Crockpot Lasagna Soup With Ricotta Topping

Four Choices That Make It Taste Like Lasagna

1. Brown the meat first. Ten minutes in a skillet builds deep, savory flavor and lets you drain the fat. Raw ground meat in a slow cooker turns out gray and greasy.
2. Toast the tomato paste. A minute with the garlic takes away its raw, tinny edge and turns it a deeper brick red.
3. Noodles at the end. Added at the start, they swell and go mushy. In the last 30–40 minutes, they stay tender with a little bite.
4. Cheese on top, not in the pot. Ricotta stirred into hot soup turns grainy. Spooned on top, it melts into creamy pockets.

Ingredients

• Italian sausage and ground beef. Half and half is the sweet spot. Sausage brings fennel and seasoning, and beef makes it hearty. All sausage gives more punch.
• Tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and diced tomatoes. Body, texture, and depth. Fire-roasted diced tomatoes add a subtle smoky note.
• Low-sodium broth. Chicken or beef. Sausage and parmesan bring plenty of salt.
• Lasagna noodles. Regular noodles broken into 2-inch pieces keep those ruffled edges. No-boil noodles work and cook faster.
• Heavy cream (optional). A splash makes it a creamy tomato soup. Leave it out for a brothier bowl.
• Whole-milk ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan. The "lasagna" in lasagna soup.

How to Make Lasagna Soup in the Slow Cooker

Brown the sausage and beef in a skillet, about 7 minutes, and drain most of the fat. Add the onion until soft, then the garlic and tomato paste for a minute. Scrape it all into the slow cooker with both tomatoes, the broth, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper flakes.

Cook on LOW for 6–7 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours. Then switch to HIGH, stir in the broken noodles, and push them under the liquid. Cook 30–40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes so they don't clump, and start tasting at 25. Stir in the cream if you're using it, taste for salt, and mix the ricotta, parmesan, and basil while the noodles finish.

Swaps

• Lighter. Ground turkey or chicken, and skip the cream.
• Gluten-free. Gluten-free lasagna noodles or short pasta. Check them early, since they break down faster.
• More vegetables. Two big handfuls of spinach with the noodles, or a diced zucchini at the start.
• Vegetarian. Browned mushrooms instead of meat, plus vegetable broth.
• Other pasta. About 8 ounces of mafalda, campanelle, or bowties. Check after 20 minutes on HIGH.

Feeding a Crowd

A batch makes about 12 cups and serves 8. For 12–16 people, run two slow cookers instead of packing one to the brim. An overfilled pot cooks unevenly, and the noodles won't have room to soften. Set out a toppings station with the ricotta mixture, extra mozzarella and parmesan, red pepper flakes, and fresh basil.

Serve it with garlic bread, a crisp Caesar, or roasted broccoli with lemon. Homemade garlic knots from overnight cold-rise pizza dough are worth the plan-ahead. For more slow cooker dinners, crockpot stuffed peppers use a similar tomato-and-beef base. If you're in a soup mood, try Instant Pot white chicken chili next.

Storing and Freezing

Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. They keep up to 4 days. The noodles drink the broth overnight, so add ½–1 cup of broth when reheating on the stove until steaming hot (165°F), and add fresh cheese to each bowl. For the freezer, freeze the base without noodles or cheese for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, bring it to a simmer on the stove, and cook fresh noodles in the pot.

Cook's Tips

• Prep the night before in containers. Brown the meat and cook the onion mixture, then refrigerate it in a sealed container, not the ceramic insert. In the morning, add everything to the room-temperature insert. A cold insert set into a hot base can crack.
• Cook noodles separately for leftovers. If you know there'll be extra, boil the noodles in a separate pot and add them to each bowl. The soup base stays soupy for days.
• Hold it on WARM, not HIGH. If dinner's delayed after the noodles are in, switch to WARM and loosen the soup with a splash of broth before serving.

Lasagna Soup Questions

When do the noodles go in?

For the last 30–40 minutes, with the slow cooker on HIGH. At the start, they turn to mush.

Do I really have to brown the meat?

Yes. Browning adds flavor and lets you drain the fat. It only takes about 10 minutes.

Can I freeze it?

Yes, without the noodles and cheese, for up to 3 months. Cook fresh noodles when you reheat.

How do I keep the ricotta from going lumpy?

Don't stir it into the pot. Mix it with parmesan and herbs and add a spoonful to each bowl.