Slow Cooker White Chicken Lasagna Soup

Bowl of creamy soup with spinach, shredded cheese, lasagna noodles, and chicken, garnished with sun-dried tomatoes and served with a piece of bread. Crockpot and pepper mill in the background.

5 from 3 votes

Slow Cooker White Chicken Lasagna Soup

🙌🏻🎉 This rich and creamy white lasagna soup is made with tender shredded chicken, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, and more! Your Crock-Pot does all the work in this EASY and comforting soup recipe that's HEARTY enough to be a full meal!

➡️ Bonus instructions provided for how to use leftover chicken, leftover turkey, or rotisserie chicken, and how to make the soup on the stove, are in the FAQ section in the blog post.

Prep Time10

Cook Time4

Course: Dinner, Slow Cooker, Soup

Cuisine: Soup

Keyword: slow cooker white chicken lasagna soup, slow cooker white lasagna soup, white lasagna soup

Servings:

Calories: 342cal

Equipment

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion diced small (white onion may be substituted)
3 to 3 cloves garlic finely minced
1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning or to taste
1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste as desired
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional and to taste (omit if you don't want any heat at all)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (if they're very thick, pound them to about 1/2-inch thick; thighs may be substituted)
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes oil drained and diced small
3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream (half-and-half may be substituted for a lighter version; if you plan to freeze this soup read the FAQs about not using cream here and using 3/4 cup broth instead)
2 tablespoons cornstarch (tablespoons, not teaspoons)
8 ounces broken lasagna noodles cooked separately and drained (break them into 1 to 2-inch chunky pieces; do NOT cook them in the slow cooker)
2 cups fresh baby spinach (two heaping handfuls, do not use frozen spinach)
Shaved or freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving as desired

Instructions

Spray the ceramic insert of a 6-quart or 7-quart slow cooker with cooking spray and then scatter the onions and garlic, evenly sprinkle the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, optional but recommended red pepper flakes (they don't make it spicy IMO, rather they add a bit of flavor), place the chicken breasts on top, add the sun dried tomatoes, and evenly pour the chicken broth over the top.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for about 6-8 hours OR on HIGH for about 3-4 hours, or until chicken is done. Cooking Tips - I prefer to cook this on high; waiting 6-8 hours is simply too long for me but if that works better for your needs, it's perfectly fine. Chicken is done when it reaches 165F. Don't guess, take the temperature using an instant read thermometer. Resist the urge to lift the lid and check on the progress of the soup because every time you do so, precious heat and steam escape and it prolongs the cooking process necessarily. Slow cookers vary in their heat output and will affect cooking time, as does room temperature, thickness of chicken, so cook until it's done. Note - If you're using previously cooked and leftover chicken/turkey, or rotisserie chicken, read what I wrote in the FAQs but essentially slow cook the onions, tomatoes, broth, etc. for about 1 hour or until softened.
When the chicken is done, remove it from the slow cooker and shred it on a cutting board using two forks. Add the shredded chicken into the slow cooker. (I see people shred chicken in stand mixer; however it seems to dirty more dishes than it's worth and it's quick work just doing it with two forks.)
In a small bowl, add the heavy cream, cornstarch, and stir to fully dissolve the cornstarch, and then pour this into the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for about 30 minutes, or until the soup has thickened.
Tips - Soup will always seem thinner/more runny when it's hot and in the slow cooker, but as it cools and as time passes it will thicken more; and in this case, the lasagna noodles will also absorb some of the liquid volume.
If the soup is too thick and you want it thinner, add more broth/heavy cream, as desired.
Separately, while the soup in the slow cooker is thickening, boil the broken lasagna noodles on your stove as directed on the package for al dente, drain and set aside. Tip - Do not cook the noodles in the slow cooker. They will absorb precious liquid/broth in order to soften, and you'll need to add more liquid, more seasonings, etc. so do it as directed, on the stove.
After the soup has thickened, add the cooked noodles, spinach, and stir to combine the noodles and wilt the spinach, about 2 minutes.
Taste the soup and make any necessary seasoning adjustments. Flavoring Tips - If you used reduced sodium broth, it's almost a guarantee that the original 1 tsp of salt is not enough and you'll want to add more now (maybe 1-2 tsp more, but it's to taste). Additional black pepper, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, etc. should also be added to taste. If you want to add fresh/dried spices such as oregano, thyme, rosemary, feel free.
Garnish the soup with Parmesan cheese, as desired, and optionally add fresh herbs such as fresh parsley, to taste.

Notes

Storage: Soup will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or as desired. I don't recommend freezing soup with dairy in it since it often doesn't survive the freezing/thawing process. If you want to make this soup with the intention of freezing it, consult the Storage section in the blog post for what I recommend (no cream).

Nutrition