This Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup with Chicken recipe is an easy dump-and-go crockpot meal that the whole family will love. It includes an herby tomato broth, tender chicken, earthy vegetables, and chewy pasta – plus plenty of Parmesan and melty, gooey mozzarella!
Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup Recipe
This Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup with Chicken is an easy, delicious rendition of my original (and literally, famous!) lasagna soup recipe. Just dump all the ingredients in the crockpot and let it cook while you go on about your day with all the other things. Then come back to enjoy a homemade soup that’s loaded with the familiar flavors of classic lasagna. You’ll love the rich tomato broth, chewy pasta, and tender chicken – plus a fun cheese duo of Parmesan and gooey, fresh mozzarella pearls. This family-pleasing meal is out-of-this-world good!
Why You’ll Love This Lasagna Soup with Chicken
This soup recipe gets a delicious dinner on the table with little effort. Here’s why you’ll love this hearty soup:
- Dump-and-go. With this easy crockpot soup, there’s no waiting at the stovetop for ingredients to cook. Just dump it altogether and walk away. Let the slow cooker take care of the rest!
- Basically: it’s deconstructed lasagna. If you’re already a fan of classic lasagna, I’m 1000% certain you’ll love lasagna soup! This slow cooker soup takes the familiar flavors of lasagna, including Italian seasoning, tomatoes, garlic, pasta, and plenty of mozzarella cheese, and transforms them into craveworthy bowls of soup.
- Never boring. I love the slight kick of heat from the red pepper flakes and the hint of smokiness from the paprika. And the balsamic vinegar adds delicious acidity and flavor that goes so well with the tomato-y soup broth. This soup is BIG on rich flavor!
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this cozy soup. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredient amounts.
- Chicken broth – I like to use a low-sodium variety, because I can always add more salt if it’s needed.
- Marinara sauce – This is a great way to stuff lots of flavor into the soup, so make sure to use a good quality one. I like Rao’s brand.
- Canned tomatoes – Use fire-roasted tomatoes to add a hint of smoky flavor to the soup.
- Balsamic vinegar – This is a little bit of a “secret ingredient” that I like to include in many of my tomato-based recipes. It adds great acidity and helps enhance the sweetness of the tomatoes.
- Italian seasoning – A dried Italian herb blend helps create that classic lasagna flavor.
- Fresh thyme – Fresh herbs add incomparable flavor, but I kept it simple here by using just one! :) You could substitute thyme for another herb, such as parsley, oregano, or rosemary.
- Salt & pepper
- Red pepper flakes – This really adds another dimension of flavor, but feel free to adjust the amount to your taste.
- Smoked paprika – This adds a touch of smokiness, so beautiful with tomatoes.
- Chicken – I prefer breast meat with this recipe, but thighs would work as well.
- Onion & garlic – These veggies add lots of flavor, plus nutrition!
- Mushrooms – This ingredient lends earthy flavor and additional texture. I cut them in half (so if you have mushroom haters, they can easily remove them!).
- Pasta – I like to use mafalda or campanelle pasta, for their small, lasagna-like shape. You could also break up lasagna noodles or use another favorite pasta shape.
- Olive oil
- Fresh mozzarella – Use fresh mozzarella “pearls” for ease. This adds gooey, delicious fun to the soup! Shredded or diced mozzarella would work too.
- Parmesan cheese – This adds a nutty, salty flavor. Swap for Romano cheese if needed.
- Fresh basil – To garnish. You could also use fresh parsley.
How to Make Lasagna Soup in the Slow Cooker
Here’s how to make this soup. Like I’ve already said, just “dump and go!” Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.
- Combine. In a slow cooker, stir together the chicken broth, marinara sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, thyme, salt, pepper, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Then add the chicken, onion, garlic, and mushrooms.
- Cook. Cook on high for 2 hours (or low for 4 hours).
- Make pasta. Cook the pasta to al dente, then drain.
- Serve. Add ½ cup of cooked pasta to each serving bowl, ladle the finished soup over the pasta, and garnish with mozzarella pearls, grated parmesan, and fresh basil leaves.
Tips & Variations
Make this soup as the recipe is written, or incorporate some variations. I’m sharing a few recipe tips plus variation suggestions below:
- Yes, the amount of onions is correct! Three cups of onions may seem like a lot, but I assure you, this gives wonderful flavor to the soup. Once cooked, they blend seamlessly into the soup, giving a wonderful savory depth of flavor.
- Add the noodles last. As with many soups that include pasta, it’s best to add the noodles right before serving – so they don’t soak up the broth too much and become mushy. Cook the noodles separately and then add them to individual bowls and ladle the hot soup over the top. This will help the noodles stay al dente, at their best, chewiest texture!
- Store the noodles separately. If you have leftovers you’ll also want to store the noodles separately from the broth. If the noodles are incorporated into the soup and it’s all stored together, the noodles will break down and get mushy.
- More vegetables. For additional flavor and nutrients, and a pop of green color, feel free to throw some baby spinach into the soup 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Make it vegetarian. If you’d like a lighter or vegetarian version of this slow cooker lasagna soup, omit the chicken and use vegetable broth rather than chicken broth.
