Today we have a guest poster! We’ve got two great recipes below from Stephanie O’Dea over at A Year of CrockPotting. Last year, she made a New Years resolution to use her CrockPot every day in 2008 and to keep a blog outlining her adventure. I’ve become horribly addicted to her site, as I’m CrockPot lover myself. I mean, come on… coming home at the end of the day with a hot dinner waiting is definitely up there on my Top 10 Best Things in Life list. And dessert is warm brie!
So here she is!
Having company for the holidays? The crockpot is your best friend during the hectic hustle and bustle of the holiday season. You can entertain with ease because the crockpot does the hard work while you quickly tidy up or tend to last minute errands.
This lasagna meal can easily be thrown together in the very early morning while you are still heavily caffeinated and can feed up to 6 adults. The warm brie with cranberries and candied pecans is a family-favorite, and something we’ve proudly served at many get-togethers.
- One 8-ounce package brie, (a round would fit in the crock much better than the triangle. I realized that a bit too late.)
- 1/3 cup candied pecans
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- I used my little 1.5 quart crockpot. If you don’t have one, you can insert a corning ware or other high-heat resistant dish into your large stoneware. It will take longer to heat through and melt, but will work just fine.
- Place brie in bottom of stoneware (or in my case with the triangle, squish to fit). Chop up candied pecans and cranberries and dump on top of brie. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2.
- Serve with sliced apples and/or your favorite crackers.
- 1/2 pound hamburger meat.
- 1/2 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 box regular lasagna noodles, (gluten free!)
- 3 cups your choice of pasta sauce
- 1 package ricotta cheese
- 1 package shredded Italian cheese
- 2 cups chopped mushrooms
- 3 cups chopped veggies, (I used broccoli and cauliflower)
- 1 bag of spinach
- 1/4 cup water
- Brown meat with salt and pepper in large skillet and pour in pasta sauce. Simmer on low for a few minutes, then put a ladle-full of sauce mixture into the bottom of your crockpot. Top with a layer of dried lasagna noodles. You’ll have to break them to fit, and little pieces will fly all over the place, much to the delight of small children and pets.
- Smear ricotta cheese on top of lasagna noodles, then layer veggies, mushrooms, and spinach on top of the ricotta cheese. Add a handful of the shredded cheese and ladle on some more of the meat sauce, reserving 1/4 cup of sauce. Top with more dry noodles and repeat layers until crock is to desired capacity.
- Mix reserved sauce with 1/4 cup of water, and pour over the top of your lasagna. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, high for 4.
- Check noodles an hour before serving, and push the top ones down into the liquid if they are getting too hard or are curling up.
This content was originally posted on FearlessFresh.com.
