Hearty lentils and tender noodles are simmered up in chunky tomato soup and topped with creamy vegan pesto ricotta to make this cozy vegan lasagna soup.
I keep saying I need to use the slow cooker more often, and I really do! Now that it’s getting cooler out I’m all about having dinner simmering on the counter all day, so I think it’s going to actually happen.
A few months back I posted this chili mac recipe, which was a revelation. The idea seems really simple, but for some reason it never occurred to me that I could let my liquid ingredients cook up in the slow cooker, and then throw pasta in at the end. With my newfound discovery, I decided it was time for some vegan lasagna soup.
If you haven’t yet seen the non-vegan versions of this soup floating around on Pinterest, here’s the deal: tomato heavy soup, all the flavors of lasagna, noodles, and in most cases, copious amounts of cheese. Obviously, I had to work around the whole cheese thing.
Fortunately, ricotta cheese is one of the easiest things ever to veganize. I have a few formulas for vegan ricotta, but since I’m trying to keep things simple, I went with my basic cashew-tofu blend, flavored with some premade pesto. Easy! I had some pesto hanging out in the freezer (made from this recipe), but if you’d rather go with store-bought, Amore is a vegan brand that’s pretty widely available.
My vegan lasagna soup turned out to be every bit as satisfying as a big slab of regular old lasagna, and after hanging out in the fridge for a day, the leftovers pretty closely resembled lasagna, thanks to the noodles sucking up most of the broth. This is the perfect healthy, cozy, and meal-worthy soup to have around during the week after a holiday feast.
Make a big batch, pack it up, and enjoy it for days.
Slow Cooker Vegan Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
For the Lasagna Soup
- 4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 cup dried brown lentils
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 8 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
- 3 cups chopped spinach leaves
For the Vegan Pesto Ricotta
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4 to 8 hours, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup unflavored soy or almond milk
- 1/4 pound extra firm tofu, drained
- 3 to 4 tablespoons prepared vegan pesto, to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Make the Lasagna Soup
- Place broth, onion, garlic, basil, oregano and lentils into slow cooker and stir a few times to blend. Set the slow cooker to high and cover. Allow to cook until lentils are just a bit on the firm side, about 2 hours.
- Add diced and crushed tomatoes to the slow cooker and stir. Allow to continue cooking on high for 2 to 3 hours more.
- Add noodles and spinach to the slow cooker and give the mixture a stir. Allow to cook until noodles are tender and spinach is wilted, about 12 minutes.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
Make the Vegan Pesto Ricotta
- Place cashews, and milk into food processor and blend until smooth. Add tofu and pulse a few times, just until the mixture takes on a ricotta-like texture. Add pesto to taste, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve
- Divide soup into bowls, and top each with a dollop of vegan pesto ricotta. Serve.
Recipe Notes
You may have some extra ricotta. It will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days, or you can freeze it. Use it as a pasta or salad topper, or save it for another batch of soup.
This looks so good. I never use lentil for vegan lasagna recipes. I happen to have gluten-free lasagna noodles in my kitchen so now I know I have to give this a try. Thanks for sharing, Alissa!
Thank you! I tried lentils in lasagna earlier this year as a substitute for meat, and it quickly became one of my favorite things ever. :)
This soup looks so nourishing and delicious!
Thanks so much!
Love this! I’m always looking for good vegetarian slow cooker recipes and this one is ticking all the comfort food boxes. Can’t wait to try it out!
Thank you! I’m working on creating more slow cooker recipes myself. It’s such a great kitchen tool, and I don’t get nearly enough use out of it!
Beautiful bowl! This looks so comforting and delicious!
Thank you!!
If this tastes half as good as it looks, I’ll be so happy. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
This popped up in my daily newspaper, btw.
https://paper.li/WhyVeg?edition_id=da49f900-b80f-11e6-acf1-0cc47a0d164b
Thanks Heather! I’d love to hear about it. :)
This was so good! It really does taste like lasagna! Thanks for a really great recipe! My husband enjoyed it, too.
