Easy Lasagna Soup

This recipe incorporates all of the best elements of traditional lasagna – the rich base is filled with meat and pieces of pasta and cheese make a comforting and easy soup created with simple ingredients. Rather than cooking the elements in separate pots and pans then assembling the lasagna, this soup is made in one pot. 

There is something so heartwarming about making a pasta-type soup. This spin on a classic recipe is perfect for a chilly fall day. Sautéed sausage and ground beef is simmered with a tomato sauce base with Italian seasonings like basil and oregano. Pieces of uncooked lasagna noodles cook in the broth of the soup. Before serving, each bowl is topped off with a spoonful of ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella that melts into the soup. Tip: I recommend serving this lasagna soup with a side of garlic bread. 

Easy Lasagna Soup 

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Sausage – I use hot Italian sausage with the casings removed in this recipe though you can easily swap it with mild Italian. I use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into smaller pieces so that as it cooks it evenly browns. 
• Ground beef –  I use a blend of 80% lean/ 20% fat ground beef for this lasagna soup. Remember fat equals flavor!
• Marinara – Use store-bought marinara sauce for a shortcut in this recipe or make your own using my recipe here. There’s nothing wrong with canned sauce, and it can be an easy shortcut, but since the homemade sauce only requires a few ingredients, I typically prefer to make my own.
• Lasagna noodles – I break up store-bought sheets of lasagna into about 2” pieces and add to the soup so that it cooks in the broth. A different pasta noodle can be added in place of the lasagna. 
• Ricotta – Ricotta is a mild, soft and creamy Italian cheese that is made from the leftover whey created when making mozzarella and other similar cheeses. The texture and look is similar to cottage cheese. I always choose whole milk ricotta over part-skim because the latter can be watery.
• Mozzarella – I use part-skim, also called low-moisture mozzarella in this recipe. Fresh mozzarella has a higher water content and doesn’t mix well into the topping. 

How to Make Easy Lasagna Soup

1. Brown the meat. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the oil and heat through. Add the sausage and beef and brown, stirring occasionally.
2. Sauté the onion. Add the onion and cook until it is soft. Stir in the garlic and cook until just fragrant.
3. Simmer the soup. Stir in the tomato paste followed by the marinara, chicken stock, oregano and basil. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce reduces slightly. Season to taste with salt.
4. Add the noodles. Add the lasagna pieces and cook in the broth until al dente.
5. Make the topping. In a small bowl stir together the ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella until combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
6. Assemble and serve. Ladle lasagna soup into bowls and top with a scoop of the ricotta mixture and fresh basil. Serve hot.

Tips and Tricks for This Recipe

Substitutions

• Add in some greens like chopped kale or spinach and simmer in the broth. 
• Swap the sausage and beef in this recipe with another meat like ground chicken or ground turkey. The Italian sausage can also be substituted with chicken sausage. 
• You can use any type of pasta in place of the lasagna noodles.  
• The marinara sauce can be swapped with 1 (28-ounce) can of diced tomatoes. 
• If you like a bit more spice, stir ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes into the broth. 

How to make this vegetarian.

To make this recipe vegetarian simply leave the sausage and ground meat out and swap the chicken stock with vegetable broth. To make it vegan, also omit the cheese topping. 

How to cook lasagna soup in a crockpot.

Rather than making this recipe on the stove, it can also be made in a crockpot or instant pot. Sauté the meat in a pan and add it to the crockpot. Sauté onion and garlic then add to the crockpot as well, followed by the remaining ingredients. 

Tips for storing this soup.

This soup can be stored, refrigerated for up to 4 days. When reheating, the pasta may soak up a lot of the broth, so I recommend adding more broth or water as needed. 

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:

• Lasagna Verde
• Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats
• Creamy Tomato Cheddar Soup

Easy Lasagna Soup

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Serves 4

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients:

For the soup:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ pound hot italian sausage, casings removed
• ½ pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3½ cups homemade marinara, or 1 (28-ounce) jar store-bought marinara
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Kosher salt, as needed
• 8 to 10 uncooked lasagna noodles, broken into pieces

For the topping:

• 1 cup whole milk ricotta
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
• ¼ cup basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade

Instructions:

For the soup:

• Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the oil and heat through. Add the sausage and beef and brown, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
• Add the onion and cook until it is soft, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until just fragrant, about an additional 30 seconds.
• Stir in the tomato paste followed by the marinara, chicken stock, oregano and basil. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce reduces slightly, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
• Add the lasagna pieces and cook in the broth until al dente, about 8 minutes.

For the topping:

• In a small bowl stir together the ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella until combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For serving:

• Ladle lasagna soup into bowls and top with a scoop of the ricotta mixture and fresh basil. Serve hot.

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