This tasty slow cooker soup is perfect for a winter day. Italian sausage is cooked in a skillet and then transferred to a slow cooker. Then onions, carrots, mushrooms and garlic are briefly sautéed in a skillet before adding to the slow cooker. Next chicken broth, stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce are added. After cooking for several hours, broken lasagna noodles and spinach are added, and then the soup cooks for 1 hour more. Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses are sprinkled on top when serving.
Course
Entree
Prep Time35minutes
Cook Time5hours
Servings8people
Ingredients
1 ½lbbulk Italian sausage
1large onionchopped
2medium carrotschopped
2cupssliced fresh mushrooms
3garlic clovesminced
32ozchicken broth
2cans(14 ½ oz each) Italian stewed tomatoes
1can(15 oz) tomato sauce
6lasagna noodlesbroken into 1 inch pieces
2cupscoarsely chopped fresh spinach
1cupcubed or shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
½cupshredded Parmesan cheese
Thinly sliced basiloptional
Instructions
In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles, 8 to 10 minutes; drain. Transfer to a 5 or 6 qt slow cooker.
Add onions and carrots to skillet, cook and stir until softened, 2-4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and garlic; cook and stir until mushrooms are softened, 2-4 minutes. Transfer to a slow cooker. Add broth, tomatoes and tomato sauce to the slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cook, covered on LOW until vegetables are tender 4-6 hours.
Skim fat from soup. Add broken lasagna noodles; cook until tender, 1 hour more. Stir in fresh spinach. Turn off and let stand 10 minutes.
Divide mozzarella cheese among bowls; ladle soup over cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and basil if desired.
Recipe Notes
I use frozen spinach instead and add it with the noodles.