If you love classic lasagna but want it to be so much easier, this slow cooker lasagna soup is your new go-to! Hearty ground beef simmers with jarred marinara, broth, and dry lasagna noodles that cook right in the slow cooker, no separate boiling needed. A swirl of creamy ricotta makes every spoonful taste like cozy, cheesy comfort food, perfect for an easy family dinner.

Ricotta and basil leaves on top of slow cooker lasagna soup in a slow cooker.

5 star review

“I was a little hesitant about trying “lasagna soup”, but it seems to be a viral trend right now and Robyn’s recipes are always amazing, so I thought it would be worth a shot. I am so glad we decided to go for it, because this recipe was so delicious! It was a huge hit with our whole family, even my picky husband and daughter loved it 🙂 It was also super easy to prepare. I can definitely see this recipe going into our regular dinner rotation!”

– Emilia
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Lasagna Soup In The Crockpot with Way Less Fuss

This slow cooker lasagna soup is one of those unique creations where you take two things that normally don’t go together, but when you put them together, they’re way better than you could have possibly imagined! It’s giving pizza and ranch vibes, or peanut butter and pickles. (IYKYK)

So yes, lasagna and soup really do go together, and one of the benefits of this unexpected combos is that it’s secretly so simple. This slurpable soup only requires 10 minutes of prep, and the rest is just set-it-and-forget-it hands-off cooking in the slow cooker.

Side note: I truly am a sucker when it comes to simplifying just about anything (I am a simplicity habits expert, after all), including lasagna. Beyond turning it into a soup, I’ve also found a way to make it directly in the crockpot without pre-boiling the noodles, so be sure to try my effortless slow cooker lasagna after you try this soup.

I also simplified this recipe by making it no-chop. That’s right, keep that cutting board in your cupboard! I skipped adding onions since jarred sauce or homemade marinara sauce already have onions. No crying over onions for this soup! You’re welcome.

Containers of ground beef, spinach, broth, marinara sauce, and ricotta next to spices and lasagna noodles.
Ingredients You’ll Need: olive oil, ground beef, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, broth, marinara sauce, tomato paste, lasagna noodles, ricotta, parmesan, spinach

Welcome to My Kitchen! Let’s Make Crockpot Lasagna Soup

Jump to Recipe Instructions
Ground beef being cooked on the stovetop in a skillet.
Cook the beef with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
Beef broth being poured into a crockpot with beef and marinara sauce.
Transfer to a slow cooker with beef broth, marinara, and tomato paste.
Ground beef and tomato soup in a slow cooker with a metal spoon.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 4-5 hours.
Hands stirring parmesan and ricotta in a white bowl.
Mix together the ricotta and parmesan cheese.
Pieces of lasagna noodles on top of a red soup in a slow cooker.
Add the broken lasagna noodle pieces + stir.
Cooked lasagna soup with broken lasagna noodles and ground beef in a slow cooker.
Cook for an additional 15-30 minutes.
Baby spinach and ricotta on top of a creamy red soup in a slow cooker.
Add half the ricotta mixture + spinach.
Ricotta and basil leaves on top of slow cooker lasagna soup in a slow cooker.
Dollop with the remaining ricotta mixture.

Ingredients, Swaps, and Testing Tips for Easy Lasagna Soup

  • Noodles: When it comes to lasagna, noodles usually come in a one pound box here in the U.S. so you’ll use about half a box, or 9 to 10 noodles. Be careful not to add more, because too many noodles will make this soup too thick, and well, noodly. I broke my noodles into 4 to 5 pieces which were the perfect size, but you can break them into even smaller pieces. And if you don’t want to use lasagna noodles you can use 8 ounces of your favorite pasta. Farfalle will give you a nice lasagna-esque shape. But honestly, lasagna noodles are so fun. And I know we all have that open box of broken lasagna noodles in the back of our pantry, so put those to use here! 
  • Spinach: Last up, I like adding baby spinach to lighten and brighten the whole soup, but you can skip that step if you prefer. Finally, keep in mind that as this soup sits and cools, the lasagna noodles will soak up the liquid. Trust me, leftovers still taste amazing, but it’s basically brothy noodles with ground beef.
  • Ricotta: The ricotta topping really does make this soup taste like lasagna, and I tested it with both reduced fat ricotta and whole ricotta. Either works well, though full-fat does add more richness. You can even substitute cottage cheese, but it’ll maintain some of its chunky texture, which might not be for everyone. 
A slow cooker filled with creamy red tomato soup, cooked lasagna noodles, ricotta, and fresh basil.

