Every Tuesday is “Crockpot Tuesday” at Healing Housing, a nonprofit residential recovery program serving women healing from addiction throughout Middle Tennessee. On this day, the newest residents and several staffers and volunteers prepare crockpots full of nutritious meals, plus sides and salads. Here is their slow cooker sausage and vegetable lasagna filled with fresh vegetables from the Franklin United Methodist Church Giving Garden across the street.
1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Add milk a little at a time, whisking constantly. Cook until thick and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside off the heat and reserve about 1⁄4 cup of milk. The sauce will continue to thicken as it stands.
2. Remove sausage from casings. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the sausage, breaking up with a spatula. Brown sausage and continue to break up into small pieces. Move the sausage to a bowl.
3. Add the onion, squash and zucchini to drippings in skillet. Sauté until vegetables are translucent.
4. Combine tomato sauce, oregano, paprika, red pepper flakes and salt in a bowl. Spread a thin layer of the white sauce in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add a layer of noodles, breaking them up to cover the surface. Try not to overlap. Add a thin layer of tomato sauce, some of the sausage and some of the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Repeat layers in that order, ending with white sauce, tomato sauce and cheese.
5. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 4–5 hours, until lasagna is bubbling and noodles are soft when pierced with a sharp knife. Remove lid and continue to cook for 20–30 minutes. Serves 8
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