Episode 19

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Published on:

12th May 2026

Lasagna Two Ways: Classic Oven Baked vs. Slow Cooker

In this episode of Everyday Cooks Recipe Club, Stephanie suggests we make a classic lasagna. We each use a different method. Kelly makes an oven baked lasagna while Stephanie makes her lasagna in the crockpot. Both of us remember how easy this dish is to make and why it never goes out of style!

In this episode, we talk about:

  • Why Stephanie picked this recipe
  • Making marinara sauce from scratch
  • Cottage cheese vs ricotta cheese
  • Boil the noodles or not?
  • Baking the lasagna vs cooking in the slow cooker
  • How each of us prepared the recipes (and where we improvised!)
  • Our honest thoughts on flavor, texture, and whether it’s worth making again

Resources & Links

Marinara sauce recipe

m/shorts/5Jr3bJ2T1UA?si=LlorJoXUzLIWvVlu

Lasagna recipe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzJss3PUGHE

Bonus! This is Stephanie’s own recipe!

Easy Slow-Cooker Lasagna

Ingredients

1-pound Italian sausage

1 small onion

2 garlic cloves chopped

1 large jar 24oz pasta sauce (marinara or your pick)

1 cup chicken stock or bone broth

1 24 oz low-fat cottage cheese

1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese

5 oz (small clam or bag) of fresh baby spinach

6-8 oven ready-bake lasagna noodles

2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon Herbs de Provance

Optional

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ finely chopped jalapeno

8 oz chopped mushrooms

1 yellow or orange bell pepper chopped (or any other veggies you like)

LOW CARB replace lasagna noodles with cabbage leaves

Directions

1. Cook Italian sausage then drain grease either into foil or with a paper towel.

2. Add onion and cook (do not overcook onion)

3. Add jar of pasta sauce along with 1 cup chicken stock and mix with sausage and onion

4. In a separate bowl, mix the cottage cheese along with the seasonings: Italian seasoning, Herbs de Provance, and red pepper flakes

5. Line slow cooker with cooking bag or non-stick cooking spray

6. Scoop about ½ - 1 cup of the sausage & sauce mixture to the bottom of the slow cooker

7. Add a layer of the ready-bake lasagna noodles. It’s ok to break them to cover the sauce

8. Add a layer of the cottage cheese mixture

9. Add chopped bell pepper and spinach (veggies)

10. Last layer add shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese

11. Repeat

  • sausage & sauce mixture
  • noodles
  • cottage cheese
  • veggies
  • cheese

12. Slow cook HIGH 3 hours, LOW 4-6

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Disclaimer

Everyday Cooks Recipe Club is a podcast for home cooks who love exploring new recipes and sharing the experience. We feature recipes from talented chefs, cookbook authors, and food creators, always giving full credit to the original source. We do not claim ownership of these recipes, and we encourage listeners to support the chefs by purchasing their cookbooks or visiting their websites or social channels. For copyright reasons, we do not share full recipes in our show notes. Instead, we talk about our own cooking experiences, tips, and takeaways.

Credit

Original Music by Matthew J. Smith

Recipe Testers are Matt, Ryan, Matt and Cameron

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About the Podcast

Everyday Cooks Recipe Club
Welcome to Everyday Cooks Recipe Club—a fun, no-pressure cooking podcast for home cooks of all levels who love discovering easy recipes, helpful kitchen tips, and the occasional hilarious cooking mishap. We’re Kelly and Stephanie, two friends who started a cooking club to make our dinners more exciting and now we’re inviting you to pull up a chair and join us.

Here’s the deal: Every month, one of us picks a recipe. It could be a cozy family favorite, a new dish we’ve never tried, or something that pushes us out of our comfort zone. We each make it in our own kitchens, navigating grocery shopping adventures, ingredient swaps, and plenty of “learning moments” along the way.

Then we get together to dish on:
~Why we chose it
~How the shopping went
~The steps that made us cheer, laugh, or groan
~The tweaks we’d try next time
~Whether it’s destined to become a weeknight staple or a one-time experiment

That’s our main monthly episode, a recipe deep dive with real talk about what worked and what didn’t. The rest of the month, you’ll get short and snackable episodes filled with quick meal ideas, time-saving cooking tips, kitchen gadget finds, and simple recipes you can make anytime. Think of them as the side dishes to our main course.

If you’re looking for a home cooking podcast that feels more like chatting with friends in the kitchen than watching a polished cooking show, you’re in the right place. We believe great food doesn’t have to be complicated, mistakes make the best stories, and every home cook deserves a little club of their own.

So grab your spatula, pour yourself something tasty, and hit play. Welcome to Everyday Cooks Recipe Club where we’re sharing recipes, tips, and laughs one month at a time, with plenty of delicious detours along the way.

About your host

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Kelly Smith