Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large simmering pot. Heat on low and press garlic cloves into the oil with a garlic press or mince and add.

Stir tomato paste into the garlic and oil mixture and cook until garlic is aromatic. Add the remainder of the tomato products and begin adding herbs and seasoning. Stir and simmer on low heat for about 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and add more herbs and seasoning as needed; meat and mushrooms, if desired.

Brown beef and onion in a bit of extra virgin olive oil, seasoning with kosher salt. Drain.

Meanwhile, place ricotta cheese, 1 to 1/2 cup of fresh Parmesan and 2 cups of Mozzarella in a bowl and stir until blended.

Saute mushrooms in a bit of extra virgin olive oil and set aside.

Prep slow-cooker by pre-heating on ‘low’. Pour about 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in (to avoid sticking) and use a paper towel to coat the sides.

Add a little sauce first before adding your first layer of noodles. Cover as much surface as you can with the noodles, leaving them in as large pieces as possible. It sounds complicated, but it doesn’t have to be perfect. Mine wasn’t!

Cover noodles with more sauce, then sprinkle beef and mushrooms over the sauce. Add a little more sauce over the beef and mushrooms, then spread 1/3 to 1/2 cheese mixture.

Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Cover and cook on low for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until noodles are soft and lasagna is heated through.

Once it has finished cooking, switch the setting to warm for about 30 minutes before serving (to set). The trickiest part of this method is removing it from the slow-cooker. I cut each serving through first and used a short spatula. Serve with extra marinara and grated Parmesan.