Oh my goodness, do you ever just crave that deep, cheesy, savory comfort of a baked lasagna, but the thought of layering sheets and scrubbing pans makes you want to cry? Me too! That’s exactly how this Italian Sausage Lasagna Soup was born. I wanted all that richness, all that tomato-sausage goodness, but I needed it to be lazy; a true set-it-and-forget-it kind of meal.
This recipe started as an experiment on a freezing cold Saturday when I really wanted lasagna but did not want all the steps. The result was pure comfort spooned right into a bowl. Trust me when I say, after testing this slow cooker method several times to get the noodle timing just right, this soup is officially family gold.
Why mess with boiling water and sauce splatter when you can just toss everything in the pot? You get that classic Italian flavor without practically any effort. We are making this happen!
Why This Italian Sausage Lasagna Soup is Your New Favorite Crockpot Recipe
This soup is what comfort food dreams are made of, honestly. If you love lasagna but hate standing over a stove making layers, this is your answer. It checks every box we need for easy weeknight eating, especially when you’re just done with cooking!
- It’s unbelievably easy—perfect for those evenings when you need Dump And Go Crockpot Dinners.
- The flavor is deep and hearty, wrapping you up like a warm blanket.
- It’s the ultimate cozy meal ready when you walk in the door, making it ideal for Fall Dinner Recipes.
A True Dump And Go Crockpot Dinners Experience
Yes, we do a quick sauté on the stove first, but that’s just to wake up the sausage flavor! After that? It’s pure vacation. You toss everything in, hit ‘low,’ and walk away. This is the definition of a Lazy Dinners hero. You’re basically cheating dinner prep time!
Hearty Flavors for Fall Crockpot Recipes
When the weather turns chilly, only something rich and seasoned will do. This soup captures the best parts of Italian meatballs and sausage, swimming in a savory tomato broth. It’s robust enough to feel like a full three-course meal, but it’s all contained in one pot.
Gathering Ingredients for Italian Sausage Lasagna Soup
Alright, now that we know this recipe is a keeper for those nights we just want to relax, let’s talk turkey—or, well, sausage! This beauty yields 6 generous bowls, so feel free to double it if you have hungry folks around. Getting the right ingredients ready is key to making sure this soup tastes exactly like your favorite lasagna, just faster and easier.
We break the ingredients down into two major phases: the long cook and the quick finish. You’ll see that the base needs a little flavor intensity, which is why we use strong broth and a dash of sugar! If you love great flavor combinations, you should check out my tips for slow cooker Italian wedding soup too.
Ingredients for the Soup Base
This is where all the heavy lifting flavor happens while the crockpot works its magic. You absolutely need that initial sauté for the best flavor payoff later on. Make sure you’ve got your sausage ready to go! You’ll need:
- 1 pound Ground mild Italian garlic sausage
- 1 medium Yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves Garlic, minced
- 6 cups Strong beef broth (Don’t skimp here; weak broth means thin soup flavor.)
- 1 ounce can Diced tomatoes
- 1 ounce Tomato paste
- 1.5 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1.5 teaspoons White sugar (This little bit cuts the harshness of the canned tomatoes, seriously.)
Ingredients for Finishing the Italian Sausage Lasagna Soup
These go in near the end because we don’t want them getting mushy during the 8-hour slow cook. These are the elements that bring in that classic lasagna texture and topping comfort. You’ll need:
- 8 pieces Whole wheat lasagna noodles, broken into bite-sized pieces
- 1.5 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded (Use the good, low-moisture kind if you can!)
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions for Great Italian Sausage Lasagna Soup
Okay, let’s get real about ingredients because substitution is part of everyday cooking, right? Trust me, tinkering is how we learn to cook well. When you’re aiming for that deep flavor in your Italian Sausage Lasagna Soup, the quality of a few things really matters. If you’re worried about richness when swapping meats, I’ve got you covered.
