RECIPES | threewomeninthekitchen

deborahreinhardt

Feb 23, 20234 min read

Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup

Ground beef, lasagna noodles, tomatoes, and lots of cheese create a satisfying taste of Italy with almost no effort.

lasagna noodle soup with mozzarella and provolone cheese in two soup white soup bowls on orange placemat. — Lasagna Soup develops a rich flavor in your slow cooker.

Lasagna is the love language of many Italian nonnas (grandmas) and for good reason; it’s labor intensive but so delicious. I’ll often order lasagna when dining on The Hill, St. Louis’s Italian neighborhood because I know there’s no way I’m making this at home!

When I have a taste for my favorite Italian restaurant dish, I now have a much simpler yet equally delicious recipe for Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup that I can easily make at home. This recipe is inspired by one demonstrated on Food Network’s “The Kitchen” (I binged several seasons while lying on the couch recouping from COVID in December.) There are others sprinkled across the internet as well, but I love this recipe because it’s designed for the slow cooker. I think this helps to develop deep flavor that’s reminiscent of the rich, red sauces created by Italian grandmas. The generous amount of cheese that broils on the top of the soup crock reminds me of the French onion soup Mom and I often enjoyed at the restaurant inside Famous-Barr. That department store’s gone but I still have the original recipe and little French casseroles. For me, this soup checked all the boxes: nostalgic, comforting, and delicious.

To make my Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup, which yields six generous servings, you’ll need these ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 large (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, whole
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 box beef broth
½ cup water
8 dried lasagna noodles
Salt and pepper
Provolone cheese, sliced
Part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
Parmesan cheese, finely grated

I chose the lean ground beef but if you have ground chuck or something with similar fat content, go ahead and use it; just after it’s browned, place on a paper towel to absorb some of the grease.

A white or yellow onion is fine. I chose beef stock to bump up the beef flavor, but if you have vegetable or chicken in your pantry, that stock also would work. And there’s no shame to use Parmesan cheese from the canister (as I did) in this recipe because it’s added to the soup.

Directions for Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup

Bring a large skillet to medium-high heat on your stove top and add the beef. Brown until there’s just a very small trace of pink left in the meat. I think this adds extra flavor to any slow-cooker recipe and is worth the step. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce.

To the slow cooker, add the onion, browned beef, tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, seasoning, pepper flakes, bay leaf, stock, and water. Give it a light stir to mix and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and cook on low for eight hours.

Thirty minutes before the soup is finished, break the lasagna noodles in half and tuck into the soup. Add ½ cup of Parmesan cheese. Cover and finish cooking.

To serve, fish out the bay leaf and garlic (although I like to leave the latter in because it’s like finding the baby in Mardi Gras King Cake for me).

Like its cousin, French onion soup, lasagna soup must have a golden hat of browned, gooey cheese. Fill an oven-proof bowl or crock about ¾ full and add ¼ cup of grated mozzarella cheese on top of the soup. Top the mozzarella with two slices of Provolone per bowl.

Place the bowls on a baking sheet (in case of spills) and broil until cheese is bubbly and golden. You also can set the oven to 400 degrees F and bake for about 10 minutes to get the golden, melted cheese. If you’re reheating the soup, I prefer the oven-baking method over top broiling.

Can I freeze this soup?

You bet! However, because noodles can get a little mushy after freezing, I’d recommend cooking the lasagna noodles in boiling, salted water and adding them to the soup when you reheat it. Then add the lasagna soup to your oven-proof bowls, top with cheese, and enjoy.

What can I serve with this soup?

This is a very hearty soup—almost like a stew—so it’s easily a meal by itself. But a simple green salad dressed in a light vinaigrette would pair well. Toss in some garlic bread or knots and it’ll be like you’re having dinner on The Hill!

I hope you’ll try this Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup recipe. Honestly, it’s the star of our short slow cooker series this month. Don’t forget to check in next week as we close out Slow Cooker February with a familiar dessert (bread pudding) with a little twist.

Looking for other soup recipes?

My mom’s Mormon Soup is another tasty way to stretch a pound of ground beef while getting all those good veggies into your tummy.

A great soup for a winter meal is Chicken Curry Soup that’s easily made with shredded chicken and a few pantry and refrigerator staples.

