Slow Cooker Italian Sausage Lasagna

Puffy Taco's Note:

This came to me in a 'round about way from the Betty Crocker website. It doesn't appear to be on Food.com. We really enjoyed it. I used pound ground sausage with Sage as I had on hand and added 2 tsp ground up Fennel Seed to give it the "Italian" touch. Who knew you could make lasagna in a crock pot? Mine tapers in toward the bottom, so the shape isn't "traditional but it cooked nicely. The flavor was great. Hope you like it!

• Total Time: 4 hrs 25 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 4 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 lb bulk Italian sausage
• 1 medium onion, 1/2 cup chopped
• 3 (15 ounce) cans Italian-style tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)
• 1 (15 ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 15 lasagna noodles, regular, uncooked

Directions:

1. Cook sausage and onion in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir in undrained tomato sauce, basil and salt.
2. Mix 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. Refrigerate remaining mozzarella cheese while lasagna cooks.
3. Spoon 1/4 of the sausage mixture into 6-quart slow cooker; top with 5 about noodles, broken to fit the pot. Spread with 1/2 of the cheese mixture and 1/4 of the sausage mixture. Top with 5 noodles, remaining cheese mixture and 1/4 of the sausage mixture. Top with remaining 5 noodles and remaining sausage mixture.
4. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 4-6 hours or until noodles are tender.
5. Sprinkle top of lasagna with remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover and let stand about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut straight down and enjoy!
6. Tips: Sprinkle some chopped fresh parsley on top before serving for added appeal. Italian sausage can be interchanged with the hot or spicy varieties for more zing. Links can be substituted by cutting the casings and squeezing the meat out and cooking as directed.