Lasagna Soup
Lasagna soup features all the flavors of the classic dish you love, but without all the work. A mixture of ground beef & sausage in a soup pot with lasagna noodles, and all the traditional seasonings- it’s a saucier version of traditional lasagna served in a soup bowl.
I love soup. I mean, I really love soup.
Most people, I’ve found, prefer soup to warm them up on a cold winter night. I don’t just relegate soup to only winter weather advisory days, but feel it is an all-encompassing meal, even in Summer.
I could eat soup 365 days a year and be a very happy camper. That being said, I do have four hungry boys, and a hungry husband who prefer their soups to be hearty so I’m always trying to find soups that can stand alone as a satisfying meal.
My Italian husband? He’s crazy about all things pasta, and his all time favorite dish is lasagna. However, a traditional lasagna takes time to prepare and then assemble and bake.
Time this busy Mom doesn’t always have.
So I decided to give it a soupy makeover and boy am I glad I did because everyone was blown away at how much it tasted just like the real deal.
This isn’t a thin soup. It’s a thick, hearty dish that tastes just like the lasagna you love but with a fraction of the work making it perfect for any night of the week!
Ingredients Needed
Like a traditional lasagna, this recipe has a very similar ingredients list.
To make it you’ll need:
- Meat – This recipe uses a combination of ground beef and sausage.
- Vegetables – A blend of chopped onions, diced green bell peppers, and minced garlic
- Sugar – A little bit of brown sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. This is an optional ingredient, although I highly recommend including it.
- Seasonings – A combination of thyme, Italian seasoning, and a little salt
- Broth – Chicken broth- you can use homemade or store bought
- Tomatoes – Both canned diced tomatoes and tomato sauce
- Pasta – Traditional lasagna noodles, NOT the oven ready kind, broken up into pieces
- Cheese – Both Parmesan and mozzarella
Once you’ve gathered all your ingredients you’re ready to get this delicious soup cooking!
How To Make
Making a soup that tastes just like an actual baked lasagna is pretty straightforward and easy.
Start by adding the ground beef, sausage, onion, peppers, and garlic to a large skillet set over medium heat.
Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until the meat’s completely browned and the veggies are soft. Strain the meat mixture to remove all excess grease.
Transfer the meat mixture to a large soup pot. Add the broth, tomatoes, sauce, sugar, and seasonings. Stir everything together to evenly combine.
Use salt sparingly here. You can taste the soup at the end and always add more salt, but you can’t take the salt out once it’s been added.
Raise the heat to medium high and bring the soup to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat and allow the soup to gently simmer for 18-20 minutes. Be sure to give it a good stir every so often.
Add the broken pieces of pasta to the pot, stirring to combine, and the continue simmering- just until the pasta’s cooked to al dente.
Remove the pot from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and fully incorporated.
The soup will be hot, so it’s ok to let it rest for a few minutes to cool down. Once it’s at your desired temperature, ladle it into bowls and sprinkle some of the shredded mozzarella evenly out over top of each one.
Serve and enjoy!
Can I Add Ricotta Cheese?
Yes! Instead of adding into the soup, I recommend adding a healthy dollop to your individual bowls.
The flavor will be diluted in the soup as a whole, and the cheese may actually curdle if added to the hot soup pot.
Individually dolling it out gives you the flavor you crave, without compromising consistency or taste.
Storing
This easy lasagna soup recipe can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
However, because it contains cooked pasta, you should be aware that the noodles will absorb a lot of the broth and may become bloated.
Again because it contains pasta, I don’t recommend freezing as an option.
What To Serve With Lasagna Soup
Our lasagna soup is truly great all on it’s own, but a lot of people don’t find a bowl of soup to be a full meal. We recommend serving it with hunks of crusty bread to help enjoy every last bit of the savory broth.
Another favorite is pairing it with thick slices of Texas toast that have been toasted and then slathered with our homemade Italian garlic butter.
The simplest addition to turn it into a meal is to pair it with a simple side salad.
TIPS & TRICKS
- While sometimes we recommend draining grease off, for this recipe I recommend you transfer the meat mixture to a strainer and let it rest for a few minutes to remove as much excess grease as possible. You don’t want an oily/greasy soup.
- To reduce dishes instead of browning the meat in a skillet, start off with a Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed soup pot. Then, besides for the strainer, it will become a one pot recipe.
- Be careful not to overcook the lasagna pieces. The soup will stay hot and they will continue cooking in the hot liquid even after it’s done which can make them soggy. This is why we recommend only cooking them to ‘al dente’. If you’re unsure how long that is refer to the package instructions, but know it will happen quicker due to their reduced size.
Other Easy Lasagna Recipes
Lasagna soup takes the classic flavors of the dish you know and love, and transforms it into a simple but oh so savory soup.
Without all of the prep work you can enjoy your favorite dish even on the busiest of nights, because it’s ready in about 30 minutes.
Looking for other easy lasagna recipes to enjoy?
Try these:
If you’ve tried this LASAGNA SOUP or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground sausage
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 green pepper; chopped I omitted
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 6-8 cups chicken broth depending on desired consistency
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups broken lasagna pappardelle, or egg noodles
- 1 & 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 loaf of ‘crusty’ bread optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet combine ground beef, ground sausage, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beef and sausage are cooked through and crumbled. Drain.1 lb ground beef, 1 lb ground sausage, 1 onion, 1 green pepper; chopped, 3 tbsp minced garlic
- Transfer meat mixture to a large stew pot and add in broth, tomatoes, sauce, thyme, Italian seasoning, brown sugar, and salt.1 tsp thyme, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 6-8 cups chicken broth, 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, 1 15 oz can tomato sauce, 2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt
- Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat, and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in noodles and continue simmering until noodles are tender.2 1/2 cups broken lasagna
- Stir in the Parmesan cheese.1 & 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
- Serve soup and garnish each bowl with shredded mozzarella and a piece of warm, crusty bread.2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Notes
- While sometimes we recommend draining grease off, for this recipe I recommend you transfer the meat mixture to a strainer and let it rest for a few minutes to remove as much excess grease as possible. You don't want an oily/greasy soup.
- To reduce dishes instead of browning the meat in a skillet, start off with a Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed soup pot. Then, besides for the strainer, it will become a one pot recipe.
- Be careful not to overcook the lasagna pieces. The soup will stay hot and they will continue cooking in the hot liquid even after it's done which can make them soggy. This is why we recommend only cooking them to 'al dente'. If you're unsure how long that is refer to the package instructions, but know it will happen quicker due to their reduced size.
Nutrition
using chicken broth instead of beef broth? is there a reason for that?