Really glad you both enjoyed it! Thanks Teri. :)
sounds so good. I want to try it soon!
Enjoy!
Delicious recipe! I’m wondering though, should the onions still have a bite to them? I was in a rush so I cooked the lentils for 2 hours, and then added my tomatoes and cooked it for about 1 1/2 hours before adding the noodles and spinach. Where it says 2-3 hours, do you think that could have something to do with it? The flavor was delicious though – I’ll definitely make it again. Thanks :)
PS. SO glad I stumbled across your blog!! I’m newly vegetarian, and your recipes sound amazing. I saved a bunch of them to try! :)
Hi Kari! The onions should be pretty well cooked, so no bite. :) If you’re short on time I’d say give them a quick saute in a frying pan before throwing them into the slow cooker. I’m glad you enjoyed this though. Thanks for stopping back to let me know!
After 4 1/2 hours my onions and lentils weren’t done. And 12 minutes wasn’t enough time for my noodles. It also didn’t look like th picture, even though I followed the recipe exactly. I ended up adding a jar of pasta sauce and tomato paste to get a chunkier consistency and stronger flavor.
Sorry to hear that! You didn’t by chance add the tomatoes at the beginning of cooking? They’ll prevent the lentils from cooking completely. My only other thought is that slow cookers vary so maybe yours is a bit slower than mine.
I made this last week and ended up with a delicious lentil veggie noodle soup, but definitely not lasagna! I’m not sure what happened since I actually followed the recipe to a “T” (which I rarely ever do!). Maybe next time I’ll up my tomato game, adding another can or even some marinara.
I love your website and recipes, even if this didn’t turn out as expected! Saenz is a family name for me, by the way!
Mine was soup too but I think it was supposed to be soup. It may thicken in the fridge some.
Is there a reason you add the tomatoes half way through cooking? It would be easier to add them in at the beginning and just leave it all day till adding the noodles and spinach at the end.
Yeah, I thought of that. The problem is that when you cook lentils with tomatoes (or other acidic ingredients), they often won’t cook all the way. One work around would be to use precooked lentils and just add them at the end with the noodles and spinach.
Hi I was wondering if frozen spinach would work in this recipe
I think so! I haven’t tried that, so I can’t say exactly how much to use, but since it goes in at the end you should be fine to eyeball it.
Great thanks, I have this in the slow cooker now. Only difference I used was I only had 1/4 a cup lentils but I had a bag of trio sprouted quick cook bean trio. Hopefully that will work.
2 questions:
1. Can I use the no boil/oven ready lasagna noodles? That’s all I have.
2. I don’t have a slow cooker. Any tips for making this on the stove?
Thanks! Looks great, can’t wait to try it!
I’m pretty sure no-boil noodles would work okay – I actually used to work at a restaurant and the chef told me they’re exactly the same as regular noodles! As far as making it on the stove, I’d say stick with the order of ingredients, etc., and just give the lentils 30-40 minutes to cook at a simmer over medium heat. You could even sautee the onion and garlic if you want, but that’s totally not necessary and up to you. Enjoy!
Can you use chickpeas instead of lentils?
Yup! I think that would work nicely.
I made this last weekend and it was delicious! So hearty, great flavor, and I love that it has lentils in it. I used pak choi instead of spinach because I had it growing in the greenhouse. Delish! The bonus was your recipe for ricotta using both tofu and cashews. The combo makes it truly a ricotta type cheese. So very tasty! Much better than any vegan ricotta I’ve made in the past. Thank you, Alissa!
Thank you so much Carrie! I’m glad you liked it, and pak choy sounds like it would be delicious in this!
I made this last night!! Delicious!! I did not make the pesto topping. It didn’t need it! Can’t wait to make it again. I didn’t need any salt or pepper, fabulous taste just the way it is!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Toni!
