Lasagna Soup Recipe

Lasagna soup is a fun recipe to try when you're craving something Italian for supper.  It has delicious bold flavors, is heartwarming, and tastes just like homemade lasagna.  It's a hug in a bowl!

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• About
• Ingredients
• Questions
• Serve
• How to Make
• Variations
• Pro Tip
• Recommended Tools
• Recipe

About

Lasagna soup tastes just like homemade lasagna.  It has similar ingredients, but it's in soup form.  There's no need to layer ingredients or bake it in the oven!  The whole recipe can be made on the stovetop or in a crockpot.

Ingredients

• Meat: Italian sausage, ground beef, or turkey
• Aromatics: onions and garlic
• Tomatoes: diced tomatoes, tomato paste, or marinara sauce
• Spices: oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, salt, pepper, parsley
• Liquid: chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, balsamic vinegar
• Vegetables: fresh spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, or shredded carrots
• Cheese: ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, Parmesan rinds
• Pasta: lasagna, mafalda, or tripoline

Questions

How many calories are in this recipe?

For a 1 ¼ cup serving size, our recipe has 421 calories with 17.8 g of carbs.  It is also high in Vitamin C and calcium.  For more nutritional information, scroll to the bottom of the recipe card.

Can this recipe be frozen?

It depends on when you want to freeze it.  If you know ahead of time that you are freezing half of it, set that amount aside before adding the cheese and noodles.  Allow it to cool completely, then freeze in an airtight, freezer-friendly container.

This should keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.  When ready to use, thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on top of the stove.  Finish this dish off by adding freshly cooked noodles and the cheese.

Can I make this ahead of time?

Yes, you most certainly can.

Stovetop: If you are making it the night before, stop after step 5 in the recipe card.  Allow it to cool, then cover and refrigerate.  The next day, resume making it at step #6.

Crockpot: Do the prep work and the cooking up to step #4.  In the morning, you can do step #5 and allow it to cook in the crockpot while you're at work or doing errands.

Can I cook the pasta?

Yes, you can cook the pasta in the broth, but whether you'll want to do this depends upon your taste preferences. 

• If you are planning on eating it all right away, you can cook the lasagna noodles right in the soup.  Just add an extra cup or two of chicken stock to allow for the noodles to absorb some of the liquid. 
• If you are not planning on eating it all brothight away, it's best to cook the pasta separately, because the pasta will swell and get soggy if it sits in the broth.
• If you are making this in advance or freezing it, it's also best to cook the noodles separately once it has thawed.  This way the noodles will be al dente and have a better texture; frozen and thawed noodles can be mushy and unappealing.

How can I thicken this recipe?

If you feel like yours needs to be thicker than what's in the photos, here are some ideas:

• Use less chicken stock.  I used 8 cups for this photo shoot.
• Use more tomato paste.  I used 3 tablespoons, but you can easily double that.
• Add more grated mozzarella once it is finished cooking.
• Skip the grated mozzarella and use ½ cup of heavy cream instead.
• Cook the pasta in the broth; the extra starch will thicken it up a little. 

How can I make this recipe in the crockpot?

• Brown the sausage, onion, and garlic in a skillet, then add the spices and tomato paste and cook briefly.  Deglaze the skillet with a little chicken stock.
• Drain the sausage and set aside.  Place the onion/tomato mixture in a crockpot along with the chicken stock, diced tomatoes, and more spices.
• Cook covered on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4.
• Add the fresh spinach and cooked sausage into the crockpot during the last 30 minutes.
• Cook the noodles separately.  When you're ready to serve it, stir in the mozzarella, fresh parsley, and balsamic vinegar. 
• Garnish with a generous spoonful of the yummy cheese mixture, noodles, and chopped parsley.

Serve

• Bread: garlic toast, crusty Italian bread, garlic knots, or homemade croutons
• Salad: crisp green garden salad or Caesar salad

How to Make

Gather all the ingredients.  Chop up the onion and the Parmesan rind, mince the garlic, break up the lasagna noodles, remove the casings from the Italian sausage, and measure out the spices and the liquids.

Next, get the toppings ready: grate the parmesan and mozzarella, then measure out the ricotta cheese, spinach, basil, and parsley.

Start making the recipe by browning the Italian sausage in some olive oil over medium high heat.  Make sure to break up the sausage with a wooden turner so the pieces are smaller.

Drain the cooked sausage on a paper towel-lined plate.  Pour out any sausage fat from the pot and discard.

In the same Dutch oven, saute the onion in some olive oil until it's soft and golden brown, roughly 5 minutes.

Add the minced garlic and saute for a minute.

Next add the dried spices.  Let the spices bloom by cooking the for 30 seconds to a minute, while constantly stirring.

Add the tomato paste and let it cook for a minute while stirring.

To deglaze the bottom of the Dutch oven, pour in ½ cup of chicken stock. 

Scrape the brown bits that are full of flavor off the bottom of the pot with a wooden turner.

Pour in the rest of the chicken stock, then add the petite diced tomatoes along with the juice.

To finish off the base, add the bay leaves, sugar, and Parmesan rind.  Stir it, then cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and let it simmer for at least 20 minutes.  If you have the time, let the it simmer for 30 minutes for additional flavor.

While it is simmering, mix up the three cheeses (ricotta, Parmesan, and 1 cup of the mozzarella).

You'll also want to cook the lasagna noodles in a separate pot.  Boil them in salted boiling water until al dente, roughly 10 minutes.  Drain and toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking, then set aside.

Once it has simmered 20 or 30 minutes, remove the bay leaves and add the fresh spinach.  I cut off the spinach stems for a better texture and roughly chopped the leaves.

Add the cooked Italian sausage back in and let it simmer until the spinach has wilted.

Remove it from the heat and add 2 cups of grated mozzarella.  This will help thicken it and give it a more cheesy taste.  Stir in the cheese.

Stir in the fresh parsley and the balsamic vinegar.

Here's it is before any toppings, like the yummy cheese mixture or noodles, are added.  If you want to make this the night before, this is where you would stop.

Just before serving, add some noodles to each bowl.  Place a generous spoonful of the yummy cheese mixture in the middle and sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped basil over the top. 

When ready to eat, stir in the cheese mixture and it will taste just like homemade lasagna.

Variations

• Lasagna Leftovers: Chop up leftover lasagna and mix it with marinara sauce, crushed tomatoes, 3 cups chicken broth, and ⅓ cup heavy cream.
• Extra Cheesy: double the yummy cheese mixture or add ½ cup of cream cheese.
• Spicy: Use spicy Italian sausage, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, and a bit of hot sauce.
• Need this vegan?  Use vegan beef crumbles, vegan cheese, and vegetable broth.  Increase the spinach.
• Need this to be meatless?  Use mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, and increase the spinach.
• Need this to be gluten free?  Use gluten free chicken stock and gluten free noodles.
• Want this healthier?  Use turkey sausage and low fat cheese, omit the extra 2 cups of mozzarella, and use whole wheat noodles.
• Need to omit the pasta?  Try using zucchini noodles instead of lasagna noodles.

Pro Tip

• Drain the Italian sausage on paper towels for less fat.

Recommended Tools

• Lasagna Noodles: add some noodle goodness to your lasagna soup!
• Emeril Lagasse Dutch Oven: this heavy-bottomed pot is our favorite for soup.
• OXO Wooden Turner: break up sausage and stir veggies effortlessly with this turner.
• 4-Cup Measuring Cup: this see-through measuring cup has a convenient pouring spout.

Check out these other delicious Italian soup recipes!

• Minestrone Soup
• Zuppa Toscana
• Pasta e Fagioli

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