Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup
(Weight Watchers Friendly Crock Pot Cooking Day 178 – Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup)
I’ve been on a bit of an Italian food kick recently.
I just can’t seem to get enough of it.
So, when I came across this recipe for a lighter version Paula Deen’s Tastes Like Lasagna Soup on Spectacled Owl’s Roundup of 50 Weight Watchers Recipes for Weight Loss it went right to the top of my “Recipes to Try” list.
The Skinny on Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup
I adapted Paula Deen’s Sons’ Take It Lighter recipe, turning it into an even lighter slow cooker lasagna soup. The lighter recipe already was much skinnier than Paula’s original, with 404 fewer calories and 28 fewer grams of fat.
By using the microwave and slow cooker I was able to eliminate the need for additional oil altogether, shaving off about 1 points plus per serving. I also used fewer lasagna noodles and added 1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms.
This slow cooker lasagna soup was even more delicious than I had hoped.
So much easier than lasagna, but with all the same delicious flavors, I’ll be making this slow cooker lasagna soup again the next time I need an Italian food fix!
- 1 pound Italian turkey or chicken sausage, casings removed
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped (I used a combination)
- 1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (I used 3 teaspoons jarred)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 can (14 to 15 ounces) tomato sauce
- 1 can (14 to 15 ounces) petite diced tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3 ounces broken whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 3 to 4 noodles)
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
- ½ cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- Ideal Slow Cooker Size: 4 to 5-Quart
- Put the the sausage and chopped onion in a microwave safe bowl and microwave, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is no longer pink, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker, breaking up any large pieces of sausage.
- Stir in the bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, broth, tomato sauce, tomatoes, salt and crushed red pepper. Cover and cook on LOW until the sausage and vegetables are tender, 6 to 8 hours.
- Add the broken lasagna noodles, cover and cook on HIGH, until tender, about 30 minutes. Turn off the slow cooker and stir in the basil, mozzarella and Parmesan.
*PointsPlus® for slow cooker lasagna soup calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc.
*PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT Weight Watchers Zero Points fruits and vegetables using the WW Recipe Builder.
If you liked slow cooker lasagna soup, you might also like…
Slow Cooker Italian Meatball Soup
Weight Watchers Italian Beef and Lentil Slow Cooker Soup
Easy Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup
I made this slow cooker Italian Soup in my Hamilton Beach Stay or Go Slow Cooker, 4-Quart
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I was lucky enough to be one of the people who got to try this new version of Lasagna Soup; compliments of one of my favorite chefs in the city, who also happens to be a close family member! Love homemade soups of all kinds (pretty much); and Italian food has been a long-time favorite so together, they are the best! The soup was wonderful, full of flavor – much lighter than you would think with the name it has! I look forward to a pot of it myself – not too far down the road.
Thanks, Mom. You’re the best. Glad your liked it.
This sounds so good. I think I’ll try it out tomorrw.
As always, thank you for doing this series. I am a Weight Watcher and enjoy finding yummy, somewhat easy recipes.
Hi Charlene,
We all thought it was very yummy! Hope you do to. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and leave a comment. I really appreciate it!!
Did you use No Boil lasagna noodles?
No, Barb. I just used regular lasagna noodles. I think either boil or no boil would work fine.
Why Not just get Grounded Sausage and why would I have to cook it before, putting in the slower cooker, isn’t that was the slow cooker is suppose to do? It just seems like you could make it a little easy, but I might be missing something
Hi Heather. Recipes are always only a guide. Ultimately, you should make it however works best for you 🙂 Most recipes I’ve read suggest cooking ground meat before adding it to the slow cooker. This may be for a couple of reasons: 1) to drain off any accumulated fat before adding it to the pot and 2) for food health/safety reasons. Hope this helps.
Just made this tonight for dinner. Delicious!! I put the cheese on top of the soup after it was served; did not add it directly to the crock pot.
Made this for dinner tonight. Delicious! I added the cheese to the top of the soup in each bowl instead of directly into the crock pot.
Thanks, Gail! Love the idea of adding cheese to the top of each bowl instead of into the crock!
Why did you choose to microwave the meat and onion instead of browning it on the stove?
Hi Amy, It’s a trick from the folks at America’s Test Kitchen/Cook’s Illustrated that I read about. It’s quicker, less mess and is supposed to help the ground meat from getting overly grainy during the slow cooking. Of course, browning on the stove will work too. And now that I have in instant pot that allows browning and slow cooking all in the same pot, I’ll probably be using the microwave less. Hope this helps!
Thanks! I try to stay away from the microwave. I never put ground meat raw in the crockpot/slow cooker. What kind of pot do you have now?
Hi Amy, I have several slow cookers of varying sizes. Right now I’m having fun with a new Instant Pot I treated myself to for Christmas. It’s an all in one cooker that can be used for browning, slow cooking, pressure cooking, etc. I’m really liking it so far.