High Protein Lasagna Soup with 34g protein and 5g fiber per serving has all the flavors of lasagna, but it simmers all day long for even more flavor. Formulated by yours truly, a Registered Dietitian, as a healthy, dump-and-go comfort meal with no layering required! {Gluten-free friendly}
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Elysia’s Recipe Recap
If traditional lasagna feels like too much work for a weeknight meal (because typically it is), this healthy lazy lasagna soup is the answer! It has all the cozy Italian flavors my family loves, including rich tomato sauce, seasoned ground beef, and melty cheese, but it’s all done in the crockpot without any layering!
My registered dietitian wheels are always turning, thinking about ways to ramp up the nutrition in my recipes. With 34 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per serving, I love that it’s naturally higher in protein and fiber than most lasagnas. The lean beef, extra vegetables, reduced-sodium broth, and fiber-enriched noodles turn a classic comfort-food favorite into something a little more balanced!
Featured Comment
“Made this today! Added extra noodles because we like a little extra in our soups :) Soooo good!!!!!”
– Sarah
And while we’re talking tasty soups, be sure to try my 3-Ingredient Tomato Soup and Italian Bean Soup with Pasta too!
Before You Get Started:
Brown the vegetables with the beef for a few extra minutes of caramelized flavor before slow cooking.
Add noodles last. Stirring them in during the final 30–45 minutes (not earlier) keeps them from turning mushy.
Top bowls individually with cheese rather than stirring it into the pot. It’s easier to customize, store, and reheat.
Expect the soup to thicken as noodles absorb the broth; stir in a splash of broth or water when reheating.
Ingredient Notes
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Lean ground beef: Keeps the high protein lasagna soup hearty with less saturated fat. Ground turkey or chicken works well too.
- Onion, garlic, and red bell pepper: the flavor base, plus extra fiber and vitamins. Don’t skip these; they build the slow-simmered taste. You can sub in onion powder and garlic powder for the fresh onion and garlic as well.
- Canned tomatoes: I like to use fire-roasted tomatoes for this soup as they have a deeper and richer flavor.
- Marinara sauce: Use your favorite jar of marinara or spaghetti sauce for the base of this recipe. Try to look for one that’s lower in sodium if possible.
- Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes: Classic lasagna flavor with just a touch of warmth (skip the flakes for young kids). Or increase for more heat.
- Beef broth: I typically use reduced-sodium beef stock, but vegetable or chicken broth will also work well in this healthy lasagna soup recipe.
- Lasagna noodles: Use whole-grain or fiber-enriched noodles for extra goodness. I like to use Smart lasagna noodles if I don’t have whole-grain noodles. Cheese ravioli or tortellini would also be a good replacement for traditional lasagna noodles.
- Ricotta, mozzarella & Parmesan: Look for part-skim mozzarella cheese and light ricotta to reduce the saturated fat content. Best added to individual bowls rather than stirred into the pot, so everyone can customize and leftovers reheat better. Cottage cheese is a great high-protein swap for ricotta; use freshly grated Parmesan if you can.
How to Make High Protein Crockpot Lasagna Soup
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown ground beef for about 4-5 minutes. Drain off any excess grease. If you have it, use your slow cooker’s sauté function to save a dish.
- Transfer beef to the crockpot with the onion, garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes, marinara, seasonings, and broth. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3.5-4 hours.
- Break the lasagna noodles into bite-sized pieces and stir them in with the other ingredients. Continue cooking on high for another 30-45 minutes or until the noodles are tender.
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Divide your healthy lasagna soup into bowls. Top with a tablespoon of ricotta cheese, a sprinkle of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Garnish with chopped parsley or a sprinkle of fresh basil, if desired.
Recipe Variations
- Swap the protein: ground turkey, chicken, Italian chicken sausage, or lean pork sausage.
- Make it vegetarian: lentils, cannellini beans, chickpeas, or plant-based ground meat, with vegetable broth. Or try this vegetarian lasagna soup!
- Add more vegetables: spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, bell pepper, sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, or celery (add spinach just before serving).
- Make it gluten-free: use your favorite gluten-free lasagna noodles; check for doneness around 25 minutes.