The broth is non-negotiable—if you use water or weak broth, you’ll end up with sad soup. We need that intense beef flavor to stand up to the tomato and sausage! For more tips on boosting your meat flavor, check out this guide on what to add to ground beef.
Meat Swaps: Beyond Italian Sausage
Mild sausage is my preference because sometimes the pasta sauces get spicy enough! If you swap for ground beef or turkey, you absolutely need to compensate for that missing garlic and fennel flavor. If you use leaner meat, throw in an extra tablespoon of olive oil when you brown it in the skillet. Otherwise, your soup will taste a little flat in that rich, savory way.
Noodle Choices and Texture Tips
Sticking to the lasagna noodles makes it *Lasagna* Soup, but if you’re out, broken spaghetti or penne will work in a pinch. Just know that different shapes absorb liquid differently, so keep an eye on them during that final 40 minutes! Using the whole wheat noodles helps boost the nutrition, making it a better fit for your Healthy Dinner Recipes goals.
How to Prepare Your Italian Sausage Lasagna Soup in the Slow Cooker
This is honestly the easiest part, which is great because we’re already 15 minutes into prep time! Since this is one of those fabulous Slow Cook Recipes, we don’t need to worry about preheating anything. We just need one big skillet to get us started before we hand the baton over to the crockpot for the long haul. Just follow these three phases, and you won’t see any mushy noodles, I promise!
Step 1: Browning the Meat and Aromatics
Grab your large skillet and get that sausage and onion going over medium heat. You need to cook that sausage all the way through until it’s nice and crumbly, and the onions are starting to look soft and sweet, maybe 5 to 7 minutes. Then, toss in your minced garlic! Be quick here—garlic burns fast. Fry it for just two or three minutes until you can really smell it, and then quickly scoop everything right into your large crockpot. Don’t drain the fat; that’s flavor!
Step 2: Slow Cooking the Base
Now that the tasty meat is chilling in the crockpot, go ahead and dump in everything else that makes up the soup base. That means the beef broth, the diced tomatoes (juice and all!), the tomato paste, the Italian seasoning, and I need you to remember that tiny bit of white sugar we talked about. Set your crockpot to cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Seriously, do not add the noodles or the cheese yet, or you’ll end up with a dense, heavy brick!
Step 3: Cooking the Noodles and Finishing
This timing is the secret sauce for keeping your noodles perfect! About forty minutes before serving time, stir the broken lasagna noodles right into the hot broth. Give them a good stir so they don’t stick together. Let them cook until they are tender—you want them soft but not dissolving into oblivion. Once they are cooked perfectly, stir in most of your mozzarella, or just set out bowls of it for topping. That’s it! Dinner is ready!
Tips for Success with Slow Cook Recipes
Listen to me on this one, because everyone messes up slow cooker soup texture if they aren’t careful! The biggest issue people have with Slow Cook Recipes like this is overcooking the pasta. If you throw those noodles in at the beginning, you’ll get something closer to strained ricotta than soup, believe you me.
Another thing? Broth strength. If you find your soup liquid seems a little thin once everything is done, I recommend quickly mixing a tablespoon of cornstarch with two tablespoons of cold water in a separate cup. Stir that slurry in during the last 30 minutes of cooking. It thickens things up beautifully without boiling everything! You can read more about sautéing before slow cooking here: when to sauté aromatics. It makes a difference!
Making Italian Sausage Lasagna Soup Healthier
We already gave a nod to health by using whole wheat lasagna noodles, which is a great start for making this a solid choice among Healthy Dinner Recipes! But we can kick it up another notch for our Healthy Crockpot Meals rotation without losing that essential indulgent lasagna flavor.
If you want to lighten things up, try swapping half (or all!) of the Italian sausage for lean ground turkey or even ground chicken. Since those leaner meats don’t release as much fat for flavoring the broth, make sure you sneak in a little extra olive oil during that initial browning step to compensate.
Also, don’t forget veggies! Adding finely chopped carrots or celery along with the onions gives you extra vitamins. For more ideas on boosting nutrition in your meals, check out my list of easy healthy snack ideas to keep you on track!
