The Ingredients
- 2 lbs lean ground beef (I used 93/7)
- 1 medium onion, diced (~1 cup)
- 24 oz jar marinara sauce (I used Rao’s)
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 5 cups beef broth
- 8-9 lasagna noodles, broken into small pieces
- 2 cups fresh spinach (optional)
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Brown the Meat
Heat a large skillet over medium. Add the ground beef and onion.
Break up the meat as it cooks. You want it fully browned with no pink, ~8-10 minutes. The onion should be soft by then.
Drain off the fat – lean beef doesn’t give much but there’s always some.
Into the Slow Cooker
Dump the beef mixture into your slow cooker. Add the marinara, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt, and red pepper flakes.
Stir until combined. The tomato paste clumps at first but breaks down as you stir.
Pour in the beef broth and garlic powder. Mix until you have a uniform soup base.
Let It Cook
Cover and cook on low for ~4-5 hours or high for ~2-3 hours. Low and longer is better if you have time – develops more flavor.
Add the Noodles
Break the lasagna noodles right over the pot into 1-2 inch pieces. They don’t need to be perfect.
Stir them in and make sure they’re submerged. Cover and turn to high for ~30 minutes until the noodles are tender. They’ll absorb some liquid and thicken the soup.
Finish It Off
If using spinach, stir it in right before serving. Wilts in about a minute.
Ladle into bowls. Drop a dollop of ricotta in the center of each bowl, then sprinkle mozzarella on top. The cheeses melt into the hot soup.
Grate some Parmesan over everything if you have it. Makes it taste more like real lasagna.
The ricotta is key here – don’t skip it. That’s what gives you the lasagna experience versus just pasta soup.
Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
- 2 lbs lean ground beef I used 93/7
- 1 medium onion diced (~1 cup)
- 24 oz jar marinara sauce I used Rao’s
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 5 cups beef broth
- 8-9 lasagna noodles broken into small pieces
- 2 cups fresh spinach optional
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Brown ground beef and onion in skillet over medium heat, 8-10 minutes. Drain fat.
- Transfer beef mixture to slow cooker.
- Add marinara, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt, red pepper flakes, beef broth, and garlic powder. Stir well.
- Cook on low 4-5 hours.
- Break lasagna noodles into 1-2 inch pieces directly into pot. Cover and cook on high 30 minutes until tender.
- Stir in spinach just before serving.
- Ladle into bowls. Top each with dollop of ricotta, mozzarella, and grated Parmesan.
