Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup with Whipped Pesto Cottage Cheese
Fun, delicious, and easy twist on lasagna made in the slow cooker or on the stovetop. Lasagna soup is full of flavor and made with Italian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, red wine, and the perfect blend of spices. Top the soup with whipped pesto cottage cheese made with mozzarella and parmesan. It's the most dreamy topping for lasagna soup, making it perfectly creamy and delicious while adding a little extra protein. You're going to fall in love!
Ingredients
Sun-Dried Tomato Lasagna Soup
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 pound hot or mild ground italian sausage or ground beef
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (7-8 ounce) jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped (keep the oil)
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup red wine (or more chicken broth)
- 24 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 12 lasagna noodles (more or less)
Whipped Pesto Cottage Cheese
- 1 ½ cups cottage cheese
- ½ freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons basil pesto (or more to taste)
Instructions
Sun-Dried Tomato Lasagna Soup
- Heat 2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomato oil (or olive oil) in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until soft. Add the italian sausage and cook until browned, about 5-7 minutes.
- Mix in the garlic, tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Let cook for 1-2 minutes, then pour in the red wine to deglaze the pot, scraping the browned bits off the bottom. Transfer everything to the slow cooker now or leave in the pot for the stovetop version.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth to your slow cooker or pot.Slow cooker: Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 6-8 hours. Cook the noodles and make the whipped pesto cottage cheese when you're ready (or make the whipped cottage cheese ahead of time and store in the fridge).Stovetop: Bring to a boil, then turn down to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes while you cook the pasta and make the whipped pesto cottage cheese.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Break up the noodles into desired size, then cook until al dente according to package directions.*See notes for cooking the noodles in the soup.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with noodles (or add the noodles to the pot with the soup). Top with a big scoop of whipped pesto cottage cheese!
Whipped Pesto Cottage Cheese
- Add the cottage cheese to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and mix in the mozzarella, parmesan and pesto.
Notes
How to cook the noodles in the soup
I recommend adding an extra 1-2 cups of chicken broth if you choose to cook the noodles directly in the soup. You can always add extra broth at the end for a thinner soup.
- Stovetop: Bring the soup to a boil and add broken-up lasagna noodles. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the noodles are al dente.
- Slow cooker: Add broken-up lasagna noodles (or any short cut style pasta) to the slow cooker with the soup. Cook on high for 30 minutes or until the noodles are al dente.
- Make ahead and store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
Nutritional information is automatically calculated by a third party software and is only an estimate, not a guarantee. This information is provided as a courtesy, and you are solely responsible for all decisions related to your health.
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