Crockpot Lasagna: Tender Pasta Masterpiece

Place your ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook until deeply browned and a sizzle is constant, breaking it up with a spatula.

Add the diced onion to the beef. Note: The fat from the beef helps soften the onions without adding extra oil.

Stir in the minced garlic and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes until the paste turns a dark brick red.

Pour in the marinara sauce, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Let it bubble for 5 minutes, then remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, parsley, and salt. Whisk until velvety and completely uniform.

Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce onto the bottom of the slow cooker. Note: This prevents the bottom noodles from sticking and burning.

Break the dry noodles to fit the shape of your crock. Place 3-4 noodles over the sauce (some overlapping is fine).

Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, followed by a layer of mozzarella and more meat sauce. Repeat this twice.

End with a layer of noodles, the remaining meat sauce, and a generous topping of mozzarella.

Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours until the noodles are tender and the cheese is bubbling.