I’m curious — you mention this is vegan (not vegetarian), but don’t lasagna noodles contain eggs? Are you using some special kind of vegan lasanga?
Nope! Most dried pasta is actually vegan. :)
Made this last night with a few tweaks – I didn’t have diced or crushed tomatoes on hand and am working on using what I already have on hand, so I used 1 can of campbells condensed tomato soup (mixed with 1 can water) and some marinara sauce I had in the freezer, and reduced spices a bit as the marinara was already seasoned. I also added 1/2 cup plain cashew milk to cut the acidity a bit. I used broccoli and kale in place of spinach as that’s what I hand on hand. I think I added a bit less liquid than called for as it ended up more like a sloppy lasagna, not so much a soup after cooling overnight, which I am totally okay with. As I’m not vegan I’ll be adding a bit of cheese before eating and am so looking forward to lunch today :D Thanks for a great, flexible recipe that helps me clean out the pantry/freezer.
Those all sound like delicious modifications! I hope you enjoy it!
Made this on the stovetop as I wanted it done sooner. I don’t eat oil so I just “fried” the onion and garlic in a small amount of broth in the bottom of the soup pot. After the onions were soft I added the rest of the broth and brought it to a boil. Added the lentils and simmered for 20-30 minutes until tender. Then I added the tomatoes and cooked maybe 10-20 more minutes. Lastly added the pasta for 10 and then the spinach for 10 more. Done in about an hour and a half! SO delicious and even better as leftovers though as I imagine the crockpot would be. Thank you !!!!!
Yay! I’m glad it worked out nicely on the stove, and really glad you enjoyed it. Thanks Anna!
Would I be able to cook this on low for longer? I work during the day but would love to give this a try.
I think so, but I haven’t tried it. If I had to guess I’d say about 6 to 8 hours total, with the tomatoes being added at about 4 hours. If you won’t be home to add the tomatoes at that time you might be able to get away with adding then at the end, turning up the heat, and just allowing everything to cook for a few more minutes until it’s heated throughout.
Just made this for my family, we are new to a wfpb and I have never attempted a vegan cheese before. This was delicious and everyone loved it, including my reluctant to this new way of eating teenager. Thanks for sharing.
I’m glad it was a hit! Thanks Tammy!!
Can you freeze this?
Yes!
Anyone have a pressure cooker time for this?
Just did this in the Instant Pot at 4 minutes, release after 10 minutes. I soaked the lentils overnight. I topped with follow your heart parmesan instead of the ricotta. Came out nice!
Just made this for dinner and it was fantastic. I’m not much of a soup eater, but with all of these clean and wholesome ingredients, I will definitely make this again. It is popping with flavor and I feel great about eating it
I’m so glad you liked it!! Thanks so much for the review. :)
If I substituted regular ricotta cheese, how much would I use? Would it affect the flavor?
I’d say about 2 cups, and if you add in some pesto I think the flavor would be about the same.
It says to add prepared vegan pesto but I cannot find how to make the vegan pesto
I’m usually lazy and go with store-bought (Amore brand is vegan), but here’s a recipe if you’d like to try making your own: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/lemon-pistachio-pesto/
Delicious soup! The ricotta pesto really brings out the lasagna taste. I was slightly worried because I did not have the full 4 1/2 cups of broth had to use 1 and 1/2 cup water as substitute. Thankfully it still came out delicious. Delicious once again maybe I didn’t say that enough 😃 thank you for the recipe
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much Christine!
The whole family enjoyed it! I think I’ll double the recipe next time and add a few more lasagna noodles than what is on this recipe.
I’m so glad it was a hit!! Thanks Kristen!
my husband and I just moved to a tiny motel room in magdalena, new mexico for a contract job and we are so happy. however, we have no kitchen. only a crock pot and a high speed blender. we arrived yesterday and this was the first thing I made without the comforts of my own kitchen. it is so easy and delicious. thank you for helping to make our transition so lovely. ✨💚🌱
I’m glad the recipe came in handy, and so happy to hear you enjoyed it!! Thanks Christina!
