Easy Crockpot Lasagna Soup| Front Range Fed

Name: Crockpot Lasagna Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 170 min
Ingredients: 1 lb mild Italian sausage; 1 medium yellow onion (diced); 4 cloves garlic (minced); 2 tbsp tomato paste; 28 oz fire-roasted crushed tomatoes; 15 oz tomato sauce; 4.5 cups beef broth (plus more as needed for serving); 1 tsp Italian seasoning; 1/2 tsp dried oregano; 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes; 1 Parmesan rind; 8 oz lasagna noodles (broken into roughly 2-inch pieces); 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated); salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste); 1 cup whole-milk ricotta; 1/4 cup Parmesan (freshly grated); 1/2 tsp lemon zest (finely grated); 1/4 tsp salt; freshly ground black pepper; roasted red pepper pesto; fresh basil; Parmesan (freshly grated)

Jump to Recipe

This crockpot lasagna soup has all the flavor of lasagna without the layers, with Italian sausage, fire-roasted tomatoes, and noodles that cook right in your slow cooker. Topped with a lemon parmesan ricotta mixture and red pepper pesto, it's pure comfort in a bowl. All made in a single pot!

A bowl of lasagna soup topped with ricotta cheese, red pepper pesto, grated parmesan, and fresh basil leaves sits on a wooden table, surrounded by scattered cheese and basil.

A Quick Look at the Recipe

👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe Name: Crockpot Lasagna Soup
⏱️ Ready In: About 2 hours 50 minutes (20 minutes prep, 2 hours 30 minutes cooking time)
🧑‍🧑‍🧒 Serves: 8
🍴Calories: ~420 per serving (estimated)
🥣 Main Ingredients: Italian sausage, fire-roasted tomatoes, lasagna noodles, ricotta, Parmesan, red pepper pesto
🍲 Flavor Profile: A rich, meaty tomato broth with tender lasagna noodles, finished with lemony ricotta and a little roasted red pepper heat.
🎯 Difficulty: Easy

Add us as a Trusted Source on Google!

Lasagna is one of my favorite dishes, but it's a lot of work. There are noodles to boil, a sauce to make, and all those layers to build, and most weeks I just don't have the time (or energy!). I made this crockpot lasagna soup the other day when I was craving a big plate of lasagna, and it totally hit the spot for me: a meaty tomato broth with noodles cooked right in the pot, topped with a dollop of lemon ricotta and the best roasted red pepper pesto I've ever had. We loved it, especially as the weather has been cooling off. Comfort food at its finest. (And when I want actual lasagna without the fuss, there's my lazy baked ravioli lasagna.)

I like to make this in my Instant Pot using the sauté and slow-cook settings, which means I can brown the sausage and cook the soup in the same pot. (Fewer dishes, yay!) You can also absolutely make it in a traditional slow cooker. You'll just need to brown the sausage and onions separately first.

Why I Love This Lasagna Soup

No layers to build. Sausage, tomatoes, and noodles go into one pot, and all the lasagna flavor comes along without any assembly.
Most of the cooking is hands-off. Once the sausage is browned, the soup does its own thing for about 2 hours, and you only need to hover for the noodle stage.
The toppings are my favorite part. The lemony ricotta and roasted red pepper pesto are what make this taste like lasagna and not just tomato soup with noodles.

What Is Lasagna Soup Made Of?

Lasagna soup takes all the parts of a pan of lasagna that we know and love (a meaty tomato sauce, lasagna noodles, and lots of cheese) and turns them into a brothy soup instead of a layered bake. The ingredient list is short, but a few things are worth a note:

Top-down view of labeled lasagna soup ingredients in bowls and jars, including beef broth, tomato sauce, Italian sausage, ricotta, lasagna noodles, spices, onion, garlic, cheese, and basil on a white surface.

Mild Italian sausage. It seasons the whole pot, so there's not much else to add. I like mild so the heat is up to me, with the red pepper flakes optional and the pesto bringing a little of its own. If yours comes in links, squeeze it out of the casings before browning.
Fire-roasted crushed tomatoes. They add a slightly smoky depth that regular crushed tomatoes don't. (If you like making your own, here's how I make homemade fire-roasted tomatoes in the oven.)
Parmesan rind. Optional, but it's a good use for the end of a wedge. It simmers in the broth and gives it a savory, nutty depth.
Parmesan ricotta and roasted red pepper pesto. These aren't just garnish. Stirred into the hot soup, the ricotta makes it creamy and gives the broth more body, while the pesto adds roasted pepper, garlic, basil, Parmesan, and a little heat. I make my own roasted red pepper pesto (keep it fairly thick so it sits on top of the ricotta), but store-bought works in a pinch, too.

How to Make Crockpot Lasagna Soup

Ground beef and chopped onions are cooking inside an open crockpot on a white countertop.

