March 29, 2016
updated
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This crockpot lasagna soup has all the delicious flavors of classic lasagna with hearty ground beef, a rich tomato broth, and tender cooked pasta but none of the time-consuming layering and baking!
It’s a soul-warming meal that’s easy to put on the table because the slow cooker does all the work!
Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup
This simple meal comes together with pantry staples and a pound of ground beef. The finished product has all the phenomenal flavors of classic lasagna and my famous Lasagna Skillet.
You can make this lasagna soup grain-free by swapping the pasta for 1-2 cups diced zucchini. It doesn’t change the flavor, but it does reduce the carbs and tastes just as delicious.
Little swaps like this are a great way to help your family eat more veggies and fresher meals. And if eating healthier meals made with real food as a family is something you struggle with, check out my Family Kickstart program.
It’s a clean eating-based meal plan that includes family-approved recipes, a done-for-you weekly shopping list, and a detailed meal prep for the week to help you stay on track.
Lasagna Soup Ingredients
Here’s everything you need to make this robust lasagna soup:
- lean ground beef: makes this soup hearty and full of protein. You can swap it for lean ground turkey with equally delicious results.
- diced tomatoes: cook down into the delicious, savory broth.
- tomato paste: gives the broth a strong flavor close to regular tomato sauce.
- beef broth: the liquid component to the broth. Swap for stock for an even stronger flavor.
- water: to stretch out the broth.
- aromatics: garlic and onion add savory flavor and make this soup smell amazing!
- Italian seasoning: infuses the broth with Italian flavors.
- uncooked shell pasta: any tubed or shelled pasta such as rotini, ziti, shells, and macaroni work best. You can even use broken-up lasagna noodles or gluten-free pasta.
- salt & pepper: enhance the other flavors.
- shredded mozzarella: for topping over the finished bowls of lasagna soup!
How to Make Crockpot Lasagna Soup
Grab your slow cooker, those ingredients, and let’s make a delicious pot of soup!
- Brown the meat
In a large skillet, brown the beef and transfer it to the dish of a slow cooker. - Add tomatoes, spices and liquids
Toss in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, 1 cup water, garlic, Italian seasoning, onions, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine. - Cover and cook
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and set to cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours. - Add the pasta
In the final 30 minutes, add the second cup of water and the pasta. Stir to combine and cover with the lid. Cook for the remaining 30 minutes or until the pasta is tender. - Soup’s on!
Ladle a generous portion of soup into a bowl, top with shredded cheese, and enjoy!
Watch this video and see how easily this recipe comes together!
Lasagna Soup Toppings
This soup is brimming with tomato and Italian flavors, so I like to top it with grated Parmesan, shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese, and chopped parsley.
If you’re a fan of the ricotta filling in classic lasagna, feel free to add a dollop over the top! It melts into the soup and makes it ultra-creamy.
What to Serve with Crockpot Lasagna Soup
This is the type of recipe you want to serve with garlic bread or my Cheese Twists so you can dunk them into the soup and soak up all that flavor. If you’re looking for something fresh, a crisp romaine salad with tomatoes and my homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette will certainly hit the spot.
Meal Prep Crockpot Lasagna Soup
To meal prep this slow cooker soup ahead, brown the beef and transfer it to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients, excluding the pasta, cover with the lid and refrigerate overnight. The next day cook the soup according to the recipe directions, adding the pasta in the final 30 minutes.
If you want to prepare this soup and freeze it for future meals, check out my post on how to freeze soup, so it reheats perfectly. Essentially, you would not add the pasta to this recipe until it’s being reheated on the stove-top.
Lasagna Soup in the Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 28- ounce can diced tomatoes,
- 6- ounce can tomato paste
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 cups water, divided
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- 2 cups uncooked shelled pasta
- ¼ teaspoon black ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the beef over medium-high heat. Once cooked, transfer to beef to the dish of a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker.
- Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, broth or stock, 1 cup water, garlic, Italian seasoning, onion, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours.
