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Crockpot Lasagna Soup With Italian Sausage And Cheese

Crockpot lasagna soup with Italian sausage and cheese made in a slow cooker for a rich tomato broth and tender broken lasagna noodles. You’ll brown the sausage first, then simmer on Low until the noodles cook through and the three-cheese topping melts.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Italian sausage
  • 1 lb Italian sausage browned and drained
Onion, garlic, and tomatoes base
  • 1 onion diced
  • 4 garlic minced
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 4 cup beef broth
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 0.5 tsp dried oregano
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
Lasagna noodles
  • 8 lasagna noodles broken into pieces; added in last 30 min
Three-cheese topping
  • 1 cup whole milk ricotta
  • 1.5 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 0.5 cup parmesan
  • 2 tbsp fresh basil
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
Seasoning
  • 1 Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Brown the sausage and build the soup
  1. Brown the Italian sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, then drain excess fat. Visual cue: the sausage should have browned crumbles rather than pink spots.
  2. Add the browned sausage to the slow cooker along with the diced onion and minced garlic. Stir once to start coating everything.
  3. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced fire-roasted tomatoes, beef broth, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, dried basil, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes to the slow cooker. Stir to combine until the mixture looks evenly red.
Slow cook
  1. Cook on Low for 5-7 hours (or on High for 3-4 hours). Visual cue: the broth should look thickened and deeply colored.
  2. In the last 30 minutes, add the broken lasagna noodles and increase heat to High if you started on Low. Visual cue: noodles begin to sink and soften around the edges.
  3. Cook until the lasagna noodles are tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Visual cue: noodles should be fully softened with no firm centers.
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Visual cue: the flavors should taste balanced after stirring.
Make the three-cheese topping and serve
  1. Mix the whole milk ricotta, shredded mozzarella, parmesan, fresh basil, and nutmeg thoroughly. Visual cue: the mixture should be thick and evenly speckled with herbs and spices.
  2. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each serving with a very generous heaping spoonful of the three-cheese topping. Visual cue: the cheese will begin to melt on contact with the hot soup.

Notes

Pro tip: broken noodle pieces are less likely to clump, so stir gently once midway through the cook time. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days; reheat until steaming. Freezing is possible, but noodles may soften further—freeze soup without topping and add the fresh three-cheese mix when reheating. For a lower-fat swap, use part-skim ricotta and reduced-fat mozzarella.