Description
Tender moist bites of chicken, savory spaghetti sauce, al dente pasta, melty mozzarella, slightly tangy cream cheese and toasted breadcrumbs. All the flavors of your favorite Italian food (chicken parm and lasagna) in one casserole with minimal steps that’s made in your crockpot.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (This was 2 chicken breast halves for me)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 (24 oz) can or jar or your favorite spaghetti sauce
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 4 whole wheat lasagna noodles, uncooked (I’ve never used white lasagna noodles so I’m not sure how it would turn out…probably mushy is my guess)
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese, grated (I used a block of mozzarella and grated it myself. I prefer this over the stuff you buy grated)
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Fresh basil, optional (but delicious)
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into small bite size pieces. Place them in the bottom of your slow cooker. I used my casserole crock (which is a crockpot in the shape of a casserole dish) but you can use an oval 6 quart slow cooker if that’s what you have.
- Salt and pepper the chicken lightly and then pour half a can or jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce evenly over the chicken. You’ll add the other half later.
- Add little teeny tiny dollops of cream cheese evenly over the top. Just use half of the cream cheese now and you’ll use the other half later. I cut up 4 ounces of the cream cheese into about 40 pieces. You don’t want any bigger than that or else someone will get a big old bite of cream cheese.
- Break up 4 uncooked whole wheat lasagna noodles and place them evenly over the top.
- Pour the rest of the spaghetti sauce over the top and put more teeny dollops of cream cheese on top. Now you’re going to cover the slow cooker and cook on high for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours or your can cook on low for 4-5 hours. I chose high because I think the pasta turns out better on high.
- After the food has slow cooked you’ll top the casserole with grated mozzarella cheese and then breadcrumbs. I stuck the crockpot insert into my oven under a low broil for about 4-5 minutes. The cheese got all melted and the breadcrumbs got all toasted. It was perfect. If you have some fresh basil on hand chop it up and top each individual serving with a bit. It adds that fresh flavor that makes the whole meal perfect. (If you don’t have an oven safe crockpot insert you can top the casserole with mozzarella and let it melt and then toast the breadcrumbs separately on a cookie sheet in your oven. Or you can just risk it and put the crockpot insert in the oven for 4-5 minutes…I’ve done this before and it’s always worked out okay!)
Notes
I used my 3 quart casserole crock slow cooker for this recipe.