- Lower-carb: skip the pasta and stir in zucchini noodles (“zoodles”) during the last few minutes.
- Different pasta: Mafalda noodles (like mini lasagna noodles), Campanelle, fusilli, rotini, penne, or cheese tortellini/ravioli all work in place of lasagna noodles.
- Make it on the stovetop. Brown the beef with the onion and bell pepper, then add the garlic. Stir in the tomatoes, marinara, seasonings, and broth, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the broken noodles and cook 10–15 minutes more until tender, then top with cheese before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Pair with garlic bread, a tossed salad with balsamic vinaigrette, healthy caesar salad, roasted broccoli or Brussels sprouts, or a crisp cucumber noodle salad. On busy weeknights, a spring mix salad and warm garlic bread are all this needs.
Make Ahead, Storage & Freezing
Make ahead: Prepare through Step 3, cool, and refrigerate up to 3 days, then add the noodles when reheating to serve. Or cook noodles separately to al dente, drizzle with a bit of oil to prevent sticking, and stir in just before serving.
Refrigerator: Up to 4 days in an airtight container. Add a splash of broth when reheating if it’s thickened.
Freezer: Freeze the soup base (no noodles or cheese) for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight, reheat, then add freshly cooked noodles and toppings.
Reheat: Thaw the frozen soup overnight in the fridge. Once completely thawed, reheat the soup either in the crockpot, on the stovetop, or in the microwave for 30–60-second intervals, stirring between. Top with cheese and serve!
Featured Comment
“I absolutely love this soup! It’s so easy and my whole family loves it!” – Marie
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Lasagna without Ricotta Cheese
- One Pot Hamburger Helper
- Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Italian Sausage Spinach Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chicken Meatball Soup
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High Protein Lasagna Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large red pepper, diced
- 14.5 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes, crushed or diced
- 24 oz jar marinara sauce
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
- 10 oz lasagna noodles whole wheat or fiber-enriched (about 10 lasagna noodles)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For topping:
- 1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook the ground beef until browned, about 4-5 minutes. Drain off any excess grease. You can also do this step in the crockpot if it has a saute function.
- Place the ground beef into the crockpot. Add in the diced onion, garlic, red bell pepper, fire-roasted tomatoes, marinara sauce, seasonings and broth. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3.5-4 hours.
- Remove the lid. Break the lasagna noodles into bite size pieces over the crockpot and stir them in with the other ingredients.
- Cover and cook on high for 30-45 minutes or until the noodles are tender.
- Divide into bowls. Top with a tablespoon of ricotta cheese, a sprinkle of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
- If you want to add even more flavor to the soup, cook the onion, garlic and peppers along with the beef before adding it all to the crockpot (or cook it right in the slow cooker if it has a saute function). This helps to caramelize the vegetables and bring out more natural sweetness.
- The soup thickens up more the longer that it sits. If you make this soup in advance and want it to be more “soupy,” you may wish to stir in some extra broth right before serving.
- I prefer to add the mozzarella and ricotta cheese separately to each bowl right before serving, so that everyone can top their soup with the desired amount of cheese or skip it altogether. You can add the cheese right to the pot, but it may stick to the bottom of the pot, so clean up may be a little more tricky.
- If you plan to make and freeze this soup, I recommend making the noodles fresh. Add in the broken noodles while reheating or pre-cook them ahead of time and add them in right before serving. Also don’t freeze the cheese as it might develop a funny texture. Add it in fresh when the soup has been thawed and reheated.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in February 2023 and some of the text, photos and formatting were updated in January 2025. The post was updated again in September 2026.
I only have an instapot. Can that work?
I haven’t tried it in the instapot, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work! Please keep me posted if you give it a try!
What is the serving size? 1 cup?
Yes, I would say a serving size would be about 1 – 1 1/2 cups since the noodles take up some extra volume. Hope this helps!
Can I use chicken broth?
Sure! Any broth can be used.
Made this without lasagna noodles for GF family member. Muah! So good. Can’t wait to add the noodles!
Awesome! Glad it was a hit! The noodles make it even tastier :)
Very tasty and easy to make!
So happy you enjoyed it!! This one is always a winner in our house too :)