Beef it Up

I opted to use ground beef in this lasagna soup, which makes it totally filling, budget-friendly and hearty on its own. Feel free to swap in sausage if you’d like, or even ground turkey will work if that’s what you have on hand.

Creamy red tomato soup with broken lasagna noodles and beef in a grey bowl topped with ricotta and basil leaves.

Tomato Sauce Tip

You want to use a good quality marinara sauce, so do a taste-test! If you don’t like the taste of the marinara sauce on a spoon, don’t put it in your soup! If you can’t access a good quality jarred marinara sauce, you can make your own homemade marinara sauce with my 5-ingredient recipe.

Ricotta and basil leaves on top of slow cooker lasagna soup in a slow cooker.
5 stars (10 ratings)

Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup (Easy, Cheesy, No-Boil!)

Developed and tested by A woman with long blonde hair, smiling, holds and pours a bottle of oil in a modern kitchen setting.Robyn Conley Downs
Servings: 6 servings
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 3 hours 30 minutes
Total: 3 hours 40 minutes
Cozy slow cooker lasagna soup with tender ground beef, regular noodles cooked right in the pot, and a creamy ricotta topping. It's cheesy, hearty, and weeknight easy!
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Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon no-salt added Italian seasoning
  • 1 quart low sodium beef broth
  • 24-oz good quality marinara sauce (about 3 cups)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste

To Add at the End

  • 8-oz dry lasagna noodles (about 9), see notes
  • 16-oz reduced fat ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)
  • ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 cups baby spinach

Equipment

Instructions 

  • Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and beef, breaking the meat apart into small pieces. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Cook until the meat is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain any excess grease, if desired.
  • Carefully transfer the cooked meat to a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the 1 teaspoon salt, beef broth, marinara, and tomato paste, stirring to combine.
  • Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 4-5 hours, or until the soup reaches a strong simmer. Note: The soup may be cooked for longer if you like, but at minimum it needs to be simmering strongly (lots of bubbles around the edges) or else the noodles won’t cook properly.
  • While the soup is cooking, mix together the ricotta and parmesan cheese. Cover and refrigerate if not using immediately.
  • Once the soup reaches a strong simmer, turn to high (if it’s not already), break the lasagna noodles into 4-5 pieces each, and add to the slow cooker, stirring to combine.
  • Cover and cook on high for an additional 15-30 minutes. All slow cookers are different, but mine cooked in about 20 minutes. I recommend checking at the 15 minute mark, and adding time in 5-minute increments until the noodles are cooked to your liking.
  • Once the pasta is cooked, add half the ricotta mixture along with the spinach, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
  • Ladle the soup into bowls and dollop each with the remaining ricotta mixture.

Notes

  • Since there are so few ingredients in this soup, I recommend using good quality parmesan cheese and good quality homemade or jarred marinara sauce. If you don’t like the taste of the marinara sauce off a spoon, you probably won’t like the taste of this soup.
  • I use lean ground beef, but you can use a different type and just drain off the grease. 
  • I like mixing half the ricotta into the soup for richness, then dolloping the other half on top, but you can also save it all for dolloping on top.  
  • Lasagna noodles usually come in a one pound box here in the U.S. so you’ll use about half a box, or 9 to 10 noodles. I broke my noodles into 4 to 5 pieces which were the perfect size, but you can break them into even smaller pieces.
Course: dinner, Soup
Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 (of 6), Calories: 437kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 37g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 76mg, Sodium: 733mg, Potassium: 1194mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 1831IU, Vitamin C: 11mg, Calcium: 352mg, Iron: 4mg
Nutrition disclaimer
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