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Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup with Ground Beef and Ricotta

Slow cooker lasagna soup simmers ground beef, tomatoes, broth, and Italian seasoning until rich and savory, then gets topped with creamy ricotta and mozzarella. Broken lasagna noodles cook right in the slow cooker for a hearty one-pot meal.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours 9 minutes
Total Time 7 hours 24 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 570

Ingredients
  

For the soup
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb ground beef 85% lean
  • 1 yellow onion medium, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 1 can (28 oz) tomatoes crushed
  • 6 cups beef broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 8 oz lasagna noodles broken into 2-inch pieces
For the ricotta topping
  • 1 cup ricotta whole-milk
  • 0.5 cup mozzarella shredded
  • 0.25 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
  • 0.25 tsp kosher salt

Equipment

  • 1 large skillet
  • 1 6-quart slow cooker

Method
 

Make the soup
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  2. Add the ground beef and onion; cook, breaking up the beef, until the beef reaches 160°F and the onion is softened, 8–10 minutes, draining excess fat if needed.
  3. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper; cook for 1 minute.
  4. Transfer the mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker.
  5. Add the crushed tomatoes, beef broth, and bay leaf.
  6. Cover and cook on LOW for 6–7 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours.
  7. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the broken lasagna noodles.
  8. Cover and cook on HIGH for 25–35 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the noodles are tender.
Make the ricotta topping
  1. Stir together the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, parsley, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a small bowl.
Serve the soup
  1. Ladle the soup into bowls and add a generous spoonful of the ricotta mixture to each serving.

Notes

For the best noodle texture, stir once halfway through their cooking time. Refrigerate leftovers for 3–4 days; freeze the soup without the noodles for up to 3 months. Gluten-free lasagna noodles can be used as a gluten-free swap.