Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Brown sausage and build the soup
- Brown the Italian sausage in a cast iron skillet, then drain it and add it to the crockpot with the diced onion and minced garlic.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, diced fire-roasted tomatoes, beef broth, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, dried basil, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes to the crockpot, then stir to combine.
Slow-cook and cook the noodles
- Cook on Low for 5-7 hours or High for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld.
- In the last 30 minutes, add the broken lasagna noodles and increase heat to High if you started on Low.
- Continue cooking until the noodles are tender, then stir occasionally to keep them from sticking.
Finish and serve
- Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix the whole milk ricotta, shredded mozzarella, parmesan, fresh basil, and nutmeg thoroughly into a cohesive three-cheese topping.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a very generous, heaping spoonful of the cheese topping so it melts into the hot broth.
Notes
For the creamiest topping that melts quickly, mix the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, basil, and nutmeg right before serving. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave. Freezing is not recommended because lasagna noodles can soften too much after thawing. For a lighter option, swap whole-milk ricotta for part-skim ricotta while keeping the same mozzarella and parmesan amounts.
