Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup has a tasty tomato base, cooked ground beef, and seasonings, all packed with cheese-filled tortellini and a creamy cheese mix.
Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup
This comforting and hearty soup channels all the best flavors from lasagna into a delicious, thick, and creamy soup.
This Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup begins with a saucy tomato beef base and is loaded up with tender bites of cheese-filled tortellini and a blend of three cheeses. The cheese topping melts beautifully into the soup adding a nice creamy element.
This soup is a total crowd-pleaser and is overall much simpler to make than a from-scratch lasagna!
Ingredients
- Olive Oil: Use extra virgin for the best flavor.
- Yellow Onion: Cook until soft to enhance sweetness.
- Minced Garlic: Add garlic after the onion to prevent burning.
- Lean Ground Beef: Adds protein. Use lean beef to keep the soup lighter.
- Crushed Tomatoes: Forms the soup base. Use high-quality tomatoes for better flavor.
- Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes: Substitute with regular diced tomatoes if unavailable.
- Tomato Paste: Cook the paste briefly with the onions for more depth.
- Marinara Sauce: Choose your favorite store-bought or homemade sauce.
- White Sugar: Balances the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Seasonings: Enhance the overall flavor of the soup.
- Beef Broth or Stock: Use low-sodium to control the saltiness of the soup.
- Frozen Cheese-Filled Tortellini: Provides a filling element and cheesy flavor.
- Cheese Toppings: Parmesan, Mozzarella, and Mascarpone or Ricotta Cheese adds a creamy texture.
Cooking the Tortellini Separately
You can prepare tortellini in the soup, but I prefer it separately for a few reasons:
- Different types of tortellini (pantry, frozen, fresh) have different cooking times. If you add it to the soup, frozen tortellini are best, but cooking times can vary with slow cookers.
- Tortellini absorb liquid as they sit, causing them to swell. The soup is tasty right after cooking, but it can alter the texture if left to sit.
- To store leftovers, keep tortellini separate from the soup to avoid excessive swelling. Heat them individually before serving.
How To Make Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup
- Sauté: Heat oil in a pan. Cook onion and garlic until soft. Add beef and cook until browned. Drain extra fat.
- Combine: Transfer to a slow cooker. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, marinara sauce, sugar, spices, and beef broth. Mix well.
- Cook: Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-7 hours.
- Prepare Tortellini: Cook tortellini in salted water. Drain.
- Mix Cheeses: Combine mozzarella, Parm, and mascarpone or ricotta cheese.
- Serve: Pour soup into bowls, add tortellini, and top with the cheese mixture. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup Tips
- Salt the water: Salt the tortellini water to enhance flavor. Taste the soup frequently and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Use quality beef stock: Good stock, like Swanson®, greatly improves flavor.
- Choose San Marzano tomatoes: They’re sweeter and less acidic, and fire-roasted ones add smokiness.
- Opt for Rao’s® marinara: This thick, hearty sauce provides a homemade flavor.
- Add fresh parsley: It adds freshness and balances the richness of the soup.
Recipe Variations
- Try Italian sausage (mild or spicy) rather than ground beef.
- Stir in some red pepper flakes to individual bowls of the soup.
- Swap the ricotta cheese for mascarpone cheese for a creamy cheese filling.
- To thicken the soup, use less beef stock, and to thin it out, pour in more broth.
Quick Tip
If you don’t know Mascarpone cheese, it’s like cream cheese but uses whole cream rather than milk (making it good!). This fresh cheese can often be found at the deli counter, in the dairy aisle (next to cream cheese and sour cream), or in the specialty aisle (next to cheeses like brie).
More Soup Recipes
- Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup with sweet potatoes
- Chicken Curry Soup with Baby Gold Potatoes
- Italian Sausage Orzo Soup with lots of veggies
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup with puff pastry toppers
- Broccoli Potato Soup with sharp Cheddar cheese
Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup
Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup has a rich, tomato-packed broth with tender ground beef, cheesy tortellini, and a creamy cheese topping.
Equipment
- Large pan
- Crock-Pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion 1 onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 to 3 cloves
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes 1 large can
- 14.5 ounces fire-roasted diced tomatoes 1 can
- 6 ounces tomato paste 1 small can
- 1-1/3 cups marinara sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds optional
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1-1/2 teaspoon salt or to preference
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups beef broth or stock, I love Swanson’s beef stock
- 12 ounces frozen cheese filled tortellini 1 package, see note 1
- 4 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley optional
Cheese Topping
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese or ricotta
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium heat, drizzle in the olive oil. Once oil is shimmering, add onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, 3–4 minutes. Press to the edges of the pan, increase heat to high, and add ground beef to the center. Brown the ground beef, crumbling and incorporating the onions as you cook. Cook until the beef is browned. Drain off any grease (if needed) and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker.
