Sausage and Squash Lasagna Slow Cooker & Salad

I  were surprised and delighted by how well lasagna cooks up in the slow cooker. Be sure to use traditional noodles, and place them in the cooker uncooked. I  tried the recipe with specially formulated no-bake noodles, and they didn't work as well. 
I added a salad  for a balance meal (recipe below)
Serves 10 (serving size: about 1 cup)    Total time: 4-1/2 Hours

 9      ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
1       ounce Asiago cheese, grated and divided (about 1/4 cup)
2      tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
2      tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided
1/4   teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6      garlic cloves, divided
6     cups water
1/2   cup red wine vinegar
1      large yellow crookneck squash, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1     large zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Cooking spray
12    ounces hot turkey Italian sausage links, casings removed
2      cups chopped onion
1      tablespoon olive oil
3     (3.5-ounce) packages shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1     cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
1/2    cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1     (25-ounce) jar lower-sodium marinara sauce (such as Dell'Amore)
12    uncooked lasagna noodles
4      ounces fontina cheese, shredded and divided (about 1 cup)

1.    Combine ricotta, 2 tablespoons Asiago cheese, 1 tablespoon parsley, 1 tablespoon chives, pepper, and 1 garlic clove, grated, in a bowl; set aside.
2.    Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a large skillet; stir in red wine vinegar. Add squash and zucchini; cook 2 minutes. Drain.
3.    Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage; cook 7 minutes, stirring to crumble. Stir in onion; cook 8 minutes or until onion is tender.
4.    Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook 10 minutes or until mushroom liquid nearly evaporates. Mince 5 garlic cloves; stir into mushrooms. Stir in stock, basil, and marinara. Bring to a boil; remove from heat.
5.    To assemble lasagna, spoon 1 cup marinara mixture into the bottom of a 6-quart electric slow cooker. Top with 4 noodles, breaking noodles to fit cooker. Layer half of squash mixture, half of sausage mixture, and 1/4 cup fontina cheese over noodles; top with 1 cup marinara mixture. Arrange 4 noodles over marinara mixture; top with ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup fontina; top with remaining half of sausage mixture and remaining half of squash mixture. Arrange remaining 4 noodles over squash mixture; top with remaining 1 1/2 cups sauce and 1/4 cup fontina. Cover and cook on  low for 4 hours.
6.    Preheat broiler.
7.    Uncover slow cooker; sprinkle lasagna with remaining 1/4 cup fontina and remaining 2 tablespoons Asiago. Broil on middle rack of oven for 2 minutes or until cheese browns slightly. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley and remaining 1 tablespoon chives. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
TIP:
You can freeze Lasagna up yo  6 weeks. Defrost in refrigerator over night

                                             Seven Layer Salad

This  layered  salad is always popular at covered dish and potluck suppers with its colorful layers of lettuce, bacon, tomato, olives, green peas, carrot and hard-boiled eggs.
Make        6 Servings

6         large eggs
12      strips lean bacon
2        beefsteak tomatoes, diced (about 2 pounds)
1       (10 ounces) box frozen peas, thawed and drained
8        ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, shredded or diced (2 cups)
1/3     cup pitted black olives
2       (5 ounces.) bags mixed greens
1/2    cup ranch dressing or vinaigrette

1 .  Place eggs in a medium saucepan with cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover pan and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain eggs and cool in ice water. Peel and set aside.
2 .  Cook bacon in batches in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Tear bacon into pieces.
3 .  Arrange tomatoes, peas, Cheddar, olives, greens and bacon in layers in a large (5-quart), clear bowl with straight sides.
4 .  Just before serving, quarter eggs and place on top. Serve with dressing on side or toss.
Heart Healthy