Thrifty Thursday - Meatless Meals

I have a husband who loves eating meat, but the more meat that goes in the grocery cart, the higher the grocery bill. On occasion, for the sake of a dollar, I'll try to sneak in a meatless meal that will still satisfy his carnivorous needs. My favorite meatless recipe is from Jessica Seinfeld found at Oprah.com. I really like the opportunities to use healthy substitutes, like whole-grain noodles and low-fat cheeses.

Vegetarian Crock-Pot Lasagna
Serves 6

Ingredients

3 cans (14.4 oz.) crushed tomatoes

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 T dried oregano

1/2 t kosher salt

1/4 t red pepper flakes

1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

2 containers (15 oz. each) fresh ricotta

2 C (8 oz.) grated mozzarella

1/4 C grated Parmesan

12 lasagna noodles (about three-quarters of a 1 lb. box)

5 oz. (about 6 C) baby spinach

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, red pepper and black pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella and Parmesan.

In the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, spread a thin layer of the sauce. Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit, as necessary). Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture. Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach and cheese mixture. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce and 1 cup mozzarella.

Cook on low, covered, until the noodles are tender—especially in the center of the lasagna—about 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Read comments and reviews here.

Did you know going meatless even one day a week can help reduce your risk for cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity? It also can help reduce your carbon footprint. A way to ease into meatless meals is to try having Meatless Mondays. Read about the movement, get recipes ideas and more at meatlessmonday.com.

Would you consider incorporating meatless meals, or do you already?

Photo via.