Now that it’s Summer, I have a little more time to think about and cook healthier meals for my family. I want to incorporate as many veggies and fruits as possible. Yet, at the same time, with working all day and joining in on our family’s favorite time to play sports outside before dinner, I don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
Last year, we reviewed the CrockPot Casserole Crockpot and it’s one of my favorite Crockpots, and one of our most shared articles. I love it because it allows me to cook casseroles that look like casseroles…not some type of soup or stew like most Crockpots do. Summer is also a great time to get the kids involved in cooking, teaching them little tricks here and there while sneaking in future cooking independence when they eventually fly the coop.
When my kids were younger, they ate every vegetable and had no issues with them. Now, as they continue to grow, so does a distaste for vegetables, especially for my son. One trick I found to help our family eat more veggies has been to grow our own. I sometimes catch my son eating cherry tomatoes from the vine as he walks by them!
With that in mind, I wondered if my son would be more inclined to eat vegetables if he were involved in the preparation of meals where they are intertwined with the recipe.
To find out, I enlisted my son to help me make vegetable noodle lasagna, something our family has never had before. We spent 40 minutes putting together the lasagna, then placed it in the Crockpot Casserole to cook while we went out to play in the Summer sun.
Vegetable Noodle Lasagna
Here’s the recipe I created to make a healthier lasagna that the whole family could enjoy.
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
- 32 oz. jar Classico Pasta Sauce
- 1 egg
- 15 oz. no-fat ricotta cheese
- 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 large yellow squash
- 2 large zucchini
- 3 large carrots
- 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
- 6 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbsp. fresh basil
- Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray.
- Saute garlic and onions in 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until tender.
- Add ground turkey and cook until meat is hardly pink anymore. It's OK for it to be a little pink, as it will cook longer in the crockpot.
- When turkey is cooked, add jar of pasta sauce (or your own favorite pasta sauce).
- Use a Vegetti Pro to make zucchini, squash, and carrots into thick noodles. Set aside.
- Chop up cilantro and mix with ricotta cheese and an egg. Ensure this mixture is well mixed.
- Spread 1/2 of the meat sauce on the bottom of the crockpot.
- Follow by a layer of zucchini, a layer of carrots, and a layer of yellow squash noodles.
- Now add a layer of ricotta cheese mixture (1/2 of mixture).
- Continue this process again by adding the meat sauce, vegetables, and ricotta cheese mixture.
- Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
- Add chopped basil on top for the finishing touch.
- Cook on High in the crockpot for 4 hours.
- When the Vegetable Noodle Lasagna is done cooking, carefully tilt the crockpot in a sink to pour out extra watery sauce. Once this is done, immediately cut up your lasagna pieces, then let rest in the pan for 3-5 minutes before serving.
Now, if you love to make your own spaghetti/pasta sauce, use it instead. I am more of the pseudo-scratch type of person, so I opted for a pre-made pasta sauce.
Here’s how we had fun making Vegetable Noodle Lasagna…
Cooking up the turkey really only takes about 8-10 minutes, including sauteing the garlic and onion first. No need to cook the turkey all the way, as it will cook more in the crockpot.
I used a Veggetti Pro to make veggies into vegetable noodles, it’s fast and easy, my son loved helping!
The carrots came out of the Veggetti Pro in cute little half circles.
Doesn’t this look colorful? I just love getting all of these fun colored vegetable noodles into our lasagna!
First put half of meat sauce on the bottom of the crockpot. Then layer the vegetable noodles.
I started layering with zucchini first, then yellow squash, followed by carrots.
Time to add the no-fat ricotta filling with cilantro. Doesn’t look yum?
Now start the process all over again, beginning with the meat sauce, then veggies, then ricotta. Top with shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. And finish with fresh chopped basil on top.
Here’s my CrockPot Casserole Crockpot – I just put on the lid, turned it to High, and cooked for 4 hours. Notice the lid, it has clips so I can keep the lid latched on tightly to the CrockPot casserole, keeping moisture in and making it easier to travel with.
The CrockPot Casserole Crockpot is available at Walmart.com for $39.92 in red. I also found the Veggetti Pro at Walmart for $24.88.
A Mom’s Perspective
Well, my son ate the vegetable noodle lasagna and he actually liked it. In fact, he went back for seconds (and so did I)! And I love leftovers for lunch, so it was my plan to dish up single servings and freeze them in Ziplock’s to easily heat up when I need a quick nutritious lunch for the kids and I. However, we couldn’t wait to eat the leftovers, so there was nothing to freeze!
I love the versatility of the Crockpot Casserole and how you can cook delicious, nutritious, and good-looking meals while you’re out enjoying Summertime activities with your family.
What recipes ideas do you have for the Crockpot Casserole?
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