This is what happens when I want lasagna but I don’t want to layer anything. All the same flavors — beefy tomato broth, ricotta, melty mozzarella, those squiggly noodle edges — except it lives in a bowl and the slow cooker does almost all the work.
I usually start it before lunch and we eat it for dinner. The smell that builds up by the afternoon is unfair.
What you need
For the meat — a pound of ground beef, a pound of Italian sausage (squeezed out of the casings), one large onion diced, four cloves of garlic minced.
For the broth — six cups of beef broth, a 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes, a 15-oz can of tomato sauce, a little 6-oz can of tomato paste, a tablespoon of Italian seasoning, two teaspoons each of dried basil and oregano, a teaspoon of sugar (cuts the acidity), two bay leaves, salt, pepper.
For the noodles — twelve regular lasagna sheets broken into rough two-inch pieces. Don’t add them yet.
For the ricotta dollop — a cup and a half of whole-milk ricotta, half a cup of parmesan, a tablespoon of chopped parsley, salt, pepper.
To finish — two cups of shredded mozzarella, fresh basil, more parmesan, cracked pepper, olive oil.
How I make it
Brown the beef and sausage with the onion in a big skillet for about eight minutes, until everything is cooked through. Add the garlic in the last minute. Drain off the fat.
Dump it into the slow cooker. Stir in the broth, both cans of tomatoes, the tomato paste, all the seasonings, the bay leaves. Cover, set it on low, and walk away for six hours. (High for three works too if you’re in a hurry, but low is better.)
Half an hour before you want to eat, stir in the broken noodle pieces, turn it to high, and let them cook for 25-30 minutes until they’re al dente. Pull out the bay leaves.
While that’s happening, mix the ricotta with the parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Serve it in big bowls. Drop a spoonful of the ricotta mix on top, then a generous handful of mozzarella (it melts right in), basil, more parmesan, cracked pepper, a thread of olive oil.
A few notes
Leftovers are great but the noodles drink up the broth as they sit. When you reheat, add a splash of broth or water.
For freezing, I’d freeze just the meat-and-broth base (no noodles). Then cook fresh noodles when you reheat.
Ground turkey works instead of beef. If you don’t have Italian sausage, add an extra teaspoon of fennel seed and a pinch of red pepper flakes — close enough.
If you want it vegetarian, skip the meat, double the mushrooms, and add a diced zucchini.