- Serve with “cheesy yum”! If you already love my original Lasagna Soup recipe, then you might want to make some of that “cheesy yum” and skip the mozzarella pearls in this recipe!
Serving Suggestions
Pair this slow cooker lasagna soup with easy sides like bread or a salad. Here are a few of my favorite things to serve with lasagna soup in the slow cooker:
- Salad. Add a fresh side salad such as my Italian chopped salad, Mediterranean chopped salad, or simple arugula beet salad. This grilled vegetable salad is also fun and delicious.
- Veggies. My family likes when I serve roasted artichoke alongside this soup, so fun and delicious.
- Cheesy bread. My family’s favorite lasagna soup side – cheesy homemade garlic bread!
- Other breads. Other options include soft, tender Rhodes rolls, airy popovers, and honey cornbread muffins. Or pick up a crusty baguette or Italian bread loaf.
- Grilled cheese. And you can never go wrong with a classic grilled cheese sandwich. Kick it up a notch with a pepperoni pizza grilled cheese!
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
As mentioned, make sure to store the noodles separately from the rest of the soup if you don’t want the pasta to get mushy. Here’s how to store and reheat leftover slow cooker lasagna soup:
- Fridge – Place the cooled soup in an airtight container and the noodles in another airtight container (alternatively, you could make a fresh batch of noodles when you next serve the soup). Store them in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To Reheat – Heat the lasagna soup in a pot on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring regularly, until it’s heated through. Or, place a portion of soup in a microwave-safe bowl, cover it to prevent any splatter, and heat in the microwave in 1-minute intervals, giving it a stir between each, until hot.
More Easy Soup Recipes
- Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Tomato Bisque
- Ginger Chicken Soup
- Pasta Fazool
- Lemon Chicken Tortellini Soup
Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup with Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups good quality marinara sauce
- 1 can (15 ounces) fire-roasted tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into 3/4” pieces
- 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, halved
- 8 ounces small dried pasta, such as campanelle or mafalda
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces mozzarella pearls, drained
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil, for garnish
Instructions
- Add the chicken stock, marinara sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, thyme, salt, pepper, paprika, and red pepper flakes to a 4-quart (or larger) slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Add the chicken, onion, garlic, and mushrooms, and stir to combine again.
- Cook on high for 2 hours (or low for 4 hours), or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F and is fork tender.
- While the soup is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions.
- Drain the pasta and drizzle it with the olive oil, then fold gently a few times to distribute the olive oil.
- To serve the soup, add ½ cup of cooked pasta to each individual serving bowl and ladle the soup over the noodles. Garnish with mozzarella pearls, grated parmesan, and fresh basil leaves. (Or serve with the "cheesy yum" from my original Lasagna Soup recipe!) Enjoy immediately.
Sounds good. My question is what about calories for us weight çonscience. I like crockpot cooking but for a smaller àamount.
Hello Eileen. I do not include calorie counts on my recipes. Sorry!
I made this soup yesterday and it was very good! Thanks for sharing.
Hello Mary – I’m so glad you liked this soup! Thanks for coming back to let me know. Happy New Year!
Becky… Make some zucchini ribbons with a vegetable peeler and add instead of pasta. Might need to gently sauté them or microwave for a very short time, trial and error here. If I thought the soup would be eaten In a meal maybe two and not being frozen I would throw them in the crockpot at the end and just test them until they are tender not mushy.
Lasagna soup?It in not an italian recipe
Hi all, loving the look of this recipe – do you know if it can be frozen once cooked? I’m guessing I’d need to leave out the pasta/noodles, but what about the rest? :) Thanks!
Just leave out the noodles!
Is this crockpot version have so many added ingredients due to sausage substitute alone, or because it is in the crockpot as well. I want to substitute hamburger meat, but why a 28 oz can of tomato sauce?
You have to love a soup that is slow cooker friendly. Lovely.
The slow cooker is my friend. I work. Soup is my friend. I gain weight. I love lasagna. Lasagna is not my friend. I gain weight.
You are getting the drift here. I can have my lasagna and eat it
too—-to play off Marie’s famous line.
You have perfection in a bowl, but using the slow cooker? Genius! Love this soup! Pinned :)
So very clever, my whole family would love this one. great tip about the noodles.
Wonderful comfort food! I love it!
Perfect comfort food and made in a slow cooker?! Love it!
Love that you took this recipe in another direction by using chicken and mushrooms to such a well loved recipe of lasagna. Anytime you can make a delicious recipe in a slow cooker, I’m in. Thanks for the great recipe!!
Ummm this sounds amazing and in the slow cooker… even better.
Comfort in a bowl!
Slow-cooker soup is my fave and this one looks so good!
Oh Brenda this looks AMAZING! I cannot wait to make this!
This looks so good! I love a slow cooker version of any meal, but Lasagna soup? That sounds like a real winner, especially at my house!
Brenda, this sounds so good. Today feels like a slow cooker day here in Oregon – rainy and chilly. Good comfort food!
Since we seem to be in the winter that will never end… I need new soup recipes. And I LOVE using my slow cooker. Pinning this to try soon!