SLOW COOKER VEGAN LASAGNA SOUP

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!

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.

Slow Cooker Vegan Lasagna Soup Recipe
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. The best part: everything cooks up hands-free in the slow cooker!



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

1. 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.
2. Add diced and crushed tomatoes to the slow cooker and stir. Allow to continue cooking on high for 2 to 3 hours more.
3. 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.
4. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

Make the Vegan Pesto Ricotta

1. 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

1. Divide soup into bowls, and top each with a dollop of vegan pesto ricotta. Serve.

Recipe Adapted : SLOW COOKER VEGAN LASAGNA SOUP @ connoisseurusveg