Slow-cooker lasagna soup
320 min · 35 g protein · 414 cals / serving
All the flavors of a Sunday lasagna, none of the layering: a garlicky tomato and lean beef broth thick with zucchini and spinach, ruffled lasagna noodles cooked right in the pot, and a creamy ricotta, mozzarella and basil topping that melts into every spoonful.
Ingredients
- 1 lb 2 oz ground beef (95% lean)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp fennel seed, crushed
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can (28 oz) canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
- 5 cups chicken broth, low-sodium
- 3 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 oz lasagna noodles (about 7) pasta, broken into pieces
- 5 packed cups baby spinach
Cheese topping
- 3/4 cup part-skim ricotta
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- a handful fresh basil, chopped
Steps
- Brown the beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up, until no pink remains (160°F), about 6 minutes. Add the onion and cook 4 minutes, then the garlic, fennel and tomato paste for 1 minute. Tip into the slow cooker.
- Add the crushed and diced tomatoes, broth, zucchini, oregano, basil, pepper flakes and salt. Cover and cook on LOW for 5–6 hours or HIGH for 3.
- Turn to HIGH, stir in the broken noodles, cover and cook 20–30 minutes, stirring once so they do not stick, until tender.
- Stir in the spinach until wilted and taste for salt.
- Mix the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan and basil. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a big spoonful of the cheese mixture, letting it melt in.
Good to know
Pressure cooker instead?
Brown the beef and onion on SAUTÉ and add the garlic and paste. Pour in the broth, scrape the bottom clean, add the zucchini and seasonings and lay the noodles on top, pressed under the liquid. Spoon the crushed and diced tomatoes over the top and do not stir (tomato on the bottom triggers the burn warning). HIGH pressure 4 minutes, then a 5-minute natural release before quick-releasing the rest; stir in the spinach.
How does it keep?
The noodles soak up broth overnight, so for meal prep cook them separately and add them to each container. The soup base keeps 4 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer; reheat until bubbling, adding water if it has thickened, and top with the cheese mixture fresh.
Can I use Italian sausage?
Yes, half beef and half Italian-style turkey sausage gives the most lasagna-like flavor; drop the fennel seed if the sausage already has it.
Per
- Calories
- 61
- Protein
- (34%)
- 5 g
- Fat
- (27%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (38%)
- 6 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 253 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 2486 kcal goes into the pot and 4249 g of ingredients comes out as about 4050 g of food: 61 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.