Years ago, in the midst of moving to a new house and completely exhausted, one of my best friends, Melanie, stopped by with this Lasagna Soup. I love how food can bring people together, soothe hearts, and show those you care about that you love them. I was so grateful to have a home cooked meal after eating fast food and quick fixes all week. Mel had told me about this soup before, with its cheesy surprise at the bottom of the bowl and it was just as amazing as she had described. I knew I couldn’t keep all of this goodness to myself, so here it is. Put this one on your menu ASAP!
Ingredients Needed
- Italian Sausage – I almost always use Turkey Italian Sausage for any recipe that calls for Italian sausage. Foster Farms (no sponsorship here, I just love it) makes both a “hot and spicy” and a “sweet.” Sweet just means it’s not spicy- either one works in most recipes. I pretty much always have this in my freezer.
- Olive oil
- Chopped onions
- Fresh garlic
- Dried oregano
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Canned diced tomatoes – Preferably fire-roasted.
- Bay leaves
- Chicken broth
- Pasta – Fusilli or mafalda work great, but any pasta is fine! You could even break up lasagna noodles if desired.
- Fresh basil
- Salt and pepper
- Tomato Paste – Quick tip: It’s kind of annoying when recipes use only 1-2 tablespoons of something like tomato paste. If you’re like me, you put the rest in a container and freeze it and then end up throwing it out next time you clean out your freezer. Or the next time you need it, you need another tablespoon and now you have a big frozen block you have to chip away at. What I usually do is spoon it out into 1 tablespoon measurements, either on a piece of waxed paper like you see in the photo, or into an ice cube tray that’s been lined with plastic wrap. Once they’re frozen, place them in a zip top bag in your freezer and next time you need some, you can just grab the amount you need, all measured out and ready to go.
- Ricotta cheese – All ricotta is not created equal. I’ve tried a few common grocery store brands that are extra grainy and lack flavor. Trader Joe’s brand is great, as is Galbani. You want full fat here!
- Parmesan cheese
- Shredded mozzarella – Optional, for sprinkling on top.
How to Make Lasagna Soup
- You’ll brown up the sausage and then add in some onions and garlic, some dried herbs, a couple of bay leaves, some diced tomatoes and chicken broth, and some tomato paste.
- While the soup in simmering away, you can whip up the cheese mixture: ricotta, shredded Parmesan cheese and seasoned with salt and pepper.
- This soup includes noodles too, and you can put them in the soup towards the end of simmering to cook them, or do as I did and cook them separately.
- To assemble the soup for serving, spoon a generous dollop of the cheese mixture into the bottom of the bowl and add some pasta if you cooked it separately.
- Then ladle the hot soup over the top. This is where it works its magic. Just let it sit for a minute or two and by the time you’re ready to eat, it’s like a treasure chest of ooey gooey melted cheese down there. Do yourself a favor and serve this with a loaf of crusty rustic bread you can dip and spread the cheesy love with. And then make a pot for a friend!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 304 days for best results. Store your ricotta mixture in a separate airtight container.
- Noodles in soup are sometimes tricky, and end up sucking up way too much of the broth, and getting soggy in leftovers, etc. So I like to sometimes just cook them separately and add them to the individual servings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this ahead of time?
If you need to plan ahead, cook the soup through simmering, cool, and refrigerate until ready to reheat. While reheating, prepare your cheese mixture and noodles, then assemble your bowls.
Can I freeze this soup?
The soup base freezes well, but for best results I’d recommend both cooking your pasta and making your cheese mixture fresh right before serving.
Can I make this gluten-free?
Absolutely! Use your favorite gluten-free pasta here. I would definitely recommend cooking your pasta separately so it holds it’s shape!
Lasagna Soup
Gooey, delicious, and perfect for a wintry day, this Lasagna Soup never disappoints. Just be sure to make enough to share!
Servings 1.5 cup servings
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 ½ lbs Italian Sausage I use Italian Turkey Sausage
- 3 cups chopped onions
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- optional: 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 28- ounce can diced tomatoes preferably fire roasted
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 8 ounces fusilli or mafalda pasta or other pasta of your choice
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil or a heaping tablespoon dried basil
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- a few cracks of black pepper
- optional: shredded mozzarella for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces and cook until browned and cooked through. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. If you’re using dried basil, add it at this point. Cook for about a minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate.
- Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. You can add the dry pasta to the soup in the last 8-ish minutes of cooking, or do as I prefer, and cook the pasta separately and add to individual servings. Right before serving, stir in fresh basil if you’re using fresh, and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.
- To serve, place a generous dollop of the ricotta mixture in each soup bowl, add pasta if you cooked it separately, and ladle the hot soup over the cheese. Let it sit for a minute for the cheese to get all melty, sprinkle mozzarella on top if desired and eat up.
Notes
- Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 304 days for best results. Store your ricotta mixture in a separate airtight container.
- Noodles in soup are sometimes tricky, and end up sucking up way too much of the broth, and getting soggy in leftovers, etc. So I like to sometimes just cook them separately and add them to the individual servings.
Nutrition
Calories: 541kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 34g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 87mg, Sodium: 1650mg, Potassium: 677mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 446IU, Vitamin C: 17mg, Calcium: 221mg, Iron: 3mg
Calories: 541kcal
Cost: $12
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Questions & Reviews
Love the tip about the noodles.
I wondered how many this soup recipe serves?
It’s a pretty large batch, I’d say 8-10 at least.
good to know about the tomato paste. i buy mine in a tube from trader joe’s since i can measure for small amounts and not waste a can.
Thank you for this recipe. It came on the perfect day for me. I was going to make lasagna for dinner tonight. Sounds good, but way too much effort for me right now. The soup will satisfy my want for lasagna without taking my whole afternoon, which is mostly gone at this point. And I’m taking dinner to a family on Saturday, so this is absolutely perfect! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
This looks great, except for the sausage. (I keep kosher, so can’t mix meat and dairy…and the cheese seems way more important to this recipe than the meat!) Could I just leave it out? Should I try to replace it with veggie pseudo-sausage? Or with something else entirely? Or just give up and cry myself to sleep without any dinner? 😉
Marnie, I too, keep kosher and I think I will try it without the meat.
The sausage adds a lot of the flavor, so you can leave it out, but you might have to make up for it by adjusting the seasonings.
Thanks for the tip, Sara! I sometimes sub sun-dried tomatoes for bacon in – strong flavor (though different). Maybe I will try that here.
I’d try the morningstar veggie sausage patties as a substitute. I sub them in stuffed peppers and the flavor is wonderful! I just nuke them in the microwave and then crumble. They have loads of flavor!
Lasagna soup is a great idea! I love soup so anytime I can also turn a favorite meal into soup I am up for it!
I usually substitute Cottage cheese for the Ricotta. Would that work in this recipe?
This looks fantastic! Would this meal be considered a good candidate for a make ahead/freezer meal? I know my husband would love it.
The soup would freeze beautifully, but I’d make the cheese part fresh.
another yummy looking soup to add to my repertoire! thanks. I will be trying this one very soon.
Love. Love. Love soups in the winter!! Thank you for this one!!!