Serving Suggestions for Italian Sausage Lasagna Soup
Since this soup is already so rich and satisfying—it’s practically a full meal in a bowl—you don’t need a ton of heavy sides. Honestly, leftovers are usually my lunch the next day!
If you are serving guests or just want a perfect pairing, keep it simple. A big loaf of crusty Italian bread for dipping is always my number one choice; it soaks up that leftover broth perfectly. For balance, go green! A simple, bright side salad with a sharp vinaigrette keeps the meal feeling balanced and fresh. You could even try making that amazing bruschetta dip as a starter!
Storage and Reheating Instructions for Leftover Italian Sausage Lasagna Soup
If you are lucky enough to have leftovers from these hearty Crockpot Dishes, you’ve got a great lunch waiting! Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Here’s the most important part about leftovers: the noodles will absorb the broth over time.
If you know you’ll have leftovers, try to scoop out the soup broth and meat mixture into one container and leave the cooked noodles in a separate container. When reheating the noodles, add a splash of extra broth or water to loosen them back up. If you didn’t separate them, just add a little liquid and heat gently on the stove or microwave until warm.
Frequently Asked Questions About Italian Sausage Lasagna Soup
It’s only natural that you have a few hanging questions once you see how easy this soup is! We want you to feel 100% confident before you hit the start button on your slow cooker. Here are the top things folks ask me when they try this recipe for the first time. Don’t forget, you can always find more inspiration for other great meals over here if you need more crockpot meals!
Can I make this Italian Sausage Lasagna Soup entirely in the Crockpot Recipes For Dinner?
Technically, yes, you *could* skip the skillet and just dump the raw sausage in with everything else to make it a true one-pot wonder for your Crockpot Recipes For Dinner file. But hold up! I absolutely recommend browning the meat first. Sautéing it breaks down the fat and deepens the flavor profile beautifully—that’s how we build true lasagna flavor! If you skip that step, you must cook the soup on high for the first hour or so to render out that fat properly.
How do I prevent the lasagna noodles from getting too soft in this Slow Cook Recipes?
This is the most important question for any slow cooker pasta dish! The key to avoiding noodle mush in these Slow Cook Recipes is timing. Do not, I repeat, do not add those noodles at the very beginning of the long cook time. You must only stir them in about 40 minutes before you plan on serving. This gives them just enough time to soak up the broth and get tender without turning to mush!
Can I use ground beef instead of sausage for these Crockpot Dishes?
Go right ahead! Ground beef is a perfectly fine alternative for these Crockpot Dishes, especially if you are looking for something different or need to use up meat in the freezer. However, Italian sausage brings specific spices like fennel and garlic that beef lacks. To make sure your soup still tastes authentic, bump up your Italian seasoning by 50% or add just a tiny pinch of fennel seed when you are browning the beef.
Share Your Experience Making This Italian Sausage Lasagna Soup
I truly hope this soup brings the same warm, lazy comfort to your kitchen that it brings to mine! If you tried this little trick for easy lasagna flavor, please come back and leave a five-star rating!
I always love seeing what toppings you choose—is it extra mozzarella or maybe a sprinkle of fresh basil? Share your delicious bowls with us on social media! We’re always chatting over at Recipes by Betty.
By Emily Mitchell, Efficiency & Testing Coordinator at Recipes by Betty.
Italian Sausage Lasagna Soup
Equipment
- Large Skillet
- Large crockpot
Ingredients
For the Soup Base
For Finishing
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, fry the ground sausage and onions until the meat has browned and the onions are soft. Add the garlic and fry for two to three minutes until the garlic browns. Place the cooked mixture in a large crockpot.
- Combine the rest of the ingredients, excluding the lasagna noodles and mozzarella cheese, in the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
- Forty minutes before serving, stir in the uncooked lasagna noodles. Cook until the noodles are tender. Serve topped with mozzarella cheese.