Slow Cooker Cheesy Spaghetti

Slow Cooker Cheesy Spaghetti with Turkey Sausage - made June 14, 2014 from Skinny Ms

The main reason I made this recipe is I still had my crock pot out and rather than climbing up on my step stool to stow it away on the top shelf of a cabinet I can't reach, I decided it would be way less effort (yes, this is what sarcasm looks like) to look at the cooking recipes on my pinterest board, make up a grocery list of ingredients I didn't have, drive to the store, buy what I needed then come back to throw everything in the crock pot. Totally makes sense, right? Yeah, I thought so too. It was just an added bonus that this made enough to feed me for 2 weeks.

True to its title, this is pretty cheesy spaghetti. I don't get how Skinny Ms got hers to look so "clean" in terms of not creamy with the cheesy sauce. Mine didn't turn out looking like hers. And that's with me doubling the amount of noodles in the recipe but keeping the sauce ingredients the same amounts. I doubled the noodles because I don't like a bunch of runny sauce and since I was using the slow cooker which has a tendency to make things watery, I was afraid the sauce would be watery so I wanted the extra noodles to sop it up. My fears turned out to be unfounded because doubling the noodles really did make for a thick concoction without much extra sauce. I thought this was pretty good but I think it would've been better to let the sauce simmer on its own, boil the noodles separately and just mix it all together at the end. I found myself checking the slow cooker too often to determine if the noodles were done. Which defeats the purpose of a crock pot since you're supposed to turn it on, walk away and just come back when everything's cooked. It does make a lot so this is good for a potluck or a large gathering. Or two weeks' worth of carb-heavy meals in the freezer.

1 lb lean ground turkey sausage (see recipe below)
1 (24 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (no sugar added)
8 ounces (uncooked) 100% whole wheat spaghetti, about 2/3 of a 13.25 oz box, break into small pieces before adding to meat mixture
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 cup skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon chopped (fresh) basil
Kosher or sea Salt to taste
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Turkey Sausage
1 lb lean ground turkey or chicken
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano

1. Add all the sausage ingredients a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Cook ground turkey sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking into small pieces while cooking. Ensure the turkey loses its pink color before removing from heat. Drain, discard any fat and set aside. Combine meat with marinara and broken spaghetti pieces.
2. In a medium bowl combine cooked turkey sausage with the remaining ingredients, add to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 2-3 hours or until spaghetti is al dente and cheese is bubbly.