When the first real chill settled over the fields each October, my mother-in-law always seemed to know just what kind of supper would gather everybody close and warm the kitchen right down to the windows. She had a gift for turning a handful of simple pantry staples into something hearty enough to quiet a noisy house, and this easy slow cooker meal carries that same old-fashioned comfort without much fuss at all.
Serve this with warm garlic bread, a simple green salad, or a plate of buttered green beans if you want a fuller supper. For the grown-ups, a glass of red wine fits nicely, and for the little ones, there is nothing better than a bowl set beside a stack of crackers for crumbling right over the top.
Slow Cooker 5-Ingredient Lasagna Soup
Servings: 6
Ingredients
1 lb ground Italian sausage, browned
1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce
4 cups chicken broth
8 lasagna noodles, broken
2 cups shredded mozzarella
Directions
1. In the slow cooker crock, combine the browned Italian sausage, marinara sauce, and chicken broth. Stir well so the sausage is evenly distributed through the broth and sauce.
2. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or on high for 2 to 3 hours, until the flavors have blended and the broth is hot and fragrant.
3. About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the broken lasagna noodles. Cover again and cook until the noodles are tender.
4. Stir in 1 cup of the mozzarella until melted into the soup, then ladle into bowls or serve straight from the crock. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup mozzarella over the top just before serving.
Variations & Tips
Make it a little richer: If you have it on hand, a spoonful of ricotta dolloped into each bowl makes this taste even more like old-fashioned baked lasagna. It is not part of the five ingredients, but it sure is a nice touch.
Noodle tip: Break the lasagna noodles into bite-size pieces so they are easy to scoop and eat. If they sit too long after cooking, they will keep soaking up broth, so add a splash more broth when reheating leftovers.
Cheese timing: Stirring in part of the mozzarella gives the broth a silky texture, while saving the rest for the top gives you those lovely melted strands everybody reaches for first.
Make-ahead tip: Brown the sausage the night before and keep it in the refrigerator. Then in the morning, all you need to do is add everything but the noodles and cheese to the slow cooker and let supper take care of itself.