Slow cooker lasagna

Chef Meg's Slow Cooker Lasagna

I love Chef Meg--she is a contributor to a lot of great recipe websites and has healthy things to contribute. I am a little hesitant about cooking with eggplant, since I've only tried one eggplant recipe before, but I'm not going to skip it in this recipe.

*Review: I made this recipe for my family and it was not a big hit. Three of the five people in my house refused to eat any or more than a bite. I assembled it the night before (using regular lasagna noodles) and put the crock pot in the fridge. Then, it was ready to crock the next day, slowly. It was all OK, but was missing something. My husband suggested using Italian sausage instead of ground beef, and I may try that next time. Either that or add some Italian seasoning, basil, or more red pepper. I also think that you could substitute squash or zucchini for the eggplant and be fine.

INGREDIENTS
16 oz (1 lb) ground beef,
2 c eggplant, diced (no need to peel it) <--- I'm going to peel it.
1 jar marinara sauce (I will use Classico's Tomato Basil since it does not have added sugar)
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 (or mozzarella)
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.

Number of Servings: 8