- (No need to drain any of the cans.) Add the crushed tomatoes, petite diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and marinara into slow cooker. Add sugar and seasonings—dried basil, fennel, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add in the beef stock or broth. Stir.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3–4 hours or low for 5–7 hours.
- About 15–20 minutes before you are ready to serve, prepare the tortellini according to package directions. (Don’t forget to salt the pasta water; I add 1 teaspoon salt to every 4 cups of water.) Drain thoroughly.
- Meanwhile, stir together Parmesan, mozzarella, and mascarpone. Set aside.
- Taste the soup for any additional seasonings (remembering the Parmesan adds some saltiness). Ladle soup in bowls and spoon cooked tortellini into individual bowls and stir. Add a few spoonfuls of the cheese mixture into each bowl and top with a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy! Store leftovers separately.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Any tortellini works, but I love Barilla Artisanal Collection Three-Cheese for shelf-stable and Giovanni Rana’s Classic Cheese Mini for fresh. For cooking in the soup, use frozen tortellini that cooks in 3–5 minutes, adding it 20 minutes before serving. Add extra beef broth, as the tortellini thickens the soup.
Storage: To store, keep the soup base and tortellini separate—only add tortellini to the portion you’re eating right away to avoid mushiness. The soup base lasts up to 4 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 421kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 2089mg | Potassium: 1236mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 1460IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 203mg | Iron: 8mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Fixed this for dinner last night. Threw in a rough chopped zucchini & left out the fennel seed; it tasted as good as it looked & smelled.? My husband even wanted it for breakfast this morning!
So happy you liked it! Thanks for the comment ?
Do you happen to remember the name/make of those bowls??? ???
I’m sorry Emily; I got the black bowl at a thrift shop years ago — no legible brand name either.
Tried it tonight on the stove top and it was DELICIOUS!! Loved it! This ones a keeper.
So happy to hear that!! Thanks for the comment Cindy 🙂
I wanted to make this tonight but just noticed it was for the slow cooker. How long would you suggesting cooking it stovetop?
I would simmer it for 25-30 minutes and then cook the tortellini separately and stir it in.
Hi Chelsea,
This recipe looks fabulous and I am trying it this weekend! I cannot wait! I noticed the comment about not reheating well with the tortellinis and I wanted to ask if not using frozen tortellini, when do you add? Just add to individual bowls as the ricotta? I just want to make sure they have enough time to “cook”. Please advise when your time allows.
Thank you,
Stacey
Hi Stacey! I hope I understand your question correctly; if you want to make this and plan to have leftovers, I would cook and drain the tortellini in a separate pot. Then add the cooked tortellini’s to the individual bowls you will be enjoying that night. Hope that helps!
Does this do ok reheated for leftovers. It’s just my husband I. ?? Sounds wonderful and will make this soon???
Can you answer my question in my e mail??
If you plan to re-heat it, I would add the tortellini separately. It doesn’t re-heat well with that. I hope you both love this! Also, I apologize, but I don’t seem to have an email from you. Did you email it to chelseasmessyapron @ gmail.com ?
Thanks!
Outstanding Recipe! Absolutely delicious!
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed this 🙂
OMGOODNESS!!!! The best! Simplified it a bit but omg sooooooo delish!!! If it includes anything Italian……..it’s good….but this was the best!!!! Shortcuts and all! Hoping this week goes by fast so I can make it again!!!!
Yay!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂 Thanks so much for the comment and review! 🙂
Hi Chelsea. I came across this recipe and had to try it. Let me tell you that this was absolutely fabulous. I added the ricotta cheese and some grated mozzarella, parmesan and asiago cheese right into the pot just before serving and it was fantastic.
Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Hey Tara! Thank you so much for your comment and kind review 🙂 I’m so happy you tried this, it’s my husband’s favorite soup on the blog! 🙂 And the cheeses you added sound incredible! YUM! 🙂
Would this work with ground turkey instead of beef? If so what type of broth would I use after using ground turkey?
I have never tried ground turkey in this recipe, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. As far as the broth, I’m not sure what will go best without further recipe testing. Sorry to not be of more help, I don’t want to give a bad recommendation!
I made it with ground turkey and used chicken broth – worked wonderfully!
Sounds great! Thanks for the comment Chris! 🙂