If you can’t find the Italian five-cheese blend, mozzarella will work just fine.

Important: Cooking time should not exceed 4 hours. This is not an “all-day” slow cooker meal.

Ingredients:

16 oz (1 lb) ground beef, 96 % lean
2 c eggplant, diced (no need to peel it)
1 jar low-sodium marinara sauce
1/4 t red pepper flakes
2 t dried thyme
1 1/4 c water
15 oz. ricotta cheese, part skim
1 T parsley chopped
1/4 c egg substitute(or 1 egg white)
1 c shredded Italian blend cheese
6 lasagna noodles, dried, no boil variety

Directions:

• Brown the ground beef in a skillet over moderate heat; drain any excess fat.
• Stir in red pepper flakes, thyme, tomato sauce, eggplant, and water.
• In a bowl combine the egg substitute, ricotta, Italian cheese blend, and parsley.
• Place enough meat sauce to cover the bottom of slow cooker.
• Top with 2-3 noodles, broken to cover the meat sauce.
• Repeat layer.
• Top second layer with cheese mixture and finish with a top layer of the meat mixture.
• Cover and set slow cooker on low.
• Cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

Yields 8 Servings.

Nutritional Information:
271 calories; 24.8 g protein; 10.2 g total fat; 18 g total carbohydrates; 1.6 g fiber