This Lasagna Soup has all the comforting taste of lasagna, served in a bowl, and it’s SO much easier to prepare! All you need is 30 minutes start to finish – no layering, no baking, and only one pot. Boom.
And the best part? It’s topped with a cheesy mixture of ricotta, shredded mozzarella, and parmesan, which stirs into every bite so you don’t miss out on the cheesy goodness that makes lasagna, lasagna.
You’ll start with some onions sautéed in olive oil. Then, add some Italian sausage (I used mild, but hot is also delicious if you like spicy!) along with some garlic and dried oregano.
Once that’s cooked, add some chicken broth and crushed tomatoes.
And once that comes to a boil – here’s the best part! – add broken up lasagna noodles to the pot. Add fresh basil when it’s all finished cooking.
Mix up some ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella in a bowl, and serve it dolloped on top of the soup with some more fresh basil. Done!
I seriously may NEVER go back to cooking lasagna the traditional way again. This is so easy, it’s almost not fair.
And if you’re vegetarian, this is super easy to make meat-free. Just swap the sausage for chopped up mushrooms and use vegetable broth instead of chicken. Stir in some spinach at the end with the basil, if you want. Yum!
I think the hardest part about making this lasagna soup is breaking up the lasagna noodles. And really it’s not hard at all.
But there are some things to consider.
First of all, lasagna noodles are brittle. So when you break them apart, they will snap vigorously and may break off smaller pieces which will land on the floor or, if you are very unlucky, in your eye! I recommend holding the noodles down away from your face when breaking them apart.
And keep in mind, the noodles will expand as they cook. Try to break them into pieces less than an inch each, otherwise it will be hard to scoop them up with a spoon.
And honestly, if you’re feeling lazy and don’t feel like breaking up lasagna noodles for this recipe, rotini will work just fine!
This soup will naturally thicken because of the starches that seep out from the noodles as they cook. If it seems a little thin, it will thicken as it cools a bit, so don’t worry.
And the cheese mixture helps thicken it as well.
Oh goodness. This cheese mixture.
I think next time I serve this, I may put the cheese on the bottom of the bowl so it realllllly melts into the soup.
Feel free to use Romano cheese in place of the parmesan, if you prefer. And cottage cheese works well as a substitute for ricotta, both in this lasagna soup and in regular lasagna.
Finally, this is a recipe best served right away. The noodles will keep softening and expanding as it sits in your fridge, so I don’t recommend this as a make-ahead or freezer meal. But you may have leftovers, and if you do, just add a little water to the soup if it seems too thick when you go to reheat it.
If you like this lasagna soup recipe, you’ll love this Green Machine Minestrone Soup, this Spinach and Mushroom Vegetarian Lasagna, and this Five-Ingredient Pasta with Bolognese Sauce.
Here’s the printable recipe!
Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 lb. mild Italian sausage casings removed, if you can’t find it without casings
- 4 cups chicken stock/broth
- 28 oz. canned crushed tomatoes such as San Marzano
- 8 oz. lasagna noodles broken up into 1-2″ pieces (or other pasta)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil plus more for serving
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded (about 4 oz.)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese about 8 oz.
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese finely grated, plus more for serving
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil (2 tablespoons) over medium-high. Sauté the diced onions until softened, about 2 minutes.
- Add the sausage, minced garlic (2 cloves), and dried oregano (1 teaspoon), breaking the meat up into pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook until fully browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth/stock (4 cups) and canned crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil.
- Turn heat to low and add the broken up lasagna noodles, along with a little bit of salt and pepper. Simmer, covered, until noodles are fully cooked (about 10-12 minutes).
- Meanwhile, mix together the shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz.), ricotta (8 oz.), and finely grated parmesan cheese (1/4 cup) in a medium bowl.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped fresh basil (1/4 cup). Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top each with 1/4 cup of the ricotta mixture. Top with extra basil, parmesan cheese, and black pepper, if desired.
Notes
- To make this vegetarian, substitute mushrooms or a meat substitute (such as Trader Joe’s Beef-less Ground Beef) for the sausage and use vegetable stock instead of chicken.
- If you don’t feel like breaking up lasagna noodles for this recipe, just use rotini instead!
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Katherine
Another fabulous Bowl of Delicious recipe! I tried this with Beefless Ground Beef from Trader Joe’s and vegetable stock. Don’t think I’d be able to tell the difference between my version and with real meat, it was very tasty and satisfying. Want to try it with TJ’s vegan chorizo as well sometime.
Elizabeth
Oh wow thanks so much for these awesome vegetarian suggestions! Adding them to my recipe notes now!