Ready for a comforting twist on a classic? This easy slow cooker lasagna soup gives you all the cozy, cheesy flavors of traditional lasagna but with way less effort. Packed with ground beef, spinach, and made simple with jarred sauce; it’s perfect for busy weeknights or when you’re craving something warm and filling. Let me show you how easy this no-chop soup is to make!
Lasagna Soup Is All the Flavorful Cozy Vibes With Way Less Fuss
This slow cooker lasagna soup is one of those unique creations where you take two things that normally don’t go together, but when you put them together, they’re way better than you could have possibly imagined! It’s giving pizza and ranch vibes, or peanut butter and pickles. (IYKYK)
So yes, lasagna and soup really do go together, and one of the benefits of this unexpected combos is that it’s secretly so simple. This slurpable soup only requires 10 minutes of prep, and the rest is just set-it-and-forget-it hands-off cooking in the slow cooker.
Side note: I truly am a sucker when it comes to simplifying just about anything (I am a simplicity habits expert, after all), including lasagna. Beyond turning it into a soup, I’ve also found a way to make it directly in the crockpot without pre-boiling the noodles, so be sure to try my effortless slow cooker lasagna after you try this soup.
I also simplified this recipe by making it no-chop. That’s right, keep that cutting board in your cupboard! I skipped adding onions since jarred sauce or homemade marinara sauce already have onions. No crying over onions for this soup! You’re welcome.
Welcome to My Kitchen! Let’s Make Crockpot Lasagna Soup
Ingredients, Swaps, and Testing Tips from Robyn
Now, let’s talk details on these ingredients. I tried to keep the ingredients in this soup as short as possible without sacrificing on flavor. The granulated garlic powder stands up really well in soup, and I like it because you don’t have to chop or mince a thing, but you can use fresh minced garlic if you want. And no-salt-added Italian seasoning adds the perfect flavor again without the need to chop anything, but feel free to add your own herb blend.
In terms of liquid for the soup, I tested this recipe using beef broth and chicken broth, and both work great, so feel free to use what you like and what you have on hand! Beyond that, I don’t recommend skipping the tomato paste. It adds a rich depth of flavor that is especially important in a crockpot soup.
Beef it Up
I opted to use ground beef in this lasagna soup, which makes it totally filling, budget-friendly and hearty on its own. Feel free to swap in sausage if you’d like, or even ground turkey will work if that’s what you have on hand.
When it comes to lasagna, noodles usually come in a one pound box here in the U.S. so you’ll use about half a box, or 9 to 10 noodles. Be careful not to add more, because too many noodles will make this soup too thick, and well, noodly. I broke my noodles into 4 to 5 pieces which were the perfect size, but you can break them into even smaller pieces.
And if you don’t want to use lasagna noodles you can use 8 ounces of your favorite pasta. Farfalle will give you a nice lasagna-esque shape. But honestly, lasagna noodles are so fun. And I know we all have that open box of broken lasagna noodles in the back of our pantry, so put those to use here!
The ricotta topping really does make this soup taste like lasagna, and I tested it with both reduced fat ricotta and whole ricotta. Either works well, though full-fat does add more richness. You can even substitute cottage cheese, but it’ll maintain some of its chunky texture, which might not be for everyone.
Serving Ideas & Tips to Make the Best Lasagna Soup in the Crock Pot
Last up, I like adding baby spinach to lighten and brighten the whole soup, but you can skip that step if you prefer. Finally, keep in mind that as this soup sits and cools, the lasagna noodles will soak up the liquid. Trust me, leftovers still taste amazing, but it’s basically brothy noodles with ground beef.
So if you want to make this recipe ahead of time, make the soup and cook the noodles separately (until they’re al dente). Then add the noodles once you’re ready to serve it. This truly is a one-pot meal, but if you’re feeling extra, I also love adding a light green salad with balsamic vinaigrette on the side and my effortless garlic bread to sop up all the leftover soup at the bottom of the bowl.
Tomato Sauce Tip
You want to use a good quality marinara sauce, so do a taste-test! If you don’t like the taste of the marinara sauce on a spoon, don’t put it in your soup! If you can’t access a good quality jarred marinara sauce, you can make your own homemade marinara sauce with my 5-ingredient recipe.
No-Fuss Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup (w/ Jar Sauce)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon no-salt added Italian seasoning
- 1 quart low sodium beef broth
- 24-oz good quality marinara sauce (about 3 cups)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
To Add at the End
- 8-oz dry lasagna noodles (about 9) see notes
- 16-oz reduced fat ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups baby spinach
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and beef, breaking the meat apart into small pieces. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Cook until the meat is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain any excess grease, if desired.
- Carefully transfer the cooked meat to a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the beef broth, marinara, and tomato paste, stirring to combine.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 4-5 hours, or until the soup reaches a strong simmer. Note: The soup may be cooked for longer if you like, but at minimum it needs to be simmering strongly (lots of bubbles around the edges) or else the noodles won’t cook properly.
- While the soup is cooking, mix together the ricotta and parmesan cheese. Cover and refrigerate if not using immediately.
- Once the soup reaches a strong simmer, turn to high (if it’s not already), break the lasagna noodles into 4-5 pieces each, and add to the slow cooker, stirring to combine.
- Cover and cook on high for an additional 15-30 minutes. All slow cookers are different, but mine cooked in about 20 minutes. I recommend checking at the 15 minute mark, and adding time in 5-minute increments until the noodles are cooked to your liking.
- Once the pasta is cooked, add half the ricotta mixture along with the spinach, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and dollop each with the remaining ricotta mixture.
Notes
- Since there are so few ingredients in this soup, I recommend using good quality parmesan cheese and good quality homemade or jarred marinara sauce. If you don’t like the taste of the marinara sauce off a spoon, you probably won’t like the taste of this soup.
- Two cups of spinach is about two large handfuls.
- I use lean ground beef, but you can use a different type and just drain off the grease.
- I like mixing half the ricotta into the soup for richness, then dolloping the other half on top, but you can also save it all for dolloping on top.
- Lasagna noodles usually come in a one pound box here in the U.S. so you’ll use about half a box, or 9 to 10 noodles. I broke my noodles into 4 to 5 pieces which were the perfect size, but you can break them into even smaller pieces.
Nutrition
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