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I love lasagna, but who has time for all that layering? I’m all about a good shortcut, so when I’m craving lasagna but don’t have much time, I pull out my slow cooker. This simple crock pot lasagna soup has all the same flavors but with half the work. I start it earlier in the day whenever I have a minute, and then it’s ready to eat at dinnertime! Another shortcut lasagna recipe I love is this easy sheet pan lasagna.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Crock Pot Lasagna Soup Recipe
- Cozy: There’s nothing better than a warm bowl of cheesy soup on a cold night.
- Easy: Besides browning the ground beef and sausage, let your crock pot do all the work for the best lasagna soup!
- Kid-Friendly: If your kiddos love pasta but aren’t sure about soup, then this dish is a good way to introduce soup to them.
🥣 Lasagna Soup Ingredients
- 🥩 Meat: I like using half lean ground meat and half Italian sausage, but you can use all of one kind.
- 🧅 Aromatics: Onion and garlic
- 🍅 Tomatoes: Petite diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste
- 🧂 Seasoning: Italian seasoning, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper
- 🥣 Broth: My favorite clean broth is from Bonafide Provisions.
- 🍝 Noodles: Break up lasagna noodles into smaller pieces.
- 🧀 Cheese: Ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan
👩🍳 How to Make Lasagna Soup in the Slow Cooker
- Brown the Meat in a skillet on the stove and drain any grease.
- Add Everything to the Crock Pot: Put all the lasagna soup ingredients except for the noodles and cheese in the slow cooker.
- Slow Cooker: Cover the pot and set it on low for six to eight hours or on high for three to four hours.
- Cook the Pasta: You can add the noodles to the crockpot in the last 30 minutes before the soup is done. Or you can cook them on the stove and add them to individual soup bowls.
- Cheese: Add all three cheeses and season with salt and pepper to taste.
📹 Watch me make this easy crock pot lasagna soup on Instagram.
🗒 Substitutions
- Meat: Use all ground beef or all Italian sausage.
- Poultry: Substitute lean ground turkey and Italian turkey sausage.
- Vegetarian Lasagna Soup: Omit the sausage and ground beef and add vegetables, like zucchini, mushrooms, and yellow squash.
- Vegan Lasagna Soup: Make the vegetarian substitutions above. Also, swap the cheese with homemade cashew ricotta or one you can find at the grocery store.
- Italian Seasoning: Make your own herb blend with dried basil, oregano, or parsley, or just use all of one herb.
- Broth: Sub chicken broth or chicken bone broth.
- Gluten-Free Lasagna Soup: Use a gluten-free pasta, like one made from chickpeas. Also, you don’t have to use broken lasagna noodles. Rotini, fusilli, and farfalle would all be good options.
- Ricotta: Substitute part-skim ricotta or cottage cheese.
🍽️ Best served with
Serve this slow cooker lasagna soup with an arugula salad, cheesy pull-apart bread, or air fryer green beans.
👝 How to Store Lasagna Soup
- Leftover lasagna soup will last for four days in the refrigerator and can be reheated on the stove or in the microwave.
- It’s also great to freeze. Store it in an airtight container and freeze for up to four months. Thaw it in the fridge the day before and then reheat it.
🤔 Common Questions
The easiest way to cook noodles for any soup with pasta is to cook them right in the broth when the soup is almost finished. However, as noodles sit, they begin to absorb the liquid and can get soggy.
That’s why my preferred method is to cook them in a separate pot according to the package directions. Then, I add them to my soup bowl and pour the soup over them. When storing leftovers, put the pasta and soup in separate containers.
It is possible to cook soup for too long in the crockpot. You should try to stick to the recommended cooking time in the recipe instructions so the ingredients don’t get mushy. Most machines will switch to a “keep warm” mode, but food is generally only safe for two to four hours on warm. You don’t want to risk your food dropping below the USDA’s “Danger Zone” temperatures (between 40℉ and 140℉).
Crock Pot Lasagna Soup
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- ½ lean ground beef
- ½ pound ground Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 14.5-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 12 oz lasagna noodles, broken up
- 10 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef and sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat and drain off the excess grease.
- Transfer the ground meat to the crock pot. Add in the diced onion, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pour in the vegetable broth.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
- Add the noodles to the slow cooker in the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Alternatively, cook them on the stove in a boiling pot of water according to package directions. Then, add to the individual bowls and pour the soup over the pasta.
- Once done, top with ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Notes
- Vegetarian Lasagna Soup: Omit the sausage and ground beef and add zucchini, mushrooms, and yellow squash.
- Vegan Lasagna Soup: Make the vegetarian substitutions above. Also, swap the cheese with homemade cashew ricotta or one you can find in the store.
- Pasta/Gluten-free Substitutions: Use any type of pasta for the broken lasagna noodles or chickpea pasta for gluten-free.