Lasagna soup has been a go-to fall and winter recipe for me for years—it’s reliable, soothing and not nearly as heavy (or labor intensive) as making a full-blown lasagna. But recently, I craved something a bit lighter, with more veggies…and OK, maybe still some creaminess, courtesy of ricotta or cottage cheese.

The beauty of this recipe is that it’s very forgiving and pretty customizable. You can tinker with the veggie amounts until you find a ratio that works best for you.

As for the creaminess? If you want to lighten things up, you can omit the dollop of ricotta entirely. If you want something lower cholesterol (and calories) but still want that cheesy factor, sub in cottage cheese—just know that the curds are larger, so it will add a bit more texture unless you pulse it in a blender beforehand. (Though, honestly, who has time for that?)

Like all soups, I prefer to take any recipe as a suggestion. Dabble, test, try and make it your own.

Slow Cooker Chicken Lasagna Soup

A riff on the classic lasagna soup, this Crockpot favorite features more veggies and shredded chicken.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Ingredients

  

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced (any color you like)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 (32-oz) box low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 (6-oz) can tomato paste
• 1 (14.5-oz) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat cottage cheese or ricotta, for garnish
• 1/4 cup torn, fresh basil, for garnish
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, for garnish
• cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1 (16-oz) package pasta (I used bow-tie noodles; rigatoni, cavatappi and radiatore are also great here)

Instructions

 

• In a large slow cooker, combine onion, bell pepper, garlic, chicken broth, tomato paste, oregano and fire-roasted tomatoes, stirring until ingredients are evenly dispersed. Add chicken and stir.
• Heat slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Slice thickest part of a piece of chicken to check for doneness (it should be fully opaque).
• Switch setting to warm. In a saucepan, boil water and prepare pasta according to instructions for al dente noodles. Drain and ladle a few scoops into each bowl for serving.
• Top noodles with chicken and vegetable soup. Add a scoop of cottage cheese or ricotta, then sprinkle basil and parm on top. Finish with a dusting of cracked black pepper.

Keyword chicken, slow cooker, soup