Mile-High Crock Pot Lasagna With Zucchini Or Spinach - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 medium zucchini, sliced thinly into 1/4-inch pieces (or about 1-2 cups chopped spinach)
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon anise seed, crushed (optional)
1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms (optional)
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley (optional)
1 (26 -28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce, any flavor
1/4 cup dry red wine
11 -12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 lb part-skim ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preparation

Brown the beef, onions, zucchini, and garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet, stirring to break up meat.
Stir in the oregano, basil, pepper, crushed anise seeds, sliced mushrooms, parsley, spaghetti sauce, and wine.
In a separate bowl, stir together the beaten egg and the ricotta cheese, beating well until mixture is smooth. Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese, combine well.
Grease the bottom and sides of the crock pot (I use cooking spray or butter).
Layer about 1/4 of the meat sauce mixture in the bottom of the crock pot. Put a layer of noodles on top of that (break noodles to fit, overlapping is fine). Put about 1/3 of the cheese mixture and sprinkle with 1/4 of the mozzarella. Repeat with sauce, noodles and cheese for another two layers. Top with meat sauce and a little Parmesan and shredded mozzarella on top.
Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours (4 hours on HIGH plus 30 minutes on LOW, in my 1990s 'older' model 4-Quart crock pot), or until noodles are tender.