Easy Slow Cooker Soup Recipe: Crockpot Lasagna Soup With Ground Beef! (2024)

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!

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. Add1 pound (453.59 grams) of Italian sausage, beef, or a combination of both and cook until no pink remains. Add1 teaspoon of minced garlicduring 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. Add24-28 ounces (680.39 grams) of pasta sauce,14.5 ounces (411.07 grams) of petite diced tomatoes, and1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoningto the crockpot and stir to combine.

Step 4: Add broth and cook. Pour in4 cups (946.35 milliliters) of beef brothwith the optional1 tablespoon beef bouillonand 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 the12 ounces (340.2 grams) of lasagna noodlesinto the soup. Stir in the optional½ cup (118.29 milliliters) of heavy cream plus the optional1-2 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. Combine1 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, and½ 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.

💭 Tips & 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 anypasta varietyfor 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.

🥡 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.

📖 Recipe Card