This was amazing! My only regret was that I did not double the recipe!
So glad to hear it!! Thanks Kay!
I’ve made this half a dozen times or more now and we love it!! My kids love it even though they are not vegan like we are. Thank you for this recipe! ❤️
I’m so glad this is a hit with your family!! Thanks Pam!
Made this tonight in my instant pot. My oh my was this delicious!! Non-vegan husband went back for seconds! Ricotta pesto was divine, although I cheated and used a jar of vegan store-bought pesto. Husband isn’t a fan of tofu but raved about the ricotta as well. Picky teen also devoured the meal. Instant pot: sauté onion for a few mins and add garlic and cook one more min then throw everything else in, minus the greens, for 4 minutes. Natural release 4 mins then quick release. Stir in greens, I used kale, and let it sit for a couple of mins. No need to soak lentils! Thanks for a fab meal!!
I came across this recipe last night and thought “This will be the first thing I cook in our new Instant Pot.” I followed exactly what you did, but I did some ingredient changes: I added two extra lasagna sheets, used green lentils instead of brown, and spinach at the end. I honestly thought it wouldn’t be done after only 4 minutes, but I was pleasantly surprised. This will definitely be one I make again.
I’m glad it worked out!!
Yay!! I’m glad it worked in the instant pot and thank you for sharing your method! I’m happy to hear that everyone enjoyed this!!
Trying this tonight in my instant pot. Thanks for the instant pot instructions.
I hope you enjoy it!!
Made this last night. Because i was concerned about it having too much liquid, i cut the broth a bit and added some tomato paste at the end when i added the pasta. Worked perfect! Was think and full of flavor. I also added a package of frozen chopped spinach that i had thawed and drained.
After it was done, i put some in a separate pot and added some shredded chicken for the non vegans in our house…. Everyone was happy…. and I only h ad to cook one meal. And i have plenty of leftovers that will be even better today. Great, hearty soup for a snowy night…….
Thanks Pam! I’m so glad it was a hit!!
DELICIOUS!!! I sauted the onions and garlic in my iP first then put everything except noodles and kale (I was out of spinach but had kale I needed to use, and I also used green lentils because I was out of brown) brought it all to pressure for 8 minutes, did a quick release then added noodles, brought back to pressure for 4 minutes, quick release again, then wilted in kale. Delicious! Will definitely be a regular in dinner rotation! Thank you!
Yay!! I’m glad that worked out! And I love the idea of using kale – I bet that was delicious!
My boy and I made a gigantic double batch for this week’s meal prep and we LOVE it! We used Trish’s instant pot method from an earlier comment (Thank you!), and I’m not sure if it’s because we doubled the batch, but but it turned out less like a soup and more like a deconstructed lasagna. It was still delicious though, no complaints! (But if anyone else wants it more soupy and intends to use the instant pot, I’d probably consider adding more broth/tomatoes.)
Also: Just a quick note, (and I seriously apologize in advance if this offends anyone, because I certainly don’t mean to!!!) but if you’re vegetarian instead of vegan, using a low-fat ricotta cheese instead of the vegan recipe posted (which I’m sure is delicious!) brought my calorie count on this down to about 350 per serving at five servings and is still absolutely incredibly satisfying.
Thanks for the fantastic recipe! This is the first I’ve seen on your site, and we can’t wait to try more. =D
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it!! Thanks Nicole!!
Oh no! I just threw everything in my slow cooker and started it… only to read that I wasn’t supposed to add everything at once. So sad!! Any fixes I can try since I just started it? There’s no way I can dig out the spinach or noodles… and obviously not the tomatoes.
Oh no! I’m sure this is too late, but the only fix I could think of that might work is to transfer everything to the stove and let it simmer until everything is done. Even then you’d probably get some things cooking up faster than others.