Step 1: Brown the sausage and onions.

Set the Instant Pot to sauté. Add the Italian sausage and onion and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking the sausage into crumbles as it cooks, until it's nicely browned and the onion has softened. Drain off any excess grease if you need to.

Ground meat with chopped onions and tomato sauce cooking in a slow cooker. A spatula with food residue rests on a cutting board nearby, and everything is on a white countertop.

Step 2: Add the garlic and tomato paste.

Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant and the tomato paste has darkened slightly.

An overhead view of a crockpot, filled with seasoned soup, showing visible herbs and spices on the surface, sitting on a wooden board against a white marble background.

Step 3: Build the soup and slow cook.

Turn off the sauté setting. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, 4½ cups beef broth, Italian seasoning, oregano, red pepper flakes, and Parmesan rind. Stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Set the Instant Pot to slow cook on high, cover, and cook for about 2 hours. Because the sausage and onion are already cooked, this doesn't need an all-day slow cook. Two hours is enough for the tomato broth, sausage, and seasonings to come together.

A pot filled with uncooked lasagna noodles layered over a mixture of ground meat, tomato sauce, and broth, as the ingredients cook together.

Step 4: Add the lasagna noodles.

Remove and discard the Parmesan rind, then stir in the broken lasagna noodles, making sure the pieces are submerged in the broth. Continue cooking on high for 25 to 30 minutes. After about 15 to 20 minutes, give the soup a thorough stir and separate any noodles that have started sticking together. Keep cooking, checking every 5 minutes, until the noodles are tender.

Once the noodles are tender, stir in the ½ cup grated Parmesan. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Let the soup sit uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. The noodles keep absorbing a little broth as it rests, which gives you a hearty but still soupy consistency.

A glass bowl filled with creamy, whipped ricotta sits on a wooden cutting board, next to a spatula with some cheese on it.

Step 5: Make the Parmesan Ricotta.

While the soup rests, stir together the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

Two bowls of lasagna soup with tomato sauce, whipped ricotta, grated cheese, and fresh basil on a wooden board. A jar of red pepper sauce, a bowl of grated cheese, and basil leaves are arranged nearby.

Step 9: Serve.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top generously with the Parmesan ricotta and roasted red pepper pesto. Finish with freshly grated Parmesan and fresh basil.

Expert Tips for Crockpot Lasagna Soup

Don't reduce the broth. The soup looks quite brothy before the noodles go in, and it's tempting to cut back. Resist. The noodles soak up a lot of liquid as they cook and rest, and 4½ cups was right when I served it shortly after cooking.
Stir the noodles partway through. Flat lasagna pieces like to stick together, and a good stir 15 to 20 minutes in separates them so they all cook evenly. I found just using a pair of tongs and carefully separating the noodles to be just the trick.
Thin it out if it sits. After about 30 minutes, the noodles keep absorbing broth, and the soup gets noticeably thicker. Stir in warm beef broth until it's back where you like it. Depending on how long it's been sitting, that might take 1 to 2 more cups.
Don't skip the toppings. The Parmesan, ricotta, and roasted red pepper pesto make this dish. You could go without, but trust me, they add a ton of flavor and creaminess to the soup. Don't skip them!

Two white bowls filled with lasagna soup topped with rich tomato sauce and beef, next to a bowl of ricotta cheese, a bunch of fresh basil, and a wooden cutting board.

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerator: Store leftover lasagna soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheating: The noodles keep absorbing broth in the fridge, so expect any leftovers to be thick. Reheat gently on the stovetop, adding beef broth or water as needed to loosen it up. I added about 1 cup of water to my leftovers, but the amount depends on how much soup you're reheating.

Freezing: I don't recommend freezing this soup. The noodles turn mushy once they've been frozen and thawed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to cook the lasagna noodles first?

Nope. Break them into roughly 2-inch pieces and stir them right into the hot broth, making sure they're submerged. They cook in the soup in about 25 to 30 minutes, which means one less pot to wash.

Can I use ground beef instead of Italian sausage?

You can! This is an easy sub, but just remember that your ground beef won't be flavored like Italian sausage, so you'll need to add some extra spice to get that classic Italian taste.

A white bowl filled with lasagna soup, topped with ricotta and red pepper pesto, grated cheese and fresh basil leaves, sits on a wooden surface next to a bowl of ricotta cheese.

What to Serve With Crockpot Lasagna Soup

This soup is a full meal on its own, so I keep the sides simple. Something to dunk in the broth is really all it needs.

Garlic knots. These cheesy crescent roll garlic knots come together quickly and are made for the last of the tomato broth.
Crusty bread. A loaf of no-knead rosemary parmesan bread is good for soaking up whatever's left in the bowl.
A simple salad. Something fresh is nice next to a rich, cheesy bowl, like this chopped zucchini salad with parmesan and herbs.