Crockpot Lasagna Soup

All the comfort of a tray of lasagna without layering anything. The slow cooker does the work; the noodles go in at the very end so they keep their bite.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 lb Italian sausage
• 32 oz chicken stock
• 30 oz diced tomatoes
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 1 tsp oregano
• ½ tsp Italian seasoning
• 8 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
• 3 tbsp basil, chopped
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• Salt and pepper

To finish

• Ricotta cheese
• Fresh basil

Method

1. Brown the sausage. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Break up the sausage and cook until no pink remains, about 6–8 minutes. Drain off the fat.
2. Soften the aromatics. Add the onion to the same pan and cook 3–4 minutes until translucent, then the garlic for one minute more — just until it smells sweet, not browned.
3. Into the crockpot. Tip in the sausage mixture with the stock, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and Italian seasoning. Stir until the paste has dissolved. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cook. Low for 6–7 hours, or high for 3–4.
5. Noodles last. Break the lasagna sheets into rough pieces and stir them in for the final 20–30 minutes on high, until just tender. Adding them earlier turns them to mush and thickens the soup into a stew.
6. Off the heat. Stir through the chopped basil, Parmesan and mozzarella until melted. Doing this with the cooker switched off keeps the cheese smooth instead of stringy or split.
7. Serve. Ladle into bowls, add a spoonful of ricotta on top and scatter with fresh basil.

Notes

• Hot Italian sausage gives it a proper kick; sweet keeps it family friendly.
• The soup thickens overnight — loosen leftovers with a splash of stock when reheating.
• Freezing? Leave the noodles out and add them fresh when you reheat.