My slow cooker lasagna soup has all of the classic lasagna ingredients you know and love in a rich, creamy tomato-based broth. It's a fun and tasty crockpot soup recipe you can set and forget before work. You only need to brown the Italian sausage or ground beef!
Serve this soup with garlic bread, in a bread bowl, or with crispy cheese croquettes!
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This simple slow-cooker soup is loaded with classic Italian flavors and topped with a flavorful three-cheese blend. It has tender pasta, robust tomato broth, seasoned sausage or beef, and plenty of cheese. All the makings of a great lasagna.
Unlike lasagna, no assembly is required. Just brown the meat, combine the ingredients in the crockpot, and go about your day while this delicious dinner cooks. I love how easy this soup is to make - and it tastes amazing!
🥘 Ingredients
Lasagna Soup
- Italian Sausage - You can use Italian sausage (mild or hot), ground beef, or a 50/50 blend of both.
- Garlic - Minced garlic or a few dashes of garlic powder.
- Pasta Sauce - Your favorite pasta sauce, marinara sauce, arrabbiata, or pomodoro sauce. You can add more or less according to taste.
- Diced Tomatoes - A can of diced tomatoes, undrained. Or use crushed tomatoes.
- Italian Seasoning - Make your Italian Seasoning blend at home or use store-bought.
- Beef Broth - Beef broth or stock makes up the base of this soup. Use vegetable broth or stock if omitting the meat for vegetarian lasagna soup.
- Beef Bouillon (optional) - Add a little beef bouillon or Better Than Bouillon beef base for an extra-beefy broth.
- Lasagna Noodles - Break up regular lasagna sheets with your hands, or use another short pasta variety.
- Spinach (optional) - Fresh baby spinach leaves add freshness and color to the soup, and I like to add it to my lasagna in general (like my spinach lasagna here).
- Heavy Cream (optional) - A bit of heavy cream does the trick for a creamier soup.
Cheese Topping
- Ricotta Cheese - Ricotta cheese is a must-have ingredient in any lasagna filling. You could also try a ricotta cheese substitute.
- Mozzarella Cheese - Freshly shredded mozzarella works best in this recipe.
- Parmesan Cheese - Shredded Parmesan cheese is the final addition to this 3-cheese Italian topping.
- Seasoning - Just a bit of oregano and a pinch of garlic powder for flavor.
- Dried Basil - Dried basil or a dried basil substitute.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup
The ease of preparation makes this a great weekday soup recipe for family dinners. Just grab your measuring utensils, a large skillet, a wooden spoon or spatula, and your crockpot to get started.
This recipe makes 6 hearty servings of lasagna soup, and the leftovers are something to look forward to!
Brown Sausage or Ground Beef
Step 1: Brown the meat. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 pound (453.59 grams) of Italian sausage, beef, or a combination of both and cook until no pink remains. Add 1 teaspoon of minced garlic during the last 1-2 minutes.
Step 2: Drain and transfer to slow cooker. Drain the excess grease if needed and transfer the browned sausage to a 6-quart crockpot.
Make Lasagna Soup
Step 3: Add tomatoes, sauce, & seasoning. Add 24-28 ounces (680.39 grams) of pasta sauce, 14.5 ounces (411.07 grams) of petite diced tomatoes, and 1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning to the crockpot and stir to combine.
Step 4: Add broth and cook. Pour in 4 cups (946.35 milliliters) of beef broth with the optional 1 tablespoon beef bouillon and stir again. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low or high for 3-4 hours.
Step 5: Add pasta. Open your slow cooker and use your hand to break the 12 ounces (340.2 grams) of lasagna noodles into the soup. Stir in the optional ½ cup (118.29 milliliters) of heavy cream plus the optional 1-2 cups (236.59 grams) of baby leaf spinach.
Step 6: Cook noodles. Cover and cook on high for 30-45 minutes, until the noodles are tender.
Make 3-Cheese Topping & Serve
Step 7: Combine cheese and seasonings. Combine 1 cup (248 grams) of ricotta cheese, 1 cup (112 grams) of mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup (25 grams) of Parmesan cheese, 1 pinch of garlic powder, and ½ tablespoon of dried basil.
Step 8: Top with cheese and serve. Ladle into your soup bowls, then top each serving with a generous 1-2 tablespoon portion of the cheese mixture and serve.
