Oh my goodness. If you like lasagna – you must try this recipe for Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup. It is creamy, rich, cheesy and just like a homemade lasagna – without all the layering and work that comes with making a lasagna. Not that I’ve ever made a lasagna before, I should confess to that. But now that I’ve made lasagna soup – in my slow cooker of all things – I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to make a labor intensive lasagna! Why bother! I think this would be a perfect meal to make on a Sunday and invite all your family over for dinner. They’ll be super impressed and you’ll be happy because you spent so little time in the kitchen.
Okay, I’ll stop raving about it now and just get right into the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
19 ounces italian sausage links, cut into bite-size pieces
This is the typical size for the Johnsonville italian sausage packages. If you have more, or less, it won’t matter much. Just add what you have or however much you want.
1 onion diced finely
My husband could live without this all together. They still have a bit of crunch even after 8 hours in the crockpot. Your call.
5 garlic cloves minced
1 Tablespoon dried Oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
One (1) 6 oz can of tomato paste
Two (2) 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
I used oregano, basil flavored tomatoes. Most recipes call for a 28-oz can of fire-roasted tomatoes, but I didn’t have this on hand. So I added a 4-oz can of fire-roasted chilies for that smokey flavor. If you use the fire-roasted tomatoes, you could probably leave out the 4 ounces of chilies.
One (1) 4 oz can of fire-roasted green chilies
2 bay leaves
6 Cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
10-12 ounces uncooked pasta
I used shells, but you could use whatever kind you have on hand!
Ricotta and shredded mozzarella cheese for topping
HOW TO PREPARE
1.) In a large slow cooker (6 quart or larger probably) combine all the ingredients except pasta and cheeses. Cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4-6 hours.
2.) For the last 30 minutes of cooking, add in your uncooked pasta.
3.) When ready to serve, ladle into bowls and add a dollop of ricotta and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese. If you want to get fancy you can put it under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until the cheese has melted and started to brown. I admit – I tried this and nearly burned my cheese and the bowl was so hot, it was difficult to manage. I recommend just adding the cheese and stirring it in to melt. It won’t look as pretty, but it’s a lot less work.
You can also serve with garlic bread. I burned mine, so the chickens are eating it now. 🙂
Thanks to Back to Her Roots for the inspiration for this recipe!
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Come back and tell me what you think about it! I hope you like it as much as we did!
Looks so yummy! Making this today! I’m assuming you meant 8-9 hours LOW or 4-6 hrs high?
Hi! I am wondering how many people this serves? I am looking to serve 8 people for dinner!
Huge hit with the whole family, even the boy who is quite wary of saucy things. Will def make again. Thank you!
This looks delicious! Has anyone tried to freeze this? Does it freeze well? Thanks!
Do you brown the sausage first? Or just toss it in raw?
This looks like a fantastic recipe. I really miss lasagna and have a killer recipe if you ever need an amazing, knock your socks off one. But with all the dairy we can’t eat it anymore so this is perfect because I can control the dairy and substitute the cheeses we can eat. Can’t wait to try this.
Hope you are having a great week and thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Looks delicious~ Lynn
I made this recipe recently and my whole family LOVED it! Thank you for sharing. What a great, simple recipe!
This looks yummy. We are low-carb, so the DreamFields pasta would work great in this recipe. Love crock-pot recipes for days I am out and about. Look forward to trying this!
use chopped dried onions, I learned this from a friend that uses them in eggs and I love it I get a big costco bottle to use in my cooking to get the good flavor without the crunch and bitterness….
Thanks for sharing that you burned something… makes me feel a lot better
Thanks for the tip Jessi. And I definitely have my fair share of kitchen fails. 🙂 It’s the best way to learn.
I have this in the crockpot right now…wish me luck! I went ahead and did a quick 3 min simmer of the onion in olive oil, hopefully they will not have any crunch when it is done. Thank you for sharing the recipe and all of the great savings too!!
Wow… This looks seriously Yummy! I wonder how many calories…
Heather – I so appreciate you sharing these recipes. I’ve been sending some of the slow cooker ones to my dad who has been making what I would call a heroic effort to maintain some normalcy since my mom passed away quite suddenly and unexpectedly a little over a year ago. These are easy for him to prepare, and are yummy and healthy as well. So, Thank you!