- In the final 30 minutes, add in the remaining cup of water and pasta. Stir to combine. Cover with the lid and continue to cook for the remaining 30 minutes.
- To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with shredded cheese.
Michelle Fortier
I’ve made this for supper tonight and just taste tested…fantastic! And so easy to make. I wonder about adapting it for the Instant Pot? I almost tried it with pressure cooking but went the slow cooking route. I also switched it up a bit to make it more ‘lasagna-ee’ I broke up lasagna noodles instead of another pasta. Just a quick note: there’s a typo in step 4. It should read lid but something happened in writing it out.
Laura Fuentes
Hi Michelle! If you want to go the instant pot route: brown the beef on sauté mode, then add the tomatoes, broth, water, seasonings. Bring that mixture to a simmer before adding the pasta. Place the lid on the pot, seal, and pressure cook for 4 minutes. When done, do a quick release of the steam, make sure the pressure gauge drops back down before opening.
Nicole Buchwald
I would love to try this in the Instant Pot (got rid of my crock pot) but I’m not very good at understanding conversions. Would you have any idea on this one? Thanks!!
Laura Fuentes
Hi Nicole! The amount of each ingredient will stay the same but cooking will look a little different. Brown the beef on sauté mode, then add the tomatoes, broth, water, seasonings. Bring that mixture to a simmer before adding the pasta. Place the lid on the pot, seal, and pressure cook for 4 minutes. When done, do a quick release of the steam, make sure the pressure gauge drops back down before opening.
Kathy Schmeisser
Hi – I’m a little confused: the recipe calls for 2 cups water,divided; then says to add 1 cup water with pasta. So is it 3 cups total, or one cup and another one cup later?
Laura Fuentes
It’s a total of 2 cups of water. 1 cup with the broth and the final cup with the pasta. Enjoy!
Kelly
This was fantastic. I found “Gigli” pasta at Trader Joe’s (was on the “new” shelf just last week) and they are like little lasagna noodles — perfect!
I slow cooked everything in my Instant Pot on “slow cook” mode (including a combo of red/orange/yellow peppers to equal one pepper that I sauteed with the onion and garlic), then when we got home I stirred in the water and pasta, and put on top: a block of frozen, cooked ground beef I already had, 1/2 of a sliced zucchini, and some chopped kale and mushrooms and pressure cooked for 4 minutes with a quick release at the end. Since we were in a hurry to eat and I forgot how much water I added earlier (and it needed a little more liquid), I threw in some ice cubes to cool it down a bit. Definitely a hit with the family!
Mallory
The soup is delicious. I added cayenne pepper to give it a kick. When I added the shells they soaked up a lot of the soup and they expanded triple their size LOL I think next time I will cook them separately and add them to the soup when I eat it to avoid the noodles getting soggy. Great soup though!
Rebecca
Hi – I found this same recipe in your lunches cookbook (which I love), however it didn’t say anything about browning the beef first. Am I supposed to? Thanks!
Laura Fuentes
Hi Rebecca! you can brown the beef or not brown it. The version in the cookbook is designed for ultra convenience. I personally like to brown the beef because I like to use the flavor of the drippings into the sauce, but both ways will work. Browning can also cut down on cooking time. I hope this helps! 🙂
Nicole
I saw this exact same recipe on family fresh meals. I’ve been using it for years. Who’s recipe is this?
Laura Fuentes
Hi Nicole, Corey shared the recipe years ago on MOMables.com (which I own) and I included it in our menus. I’ve modified this recipe (I don’t use V8 juice) and she was credited in one of my cookbooks for sharing the recipe. I also own all my photography and have written it up differently, thus a slightly different recipe. She remains a great friend of mine. The internet is filled with “similar” recipes and many of us have been using our own versions for years. I’m quite sure what you’ve been using for years is great as well.
Magdalena Pszona
It’s delish! How do you cook it on the stove? I mean time. And maybe some other changes?
Laura Fuentes
In the stove you just cook your meat, add the tomato sauce and everything else except pasta. Simmer for 20 minutes. Then add pasta and cook according to package directions.