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Crockpot Lasagna Soup

Crockpot lasagna soup with a rich Italian-American tomato broth, hearty sausage, and tender broken lasagna noodles cooked in the last 30 minutes. Finished with a creamy ricotta-mozzarella-parmesan dollop and fresh basil for a lasagna-style comfort bowl.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Italian sausage
  • 1 lb Italian sausage Browned and drained.
onion
  • 1 onion Diced.
garlic
  • 4 garlic Minced.
crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
beef or chicken broth
  • 3 cup beef or chicken broth
tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried basil
red pepper flakes
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
oregano
  • 0.5 tsp oregano
lasagna noodles
  • 8 lasagna noodles Broken into pieces; add in the last 30 minutes.
ricotta
  • 1 cup ricotta For cheese dollop.
shredded mozzarella
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella For cheese dollop.
parmesan
  • 0.25 cup parmesan For cheese dollop.
fresh basil
  • fresh basil For cheese dollop and garnish.
salt and pepper
  • salt and pepper To taste.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 Crockpot

Method
 

Brown the sausage
  1. Brown the Italian sausage in a Dutch oven until no longer pink, then drain off excess fat. Visual cue: sausage should be fully browned with juices mostly cleared.
  2. Transfer the browned sausage to the Crockpot. Visual cue: sausage is evenly distributed at the bottom.
Build the soup base
  1. Add the onion and garlic to the Crockpot, then stir to combine with the sausage. Visual cue: onion and garlic will be coated in tomato drippings.
  2. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, beef or chicken broth, and tomato paste until smooth and evenly colored. Visual cue: broth should turn a deep red.
  3. Add Italian seasoning, dried basil, red pepper flakes, and oregano, then stir again to distribute the spices. Visual cue: you should see even specks of herbs throughout the broth.
Cook
  1. Cook on Low for 5-7 hours (or High for 3-4 hours). Visual cue: the soup should be gently bubbling at the edges.
  2. In the last 30 minutes, add the broken lasagna noodles and stir. Visual cue: noodles will be partially submerged.
  3. If cooking on Low, increase to High for the final 30 minutes to help the noodles tenderize. Visual cue: noodles should soften and slightly thicken the broth.
  4. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Visual cue: flavor should feel balanced rather than overly acidic.
Make the cheese dollop and serve
  1. Mix ricotta, shredded mozzarella, and parmesan until combined. Visual cue: the mixture should look thick and scoopable.
  2. Serve each bowl with a generous spoonful of the cheese dollop and top with fresh basil. Visual cue: dollop will sit on top and begin to melt slightly in the hot soup.

Notes

Pro tip: use a low-sodium broth if your parmesan is salty, then adjust with salt at the end. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; reheat gently, adding a splash of broth if the noodles soak up liquid. Freezing is not ideal because the noodles can soften further, but you can freeze without cheese dollop and add fresh cheese when reheating. For a lighter option, use turkey sausage and part-skim mozzarella while keeping the ricotta dollop for the same lasagna-style texture.