Slow Cooker Meat Sauce For Lasagna

Mike Garten

A simple meat lasagna is the ultimate comfort food. Yes, it is great for any cold winter afternoon or evening, but we wouldn't turn our backs on this classic lasagna with meat sauce any time it hits the table (it's a perfect family meal).

It's loaded with a pork meat sauce, three cheeses, spinach, and herbs, and it's layered with no boil noodles, making it an easy lasagna recipe to boot. Keep this in your arsenal for an easy weeknight dinner: You can make this dish ahead of time and keep it in your fridge for the nights when you can't even think about cooking a whole meal.

Yields: 4

Cook Time: 0 hours 30 mins

Total Time: 1 hour 0 mins

2 tbsp.

olive oil

Large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 lb.

ground pork

Kosher salt and pepper

1/3 c.

tomato paste

3/4 c.

dry white wine

3/4 c.

roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided

15-oz container part-skim ricotta

1/4 c.

plus 2 Tbsp grated pecorino

4 c.

baby spinach, roughly chopped

4 oz.

part-skim mozzarella, coarsely grated and divided

no-boil lasagna noodles

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Heat oven to 425°F. Heat oil and garlic in large skillet on medium. Add pork, season with 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper and cook, breaking sausage up with spoon into very small pieces, until beginning to brown, 5 to 6 min. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 2 min. Add wine and simmer for 1 min. Fold in ¼ cup parsley.
Meanwhile, in bowl, combine ricotta, ¼ cup pecorino and ¼ tsp each salt and pepper. Fold in spinach, all but ½ cup mozzarella and remaining ½ cup parsley.
Spread 1/2 cup sauce on bottom of 8-in. square baking dish. Top with 2 noodles and spread one-third (about 1/4 cup) of remaining sauce over the top. Dollop with one-third (about 1 cup) of ricotta mixture; repeat. Place remaining 2 noodles on top; spread with remaining sauce and dollop with remaining ricotta mixture.
Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup mozzarella and 2 Tbsp pecorino, cover tightly with an oiled piece of foil (to prevent sticking) and bake 15 min. Uncover and bake until noodles are tender and top is golden brown, 8 to 10 min.

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