About the blog

Three Women in the Kitchen is an award-winning food blog offering today’s home cooks comforting, hearty recipes with a personal touch. The website also pays tribute to Deborah’s mother, Katie Reinhardt, and paternal grandmother, Dorothy Reinhardt (the “three women” in the kitchen). Whether you’re an experienced or a novice cook, you’ll find inspiration here to feed your families and warm your heart. Subscribe today so you won’t miss a single delicious detail.

deborahreinhardt

Feb 15, 20233 min read

Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Stuffing

Simple chicken breasts are bathed in an herbaceous, creamy sauce to create a comforting yet simple weeknight supper.

chicken breast in cheesy sauce topped with stuffing — Creamy, Cheesy Chicken and Stuffing

I love the classics. Simple jeans, white shirt, and a blazer for me (what’s so hot about haute couture) or a Motown tune in place of rap (Smokey, you still got it).

As a hopelessly classic cook, I can respect that 20-item tasting menu created by the celebrity chef of the week at $200 per person, but give me a simple, comforting chicken dish any day. Recipes like Cheesy Chicken and Stuffing have been around for many years because they taste great and are accessible for any level home cook.

Cheesy Chicken and Stuffing, a great slow cooker recipe, has dozens of versions but all are pegged on basic ingredients of chicken (dark or white meat), boxed stuffing mix, and condensed cream of chicken soup. Liquid (water, broth, milk, or a combination of all three) also is a part of the recipe. This recipe includes cheese for an extra surprise. That steaming stuffing mix mingling with chicken and soup smells wonderful, and when you come home in the evening, you will race to the dinner table. Put on your favorite LP and tuck in.

To make Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Stuffing, which serves 6, you’ll need these ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 slices Swiss cheese
1 can (10.75 ounces) low-fat condensed cream of chicken soup
¼ cup milk
1 box (6 ounces) chicken and herb stuffing mix
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

I used the Stove Top brand for stuffing mix but choose your favorite for this recipe. By the way, did you know Stove Top hit the shelves in 1971 and was invented by Ruth Siems while she worked at General Foods? She was approached by executives to invent "instant stuffing for poultry." Ruth, who worked at General Foods for 35 years, died in 2005. One woman forever changed the face of Thanksgiving. The company's brands are now sold under Kraft Foods' umbrella.

If you have trouble cramming 6 big chicken breasts—which have been thawed—into your slow cooker, cut each breast in half. You may need to slightly pound the thicker ends to flatten so that the chicken pieces are close to the same size. This will help the protein to cook evenly.

You’ll note there’s no salt or pepper in the recipe. The stuffing mix has plenty of seasoning, as does the broth and cream of chicken soup.

Directions for Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Stuffing

Coat the slow cooker’s interior with cooking spray. Arrange the chicken inside and top with cheese. It may be necessary to do this in layers (half the chicken, top with three slices of cheese, repeat).

Next, combine soup and milk in a medium bowl and whisk until blended. Spoon over the last cheese layer. Top with all the stuffing mix.

Drizzle broth on top of stuffing. Cook on low for eight hours or high for four hours.

What to serve with Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Stuffing

A simple green salad dressed with a classic vinaigrette dressing pairs nicely with this. The cheesy, creamy sauce needs the vinegar. Crisp green beans drizzled with reduced balsamic vinegar also would be good.

This is a simple weeknight supper that’s about as no-fuss as it gets yet is so comforting. I love that the top of the stuffing layer is a bit crunchy that gives a nice contrast to the creamy sauce and moist chicken. If you haven’t had this dish in a while, like a familiar song, it’s such a pleasure to return to.

Looking for more quick weeknight dinner ideas?

Turkey or chicken can be used in my easy Skillet Pot Pie with Buttermilk Biscuits. Because the protein has been precooked (a shredded rotisserie chicken would also work here), it’s on the table in about 30 minutes.

It’s still soup season and Chicken Tortilla Soup is another quick dinner for your family. Round it out with a salad and extra tortilla chips and it’s an economical meal that’s comforting and satisfying.

