Crockpot Lasagna Soup

I have been sharing easy Crockpot recipes for the last 12 years on my blog. With 3 kids and both of us working full time, this cooking method was a saving grace week after week. I have made this over and over again with different noodles and add ins, but this is the best and easiest of them all.

There were days when I didn’t have it all together to brown the meat in the morning SO I created an Instant Pot lasagna soup version too. Now you have the choice of either one!

One way I made this better was for it to be made with frozen ravioli stuffed with cheese or meat. There is no need to boil them separately, rather you cook them right in the soup itself which gives them a TON of flavor when done (and a surprise inside).

There are only 4 ingredients to make this main dish. Of course beyond those there are many ways to tweak it and make it better but as for what you need these are the basics to start with;

Ingredient Notes

You are going to want spaghetti sauce (marinara) to give this dish the classic flavors you would expect in any sort of lasagna anything. It is in fact a great meal to make if you have leftover homemade spaghetti sauce.

Can you use jar sauce?

Yes, that is what I do when I make this and my Crockpot lasagna casserole which is similar but a different texture. As far as the brand and style I use, I don’t have a strong affinity to one or the other, I just usually buy what is on sale (though I like the chunky versions).

Then you are going to want some meat to make this a heartier meal. You have a choice of using ground beef or ground sausage, or half and half works too. I will say that HOT Jimmy dean is my favorite to give it some heat.

Do you have to brown the ground beef first?

Yes it is necessary to saute the meat first before adding it into the slow cooker. Especially since it will be mixed with liquids, it wouldn’t cook safely and would create a weird texture too.

How Long to Cook Lasagna Soup with Ravioli in Slow Cooker

The actual cook time once everything is combined is 5 hours. Now with that said if you were gone longer you could leave the initial step in longer, then add the filled noodles an hour before eating. You just wouldn’t want to cook the noodles longer than that or they’ll get too soft and start to fall apart.

Can you add meatballs?

Yes you could add frozen meatballs in Crockpotat the same time as the ravioli noodles. Those can cook in the sauce for about 1 hour as well so if you wanted to skip sauteing in the morning this would be a good option.

FAQ

Yes, you can actually add any sort of uncooked noodle shapes you like right in the soup!! It is better than boiling the pasta separately and then combining because it soaks up the flavors in the soup as they cook to tender. If using large lasagna noodles I would break them into 3rds.

You can add some heavy cream the last hour to make it creamy. Another alternative is to stir in some sour cream or plain Greek yogurt to make a bit thicker and creamier.

You will want to allow the soup to cool completely first. Then transfer it to a sealed container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Know that the noodles will continue to soften as they sit in the liquid so they will get a bit mushier over time.

You could once it cools completely. You’d need to transfer it into a container with a lid that is tight. Sit flat in the freezer at least until it is solid and then you can move it to another location in the freezer.