Crockpot Lasagna Soup
You know what's awesome? Lasagna. You know what's not awesome? How fussy lasagna can be to make. Layers and division and dolloping and the whole regular or no-boil noodle controversy. It's enough to make a gal never want to make lasagna again.
Okay, that's a total drama queen over-exaggeration, but the truth is, lasagna can be a bit finicky to make. It's definitely not a weeknight dish. But you know what is a weeknight dish? Anything that's made in the slow cooker. Including this soup.
Why should I make crockpot lasagna soup?
The best part about this soup is that is tastes like lasagna, obviously. It has all the flavor (read: cheesy yum) without the layering and baking fuss. Devote 10 minutes to the slow cooker before work and you'll come home to a hearty, lasagna-flavored soup that will make even the coldest and darkest November evening feel a little bit warmer and brighter.
What ingredients do I need for crockpot lasagna soup?
In addition to a crock pot, you'll need:
- Italian sausage links. You can also use bulk Italian sausage.
- Onions
- Garlic
- Dried oregano
- Red pepper flakes
- Tomato paste
- Diced tomatoes
- Bay leaves
- Chicken broth
- Fusilli noodles, or another short, sturdy pasta.
- Ricotta cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
Protip: No Italian sausage? No problem!
Use one pound of ground turkey or ground beef instead, and add 2-3 teaspoons of Italian seasoning to the soup.
Do I need to precook the sausage?
It depends on how you like your soup! If you want bite-size pieces of meat in the soup, then we recommend precooking the sausage in a large skillet on the stove top and slicing it before adding it to the slow cooker. If you want crumbles of sausage in every bite, you can skip the precooking.
Protip: Faster prep time
To save yourself time, you can cook the sausage links the night before you make this easy lasagna soup recipe and refrigerate them in an airtight container. When you go to fill the crock pot, just slice the cold sausage and toss it in with the other ingredients-it will warm through as the soup cooks!
How do you make crockpot lasagna soup?
Making this lasagna soup is as easy as 1-2-3! We're not kidding-there are literally three steps to this recipe:
- Toss all the ingredients except for the pasta and cheeses in the basin of a slow cooker, and give it a little stir with a wooden spoon. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours.
- In the last half hour, add the pasta to the soup.
- Scoop the soup into oven-safe bowls. Top with ricotta and mozzarella, and broil for 3-5 minutes. Serve hot.
How long does the soup need to cook?
For a slow cooker set to High, the soup will cook in 4-6 hours. On the low setting, the soup will need 6-8 hours to cook.
What do I do with the leftovers?
Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave or over low heat on the stove top, and then add the cheese and broil for 3-5 minutes. We don't recommend freezing this one-the noodles can get a little mushy upon defrosting.
📖 Recipe
Crockpot Lasagna Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage links cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 large onions diced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 6 ounces canned tomato paste
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups chicken broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 10 ounces curly pasta fusilli
- Ricotta and mozzarella cheeses for topping
Instructions
- In a large slow cooker, combine all ingredients except pasta and cheeses. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6.
- In the last 30 minutes of cooking, add in pasta.
- When ready to serve, preheat broiler. Spoon soup into oven-proof bowls. Top each bowl with a dollop of ricotta and a sprinkling of mozzarella. Place under broiler for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is hot and melted.
Notes
- Swap out the diced tomatoes for stewed tomatoes or diced tomatoes with basil if you can find them, it just adds that much more flavor!
- I like to pre-cook my Italian sausages so they don't crumble in the slow cooker. I just cook them in a skillet until done, then let cool and slice. If you prefer the sausage to be throughout the soup instead of in bites, don't pre cook the links or just use a raw pound of loose sausage.
Nutrition
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Ok, I'm off to the market to pick up some of the ingredients I need. It's tonight's dinner and everyone in the house agrees that it looks delicious! Can't wait to try it! I'll let you know how it turns out! 🙂
Could you brown ground beef and use it instead of Italian sausage which II don't care for? Still cook that long though?
Sure! It'll alter the flavor a bit, but it should be fine. And yes, still cook it the same.
