This crockpot lasagna soup is like a deconstructed lasagna made in an Italian tomato broth full of vegetables with a creamy dollop of a three cheeses mixed in.
If you’ve found yourself trolling Pinterest, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve seen the meaty stove-top version of this easy vegetarian lasagna soup floating around. And there’s a perfectly good reason for that.
Because it’s so dang good!
I’m very much into giving my favorite comfort foods a different spin to make them brand new again. And when it comes to lasagna, I have a couple of recipe twists on this classic Italian comfort food up my sleeve, or at least, in my recipe box.
This time around, a healthy change-up to everyone else’s lasagna soup was in the works. To make the soup even simpler to make while coordinating the fam’s busy schedules, I took this vegetarian lasagna soup from the stove to the crockpot for cooking with ease.
Slow cooking makes lasagna soup easy to make any night of the week, and it can be made with the slow cooker function on the Instant Pot too.
Crockpot Lasagna Soup Ingredients
A few years ago I stumbled across my friend Brenda’s meaty version on Pinterest, and it’s what inspired me to give lasagna soup a whirl.
The flavors of lasagna soup are very similar to regular lasagna, just in a more slurpable form. The soup starts with some of my favorite Italian products from DeLallo, one of my long-time, most favorite partners here on the blog.
San Marzano-style tomatoes are a favorite of Italian cooks everywhere. DeLallo’s San Marzano crushed tomatoes are sun-ripened Italian plum tomatoes harvested in the Naples region of Italy. Their flavor is vibrant and sweet with a tender, meaty texture that’s been crushed smooth but thick, perfect for pasta sauces, and of course, soup.
To add a bit of bold body to the soup, I add DeLallo’s tomato paste, and all-natural double concentrate that’s extra rich and super thick in a squeeze tube so you can use a little or a lot without waste.
And of course, there’s the DeLallo lasagna noodles. Made with Italian semolina flour, these noodles cook perfectly every time, with the ridged edges capturing every bit of the soup’s broth.
Most of the crockpot lasagna soup recipes I’ve seen are made with sausage or ground beef to replicate the classic Italian recipe. But because I’m trying to add more meatless meals to our dinner table, I took this vegetarian crockpot recipe down the vegetable-only path, and used:
- zucchini
- onion
- garlic
- mushrooms
- spinach
Mixed with the oregano and basil flavored tomato based broth, the lasagna flavors really shine through.
But where this soup really gets its lasagna-esque flavors is thanks to the mix of three cheeses that melt creamily into the soup for that true-blue lasagna flavor:
- creamy ricotta
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- grated Parmesan cheese
- fresh parsley and basil
How to Make Crockpot Lasagna Soup
Using a crockpot or the slow cooking function on the Instant Pot makes this lasagna soup recipe super easy to pull together the night before or in the morning and let it cook on low for 7-8 hours, or 3 1/2 to 4 hours on high.
Sauté the onions, mushrooms, and garlic in a skillet before adding them to the slow cooker. If I’m really short on time I’ve skipped that step without noticing too much of a difference in flavor.
Then, add in the remaining ingredients (minus the lasagna noodles), turn on the slow cooker, and walk away. Once finished cooking, stir cooked lasagna noodles into the soup and throw in a few handfuls of spinach to wilt down.
Stir part of the ricotta cheese mixture into the soup just before serving it, then dollop a little more onto each serving.
Can I Make This Recipe Without a Slow Cooker?
I’m sure you can. You’d likely want to let the soup simmer over low heat for a few hours, then stir in the cooked lasagna noodles as instructed. The downside to making lasagna soup on the stove is that you can’t leave the house while the soup is cooking.
Can I Add Other Veggies to Crockpot Lasagna Soup?
I don’t see why not! Kale could easily be used instead of the spinach, you could add in some frozen peas in addition to the zucchini, and so forth. Let me know what vegetable combinations you try!
Tips for Making Crockpot Lasagna Soup
Avoid cooking the noodles in the crockpot with the sauce from the beginning of the cooking time. It will make the noodles absorb too much of the tomato sauce and become gummy. Instead, cook the lasagna noodles separately (undercook them slightly) and add the to the crockpot at the end of the cooking time to flavor.
A few readers have also suggested using cheese tortellini instead of the lasagna noodles and ricotta mixture. If you go the tortellini route, I still recommend cooking it separately and stirring it into the soup just before serving to avoid soggy pasta.
If you’re a meat lover, feel free to cook sliced chicken sausage separately, then add to individual bowls for a healthier lasagna bite.
Vegetarian Crockpot Lasagna Soup
This crockpot lasagna soup is like a deconstructed lasagna made in an Italian tomato broth full of vegetables with a creamy dollop of a three cheeses mixed in.
CourseMain Course, Soup
CuisineItalian
Keywordcrockpot, soup
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 20 minutes
Servings8
Calories222kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoonextra virgin olive oil
- 1medium yellow onion , diced
- 4cloves garlic , minced or pressed
- 2cups brown mushrooms , sliced
- 2zucchinis , sliced
- 128 ounce can DeLallo crushed tomatoes
- 3tablespoons DeLallo tomato paste
- 4cups vegetable broth
- 2bay leaves
- 2teaspoons dried basil
- 2teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/8teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2teaspoons kosher salt
- 2teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 6ounces DeLallo lasagna noodles
- 4cups fresh spinach
For the ricotta cheese topping
- 8ounces ricotta cheese
- 1cup mozzarella cheese , shredded
- 1/4cup parsley , chopped
- 1/4cup fresh basil leaves , chopped
- generous pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
For the lasagna soup:
- Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and brown mushrooms, and cook until the begin to soften, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the onion mixture to the insert of a 6 quart slow cooker with the zucchini, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, vegetable broth, bay leaves, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, kosher salt and black pepper.
- Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 7 hours or on high and cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
- Once the cooking time is done, cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions, drain, and add to the soup. Cut them into smaller pieces if you’d like.
- Add the spinach and warm until wilted.
- Mix in half of the ricotta cheese mixture.
- Ladle into soup bowls and top with a dollop of the remaining ricotta cheese topping and sprinkle with more parsley and basil.
For the ricotta cheese topping:
- Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Feel free to cook sliced chicken sausage separately, then add to the bowls of the meat lovers for a healthier lasagna bite.
Nutrition
Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 1231mg | Potassium: 490mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2275IU | Vitamin C: 18.4mg | Calcium: 183mg | Iron: 1.9mg