Here’s a great dish from Chef Meg’s Kitchen for those days when you’ll be on the run for around 4 hours! Brown the meat, layer in the ingredients, set your slow cooker on low and go!

NOTE:   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.

Preparation and Cook Time:   4 Hours and 15 minutes

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.

Serves 8. 

cals: 271   fat: 10.2 g   protein: 24.8 g   carbs: 18 g   fiber: 1.6 g

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