We do a $2 Lunch Bunch on Fridays @ work. All the support staff throws in $2. We use the $$ to buy the ingredients for that Friday's lunch. The lunch is Crockpot "whatever" and this recipe is going into the rotation mix. I can't wait to hear the oohs and aahs. We've done Taco Soup, Baked Potatoes and King Ranch Chicken, now for a little Italian. Thanks for sharing.
Sounds great. My husband cannot have seeds; think I could use tomatoe sauce with good results? Would love to try.
Do you cook the fusilli before putting it in the crockpot? Thanks!
Nope! The hot soup cooks it!
Did anyone substitute for the tomato paste? Tomato sauce, perhaps? How about the fire-roasted tomatoes - they sound very expensive. Could I sub 2 jars of home-grown maters (although there is a lot of liquid in them)? Thanks.
You could sub in the home-grown tomatoes, but the fire-roasted tomatoes are just that—fire-roasted so they have some extra flavors and spices that a regular can of tomatoes wouldn't have.
Do u have to put it under the broiler to melt the cheese?
Nope, you don't have to, but the melty cheese is definitely my favorite part! 🙂
This was amazing! The only change I made was to cut it down to one large onion, even then it seemed like a lot. I don't know if I'll ever make regular lasagna again!
Yum! I used regular lasagna noodles - just broke them up into smaller pieces. I also added some red bell peppers and threw in some portobella mushrooms towards the end. My 10-month old baby is devouring this!
THANK YOU!!! It was sooo easy! It's cooking now! I can't wait to taste it!
So I made this today and just had to say that this is even more delicious because it was so darn easy! I am waiting 20 minutes before I go back for bowl #2 in case I am actually full enough, but I can't wait to have it for lunch tomorrow.
You made a pregnant lady very happy.
I made this recipe last night and it was FANTASTIC! Cooking the sausage in a slow cooker made it so tender and soft. I also made homemade garlic wheat croutons to add to the cheesy top (a little like French onion soup.) I'll definitely be making this again 🙂
Ooooh yum! The croutons sound like an amazing addition! I might have to steal it next time I make it. 🙂
O what a great idea for an easy weeknight meal if you are craving lasagna but don't have the time. It's all the good stuff, just in a different deconstructed form.
The Dinner Belle for Kimberlybelle.com
Are the noodles you put into the soup uncooked or cooked? This looks fantastic!
Uncooked! 🙂
This looks so good (as do all your recipes). I believe I'm going to put it on next weeks menu!
Love your blog! Keep up the good work!
Regular noodles. I'm not a fan of that oven ready noodle business.
When I make momma's lasagna, I par-boil the noodles (read: cook to al-dente) and then layer away 🙂 I actually posted about it.
Part I: http://megsfitness.wordpress.com/2011/08/31/how-to-make-lasagna-part-1/
Part II: http://megsfitness.wordpress.com/2011/08/31/how-to-make-lasagna-part-2/
That's how I do it, too! 🙂
The closest I have come to "making" lasagna is putting a frozen one in the oven. But this soup? OMG, this soup I could totally handle making!!
Yes! I'd venture to say this is as easy as popping one in the oven and probably with even better results! 🙂
Love this recipe. I got a slow cooker as a wedding gift and have never used it. I'm going to make this on Friday night! My husband loves lasagna but it's such a pain in the you know what to make. Thanks for sharing!
Oh girl! Get that slow cooker out. You will not regret it!
Jenn, you should try Betty Crocker's slow cooker lasagna! It is to die for, and only takes ten or so minutes to prepare - literally! I hardly ever made lasagna before because it was such a pain to layer, etc, but now I make it all the time in the crock pot. LOVE it!!
Thank you for posting this right as I'm leaving to go to the store. This will be Friday's dinner. Yum!
Um, used to prefer no-boil (so much faster!), but wasn't good about getting the noodles cooked just right. Between inconsistent results and the boyfriend preferring the "way my mom does it", switched to regular (I'll be back in 3 hours) pasta which means we don't have lasagna very often.
Hahah, "the way mom does it" always sucks. 😛 I just let Babyface cook the foods that he wants like his mom. Which is why he is the pancake master in our house.