🍱 Freeze Drying Instructions
It's an ideal recipe for freeze-drying. I transferred all leftovers to 4 small HarvestRight trays and placed them into my deep freezer to pre-freeze.
The soup dried overnight in a 20-hour cycle. Weigh the trays before and after freeze-drying for the liquid needed to rehydrate the food before serving.
Are you looking to buy a home freeze dryer? Visit Harvest Right to start saving money by not wasting food now! *My affiliate link does not add cost to your purchase, but it does help BIWL continue creating great recipes for you.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Check your crockpot size. This recipe works best in a 6-8 quart crockpot or slow cooker.
- Use your preferred pasta. You can substitute any pasta variety for the broken lasagna noodles, but I like mafalda/mafaldine mini lasagna pasta the best.
- Customize the veggies. For a vegetarian lasagna soup, leave out the ground beef and add your favorite chopped veggies. Yellow squash, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers are all great options.
- Add more broth for a thinner soup. This makes a thick and creamy soup. Use up to 6 cups (2 extra cups) of broth for a brothier version.
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🥡 Storing & Reheating
Transfer the cooled leftovers to an airtight container. Refrigerate for 5-7 days, and the flavor will improve! Store the cheese topping separately.
Freezing
The pasta in this soup won't freeze well. If desired, you can cook the soup without the pasta, then freeze it for up to 3 months. Cook the pasta and add it to the soup just before serving.
Reheating
Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add more broth if needed.
Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave. Heat on high for 1 minute, then in 30-second increments until warm. I suggest covering your bowl with a damp paper towel while reheating to reduce splatter.
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📖 Recipe Card
Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
Lasagna Soup
- 1 lb Italian sausage (or ground beef, or a 50/50 blend)
- 1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
- 24-28 oz pasta sauce (or marinara, up to 28 ounces)
- 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes (do not drain, or use crushed tomatoes)
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon beef bouillon (optional, or Better Than Bouillon beef base)
- 12 oz lasagna noodles
- 1-2 cups baby leaf spinach (optional)
- ½ cup heavy cream (optional)
Cheese Topping
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (shredded)
- 1 pinch garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon dried basil
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Brown The Ground Beef
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 lb Italian sausage or sausage or combination of both and cook until no pink remains. Add 1 teaspoon garlic during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking time.
- Drain the excess grease if needed and transfer the browned sausage to a 6-quart crockpot.
Make Lasagna Soup
- Add 24-28 oz pasta sauce, 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes, and 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning to the crockpot and stir to combine.
- Pour in 4 cups beef broth with the optional 1 tablespoon beef bouillon and stir again. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low or high for 3-4 hours.
- Open your slow cooker and use your hand to break the 12 oz lasagna noodles into the soup. Stir in optional ½ cup heavy cream and 1-2 cups baby leaf spinach if using.
- Cover and cook on high for 30-45 minutes or until the noodles are tender.
Make Cheese Topping & Serve
- Combine 1 cup ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, 1 pinch garlic powder, and ½ tablespoon dried basil in a bowl.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, top each bowl with a generous 1-2 tablespoon portion of the cheese mixture, and serve.
Notes
- This recipe works best in a 6-8 quart crockpot or slow cooker.
- You can substitute any pasta variety for the broken lasagna noodles but I like mafalda/mafaldine mini lasagna pasta the best.
- For a vegetarian lasagna soup, leave out the ground beef and add your favorite chopped veggies. Yellow squash, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers are all great options.
- This makes a thick and creamy soup. Use up to 6 cups (2 extra cups) of broth for a brothier version.
- It's an ideal recipe for freeze-drying. I transferred all leftovers to 4 small HarvestRight trays and placed them into my deep freezer to pre-freeze. They dried overnight in a 20-hour cycle.
- Transfer the cooled leftovers to an airtight container. Refrigerate for 5-7 days, and the flavor will only get better! Store the cheese topping separately.
- The pasta in this soup won't freeze well. If desired, you can cook the soup without the pasta, then freeze it for up to 3 months. Cook the pasta and add it to the soup just before serving.
- Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave. Add more broth if needed.
Mollie says
This came out really well! I’m pleased with it and my family liked it (husband and kids ages 2, 4, & 6, for reference). I felt there was a little leeway with the meat and lasagna noodles so I was generous with those. It made it pretty hearty, which I knew we would like, with basically no extra broth. So, if you’d like it more soup-y I would stick to the proportions called for and it might come out more broth-y.