Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup with Ground Beef and Veggies
Hearty slow cooker lasagna soup combines a rich tomato broth, tender noodles, lean ground meat, and plenty of vegetables in one cozy bowl. A creamy cheese topping adds the lasagna feel at the end, while the slow cooker keeps most of the cooking hands-off.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef ground turkey or ground chicken
- 1 medium yellow onion diced (~1 cup)
- 1 red bell pepper diced (~1 cup)
- 1 medium zucchini diced (~2 cups)
- 5 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 garlic cloves finely minced or microplaned
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 lasagna noodles broken into 8 pieces each (do not use "oven ready")
Cheese topping
- 1 cup cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground meat for about 5 minutes until mostly browned, breaking apart with a spatula while cooking.
- Transfer the meat to slow cooker and add remaining ingredients except for lasagna noodles (onion, red pepper, zucchini, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Stir well and cover with lid. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
- Stir in broken lasagna noodles, replace cover and cook on HIGH an additional 30 minutes or until noodles are soft.
- While the noodles are cooking, prepare the cheese topping. Mix all topping ingredients in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
- Allow soup to cool slightly and sauce to thicken before serving. To serving, ladle soup into a bowl and add a dollop of topping. Garnish with fresh basil and extra mozzarella or parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- Use regular lasagna noodles, not oven-ready. Break them into bite-sized pieces before adding them near the end of cooking.
- Add the noodles at the end. Cook them on HIGH for about 25–30 minutes, checking around 25 minutes so they stay tender instead of becoming too soft.
- Keep the noodles submerged. Stir and gently press them into the broth so they cook evenly. Add a little extra broth if needed.
- Expect the soup to thicken as it sits. The noodles continue absorbing liquid, so keep the soup slightly brothier than you think it needs to be.
- Keep the cheese topping separate until serving. Add a dollop to each bowl so the soup stays tomatoey and brothy while the topping stays creamy.
- For leftovers: Store the soup and cheese topping separately. Add extra broth when reheating, since the noodles absorb more liquid in the fridge.
Nutrition
Calories: 459kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 1713mg | Potassium: 1127mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1418IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 289mg | Iron: 5mg
