after several experimentations with different versions of slow cooker lasagne, but may be too rich for some; this is easily countered by adding less cream and perhaps subsituting a little milk and plain flour into the cheese sauce instead.

Also, there are extremely sensitive tummies in my family (primarily mine!) so I’ve omitted onion and garlic and some of the richer, more aromatic flavours … feel free to experiment with adding these in - I feel with a dish like lasagne: the bigger the flavour, the better!

~ Recipe ~

Image: handwritten lasagne recipe on a journal page

Slow Cooker Lasagne

*prep time 15 to 20 mins

*makes 6 very generous portions or 8 smaller portions

Ingredients:

cheese sauce -

• 800ml thickened cream

• 4 large eggs

• 250g three cheese blend

• 2/3 cup parmesan

• 2 tbsp fresh chopped or lightly dried parsley

• 1 tsp ground pepper

meat sauce -

• 1kg beef mince

• 250g bacon

• 500g pasta sauce

• 140g tomato paste

• oregano & pepper (to taste)

• 1 cup chicken stock

You will also need: 350g (family size pack) of dried lasagne sheets.

Method:

1. lightly mix eggs and cream together in a large bowl

2. add to the eggs and cream, all other cheese sauce ingredients and stir to combine

3. brown beef mince and lightly fry bacon in a frying pan, then add all other meat sauce ingredients and stir to combine

4. Begin layering ingredients into the slow cooker, starting with a very thin layer of meat sauce, followed by a layer of pasta sheets and then continuing in the order: meat mix, cheese mix, pasta sheets until all ingredients are used

5. finish with a layer of extra shredded cheese and a little extra parsley

6. slow cook on low for 5 hours

7. allow to stand, off the heat for 20 mins before enjoying with your favourite sides!