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.
My love affair with my slow cooker continues. Seriously folks, if you work outside the home and don’t have/use a slow cooker, you are missing out. It’ll make your life infinitely easier. Your car will never be out of gas. You’ll never have to take the trash out again. Your kids won’t complain about anything ever. The slow cooker rights all wrongs.
Theme of this post: over-exaggeration.
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.
Granted, today it is 70° outside here in sunny Southern Indiana today, but still, you should totally make it.
Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup
Craving lasagna but don't want to make one? Use your slow cooker! This Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup has all the flavor of a lasagna with a fraction of the work. Adapted from A Farm Girl's Dabbles.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage links, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 large onions, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 2 14-ounce cans 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 Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 346Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 1317mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 4gSugar: 9gProtein: 19g
At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.
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.