This was INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!! We loved it compared to any meat lasagna dish. I used 1/3 cup almond meal instead of cashews, and added 3 tbs nutritional yeast. I food processed plain fresh basil instead of pesto. The ricotta was amazing amazing amazing. Thank you!!!!! Subscribing and shared this with all my friends.
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks so much Mikel!
This may be too late to ask, but as far as the calories go, does that include the ricotta or is it just solely the soup. Can’t wait to make this soon for the family :)
It includes both! Enjoy!!
Very simple recipe, but oh so delicious. Even the fussy non vegans gobbled it up…no left overs here:)
Yay!! I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks Kristen!
Made this tonight. My husband and I LOVED it. I took a pic, couldn’t find a way to submit it. It is such a beautiful dish. Made garlicky ciabatta toast. We used it to dip into the soup. A terrific recipe. It gets printed out and put in my permanent recipe binder. Thank you!
YAY!! I’m so glad you both enjoyed it!
This Lasagna soup recipe was Delicious and a great way to get rid of those bits and pieces of Lasagna noodles.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
Hi, wondering if you have ever used textured vegetable protein instead of lentils? It has a great ground beef texture and didn’t know if someone had already tried it out with this recipe!
I haven’t, but I think it would work!
So ridiculously good even the meat-eaters loved it!! And you’re right, it was better the next day. I ended up using dried basil because that’s all I had, but I added extra lemon juice to compensate and it was still delish.
YUMMY!!!
Awesome!! I’m so glad it was a hit!
Had to try this 🌱recipe! It was amazing! I didn’t have any prepared vegan pesto so I substituted it for Pop Zest’s Vegan Olive Oil & Herb Nutritional Yeast! Yummy 😋
I’m glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks Kristen!
Oh my goodness! This was SO good! We didn’t even make the ricotta cheese– just shredded almond cheese on it (and stirred in some cashew cheese sauce for some of us.) Also used kale instead of spinach which worked fine. Definitely a keeper! I’ll bet it’s better the next day. I wish I had doubled it– teens and husband are going for seconds and we all want some for lunch tomorrow. Thank you!
That’s great! I’m so glad this was a hit! Thanks Laurel!
So…the recipe says 1/4 lb of tofu, which would be 4 oz or a little less than 1/3 of a regular block? This seems like a small amount compared to the full cup of cashews, so I’m just double checking that I’m reading this correctly? Making it tonight! Thanks!
Yup, that’s correct! Enjoy!
What a nice soup! I was a sceptic, and I left the crock pot on longer after adding the tomatoes, but wow, once the Spinach and noodles are in, man what a good idea thank you! Good flavour and so thick. Wish I could post a pic, looks just like yours.
So glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks so much Beth!
Do you think this would work without the lentils and maybe just some carrots and mushrooms in their place (not a fan of the texture of lentils) or might there be too much liquid otherwise?
I think it would work, but you’re right that you could end up with too much liquid. Try cutting the broth back to about 3 cups, and then if it seems like it needs more when it’s done cooking, add it then. :) Enjoy!!
I am so excited to be making this right now! My only problem is that I just realized I forgot to get crushed tomatoes at the store. I have two cans of diced tomatoes, will that work? Anything I need to tweek to make that work or just smash up one of the cans of crushed tomatoes? Thanks!!
I’ve done that before! I usually throw the diced tomatoes in the blender for a few seconds, but I think you could get away with smashing them by hand. Other than that, I don’t see any need for adjustments. Enjoy!!
I never ever comment on blogs but this was so damn good I can’t not leave a comment. Thank you so much for this recipe. I’m trying out the slow cooker I was gifted for Christmas and this is going straight in my recipe book to make again and again. I couldn’t get tinned tomatoes, so I used some passata and a couple of chopped tomatoes instead and it still came out brilliant. Oh, and I added some carrot too. Thanks again for the recipe, and happy new year to you!
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you and Happy New Year to you too!