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Lightened-Up Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup: Easy 20-Min Prep

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A lightened-up slow cooker lasagna soup that delivers all the cozy, soul-warming flavor of traditional lasagna with less fat and calories. Perfect for busy weeknights, this easy 20-minute prep recipe uses lean ground turkey, part-skim cheeses, and a clever blending trick for creamy texture without cream.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 ½ pounds lean ground turkey (93/7)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 8 ounces dried lasagna noodles, broken into 1-inch pieces
  • ½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
  • ¼ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

  1. Brown the meat and aromatics: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add ground turkey, breaking it up, and cook for 5-6 minutes until no longer pink. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes.
  2. Build the soup base: Transfer meat mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker. Add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes (with juices), tomato paste, chicken broth, bay leaf, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until tomato paste is fully incorporated.
  3. Slow cook: Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours until bubbling gently around edges.
  4. Blend for creaminess: About 20 minutes before serving, remove bay leaf. Use an immersion blender to give the soup 4-5 quick pulses until about half smooth and half chunky. Alternatively, transfer 2 cups of soup to a blender, blend until smooth, and stir back in.
  5. Cook the noodles: While soup finishes, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook broken lasagna noodles according to package directions until al dente. Drain well.
  6. Assemble and serve: Divide cooked noodles among serving bowls. Ladle hot soup over noodles. Top each bowl with a dollop of ricotta, a sprinkle of mozzarella, a dusting of Parmesan, and fresh parsley.

Notes

Cook noodles separately to avoid mushiness. For thicker soup, let cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Store soup and noodles separately for best leftovers. Soup freezes well without noodles for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: lasagna soup, slow cooker lasagna soup, lightened-up lasagna soup, healthy lasagna soup, easy lasagna soup, slow cooker soup, comfort food, Italian soup

Find it online: https://breezybake.com/lightened-up-slow-cooker-lasagna-soup-easy-20-min-prep/