This crockpot lasagna is cheesy, saucy and loaded with layers of tender noodles, beef and Italian sausage, cottage cheese and plenty of mozzarella. With about 20 minutes of prep and no need to boil the noodles first, you get all the layers of a classic homemade lasagna without hovering over a pot of pasta or heating up the oven.

And YES, you really can put the noodles in uncooked! They soften right in the sauce as the lasagna slowly cooks, which is exactly why this has become one of my favorite ways to make lasagna.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Ground Beef: Adds hearty, beefy flavor to the meat sauce. We combine it with Italian sausage so neither one overpowers the lasagna.
• Italian Sausage: The easiest way to add loads of flavor without measuring a bunch of extra seasonings. Mild or hot Italian sausage will both work.
• Yellow Onion: Mince it fairly small so it melts into the meat sauce as it cooks.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic adds another layer of savory flavor to the sauce.
• Marinara Sauce: This is one place where using a really good jarred sauce makes a difference. We love Rao’s, but use your favorite marinara or Bolognese sauce.
• Heavy Cream: Just a splash rounds out the acidity of the tomato sauce and makes it a little richer. It’s optional, so feel free to leave it out.
• Lemon Juice: It might sound unexpected, but a little squeeze brightens the rich meat and cheese layers.
• Cottage Cheese: Creates the creamy cheese layer in place of traditional ricotta. We love the texture and mild flavor.
• Egg: Helps bind the cottage cheese mixture so the lasagna holds its layers better when sliced.
• Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated Parmesan adds salty, nutty flavor to the cottag

These stuffed zucchini boats are filled with savory Italian sausage, marinara sauce, tender vegetables, and plenty of melty cheese for an easy dinner that is hearty, naturally lower carb, and one of the very best ways to use up summer zucchini.

Every spring growing up my dad was in charge of tilling the garden and mom would plant. Then we’d spend all summer weeding that thing clear through harvest. I hated it. I didn’t like tomatoes or zucchini. In fact the only vegetable I’d eat was corn, and can we really call that nutrition?

The only good thing about zucchini was mom would let us make zucchini boats and float them in the big utility sink in the mud room. I wonder if kids are struggling these days because they are missing out on both the confidence from hard work and the peace from the simplest things in life.

This year we are planting a garden and since I’ve learned to not merely tolerate but absolutely love vegetables I thought it was high time to show off just how delicious they can be! These zucchini boats are not only good, they are an entire meal in one!

Ingredients You’ll Need

These stuffed zucchini boats use simple ingredients that come together for a hearty Italian-inspired dinner that feels comforting while still being packed with vegetables.

• Zucchinis: The perfect tender veggie base that holds all the delicious Italian filling while baking up soft and flavorful.
• Salt and Pepper: Essential for seasoning both the zucchini and sausage filling.
• Olive Oil: Adds richness and helps sauté the sausage and vegetables.
• Mild Italian Sausage: Adds hearty savory flavor with classic Italian seasoning already built in.
• Dried Italian Seasoning: Brings warm herby flavor that makes the filling taste extra comforting.
• Sweet Onion: Adds sweetness and depth as it softens and cooks down.
• Garlic: Adds bold savory flavor that pairs perfectly with the marinara sauce.
• Red Bell Pepper: Adds sweetness, color, and texture to the filling.
• Marinara Sauce: Brings everything together with rich tomato flavor and keeps the filling moist and hearty.
• Mozzarella Cheese: Melts into gooey cheesy perfection over the zucchini boat

Creamy Sausage and Peppers over Mashed Potatoes

Typically, you see creamy sausage and peppers over pasta, but we are going to blow your mind with it served over creamy mashed potatoes!

This recipe is inspired by our whole wheat penne sausage and peppers. I had a little cream left in the fridge that I tossed into the sauce, and I loved the extra richness that the cream added! 

We were in the middle of moving at the time and my kitchen was half packed. When I went to grab the penne, all my pasta was already packed, but my potatoes were still sitting in the pantry. I figured, why not?! And we absolutely LOVED the change in carb! I mean, you can’t go wrong with mashed potatoes!

What Do I Need For Creamy Sausage and Peppers?

I love a quick dinner recipe with simple ingredients! Here is your grocery shopping list with a quick explanation of each ingredient. I find it so helpful to get a little snapshot of what I’m going to need for a recipe before getting into all the details!

• Italian Sausage Links – you can get mild, sweet or spicy depending on what flavor you prefer
• Green Peppers –  remove the stem and seeds and slice into thin slices
• Red Pepper – remove the stem and seeds and slice into thin slices, red peppers are a little sweeter than green peppers so they add another dimension of flavor
• Yellow Onion – we prefer a yellow onion, sliced thin
• White Wine (cooking white wine) – we don’t drink alcohol so we cook with cooking wine, but feel free to use whichever you prefer, you can also use chicken broth if you don’t want to use wine at all
• Fire Roasted Tomatoes – adds a tiny bit of heat and so much flavor to the sauce
• Tomato Paste – a 6oz can, any brand works, just choose your favorite
• Tomato Sauce – an 8oz can, any brand works, just choose your favorite
• Water – thins the sauce out a little and helps blend on the ingredients together
• Italian Seasoning – a dried seasoning blend that you can buy at the grocery store that usually includes dried basil, dried oregano, dried rosemary, dried thyme and dried marjoram
• Sugar – enhances the flavors
• Salt – adds flavor
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The secret to this Better Italian Stuffed Peppers recipe isn’t anything crazy, so why does no one do it? I guess it took a hater of stuffed peppers to make the magic happen.

Motherhood with Joy

My friend recently had her little boy in the hospital with a bad case of pneumonia. Anytime a child, especially one that’s still a young toddler ends up in the hospital, my heart lurches into the reality of time and love. It seems only yesterday and somehow a million years ago that I was lying in a hospital fighting to survive along with an unborn baby doing the same thing, but at my own expense. I lack an awful lot in life, certainly when it comes to parenting, but times like these always remind me of one thing, and I hope it will make sense to say it, at least I’m here.

I may not make perfect decisions or respond to situations perfectly, but oh how I perfectly ache to be a good mother. To remember to love them and to strive a little more to extend that love to those outside of my home. As I honor the gift of motherhood I find myself wondering, what is the secret to motherhood with joy?

My friend’s son made it out of a much longer stay in the hospital than expected. She had so much on her plate and could have lost faith in tomorrow, in medicine, even in God, but she continued on, giving all she could muster each day for him.

I guess that’s it. All I can do it strive each day to begin again and remember that though tempted to lose faith in many things, myself, people and the world, God never loses faith in those things. Maybe I won’t end up with adult children that think I was the best mom, but maybe they will think I was trying to love them. Maybe that’s enough. Just to try to love.