About the blog

deborahreinhardt

Feb 6, 20234 min read

Pork Stew with Winter Vegetables

Cubed pork, carrots, rutabaga, apples, and onions braise low and slow in apple cider to create a comforting late winter meal.

pork steaks, carrots, sweet potatoes, rutabaga, onion, slow cooker, pork stew — Pork Stew with Winter Vegetables

Hey, I got nothing against beef stew. My recipe collection, from Julia Child’s beef bourguignon to beef stews from church cookbooks, is duly splattered with red wine and fat. In fact, a splattered beef stew recipe is the mark of a good home cook.

But this winter, I was hungry for something else. A tasty, comforting stew that might be easy on the budget (beef is expensive now) and fill my tummy with some vegetables I don’t always eat.

So, while thumbing through one of Mom’s old slow-cooker cookbooks, I found a recipe for Cider Stew and was intrigued. But it called for beef stew meat, and I thought that sounded “off.” Cider screams for pork, so I switched that, plus a few additional ingredients, and created a tasty Pork Stew with Winter Vegetable recipe that’s perfect to kick off our month of slow-cooker meals.

I cubed four small pork steaks (about two pounds) for this recipe. Pork steaks in St. Louis are generally a summer grilling tradition and are cut from the shoulder. Sweet potatoes (my addition) and pork love to hang out and when you put them in an apple cider hot tub, man, that’s good eating!

The great thing about a stew is its versatility. I didn’t have four carrots (from the inspiration recipe), so I used the couple that I had and tossed in those two stray parsnips that needed to be used. Adding half a rutabaga was my idea (and it worked). A plate of creamy polenta was the perfect accompaniment to catch all that delicious gravy from the stew, and fresh parsley added a beautiful pop of green. My mouth’s watering, so let’s get cooking!

To make Pork Stew with Winter Vegetables, which yields eight servings, you’ll need these ingredients:

2 pounds pork steaks, cubed in 1-inch squares
3 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
¼ teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4 carrots, chopped
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
Half a large rutabaga, peeled and chopped
1 or 1½ onions, sliced
1 celery rib, chopped
1 apple, chopped
2 cups apple cider
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Directions for Pork Stew with Winter Vegetables

In a skillet, bring oil up to medium-high temperature and lightly brown cubed pork steaks. You’ll need to do this in a couple of batches, transferring each onto a paper towel-lined baking sheet.

Combine flour, salt, pepper, sage, thyme, and garlic powder. Sprinkle on browned, warm pork and lightly toss to coat.

I cut the vegetables and apple in about 2-inch pieces so they wouldn’t disappear in the stew. No need to peel the carrots. The inspiration recipe called for two onions but that turned out to be too much in my opinion. You will want to slice these to a “medium” thickness; thinly sliced onions will dissolve in a slow cooker.

Place the carrots, sweet potatoes, rutabaga, onion, celery, and apple into the slow cooker that was sprayed with non-stick. Put pork on top.

Combine apple cider with vinegar and pour over meat. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 hours. I made the stew overnight.

The next morning, I removed the vegetables and meat (the pork was succulent) to skim the fat from the cooking juices. Use a fat skimmer tool if you have it or you can refrigerate the juices in a bowl or large measuring cup until the fat is hard enough to skim with a spoon.

A lot of slow-cooker recipes say you can make gravy right in the appliance, but that never works for me. I don’t think the thing gets to temperature for the sauce to thicken. So, after skimming the fat, I added the juices to a medium saucepan, created the slurry with ½ cup water and ¼ cup corn starch and whisked it into the pan. These extra steps create a delicious gravy that I poured over the meat and vegetables. If you want to add a bit of color to the gravy, a drop of Kitchen Bouquet will do that.

How to serve Pork Stew with Winter Vegetables

As I mentioned, the creamy polenta was the perfect vessel for the stew. You also could ladle it over mashed sweet potatoes or rice. Another idea is to serve the stew in a sourdough bread bowl. Grab a spoon and dig in!

Pork has a milder flavor than beef, allowing the subtle sweetness of apples and sweet potatoes to come through. Cutting back on the onions balanced the combination of all ingredients.

This stew freezes well if you don’t need all eight portions. What a joy to take it out of the freezer and warm up on a cold night.

Yes, a bow of Pork Stew with Winter Vegetables plus a fuzzy pair of slippers and a crackling fire will keep me going until the first crocuses pop their little heads out of the ground. You don’t have to say goodbye to beef stew, but I hope you will say hello to my recipe for Pork Stew with Winter Vegetables.