Lasagna Soup has all of the same great flavors as classic lasagna but is so much easier to make! Made with your favorite ground meat and thick lasagna noodles in a rich and comforting tomato beef broth and topped with gooey mozzarella and creamy ricotta. The ultimate comfort food and easy dinner that’s ready in just 45 minutes!
Easy Lasagna Soup
Like these homemade Italian meatballs in my homemade spaghetti sauce, lasagna has become part of my family’s regular weeknight dinner rotation. Unfortunately, traditional layered lasagna takes a long time to make and always results in an overwhelming amount of dirty dishes. Worth it? Always. But, in the real world, making homemade lasagna may not be an option.
This one-pot lasagna soup is filled with all of the same comforting and delicious flavors found in regular lasagna but is ready in a fraction of the time.
Made with ground beef and sauteed onions in a rich herb and tomato-based broth, it’s filled with cooked lasagna noodles and is topped with creamy ricotta and mozzarella cheese mixture. I may even prefer this soup version of lasagna more than classic layered lasagna.
Ready in just 45 minutes, the whole family will love having a big bowl of this cozy, comforting lasagna soup.
How to Make Lasagna Soup
First, brown the ground meat. I recommend grabbing the largest pot you have (ideally 8-10 quarts) and setting it over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and the ground meat. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break apart the ground meat into smaller pieces.
Once the meat is nearly cooked through, add the diced onion and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. I hate to give an exact measurement of salt and pepper as this is always so personal, so go with what feels right. That said, I do not recommend starting with more than 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook the onions until they are translucent and soft. Assuming that your onions were chopped pretty small, this shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes or so.
Add the minced garlic cloves and red pepper flakes. I added 8 whole cloves of garlic to this lasagna soup. Garlic is super good for you and even though it makes your breath smell really bad, it tastes awesome in this soup. If that is too much garlic for you, just add less. No big deal. The same can be said about red pepper flakes. If you are sensitive to spicy food, omit the red pepper flakes.
Add the tomato paste and dried Italian seasonings. Start with 2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste and see how that works before you decide to add the rest of the can or tube. As for the Italian seasoning, if you know you strongly dislike any particular herb, feel free to skip that one. The biggies are dried parsley, basil, and oregano, as they come pretty standard in all Italian recipes.
By this point, ask yourself if you plan to cook the lasagna noodles directly in the soup or separately. Factors such as whether you plan to have leftovers, plan to freeze, or whether you really love soggy noodles are all really great things to consider. If you answered yes to the first two and no to the last, then definitely boil your noodles separately.
In any case, dump the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and broth into your soup. It will look like a ton of broth but trust me, it’s not. Remember, there are no noodles or cheese in there yet. In fact, I highly recommend keeping some extra broth on hand just in case. Bring to a boil, cook the noodles (within the soup or separately), and simmer.
Get your cheeses ready. Truthfully, you don’t have to mix them all together. But, I find it easier and more logical.
Lastly, stir in the sugar and half-and-half (if using), and serve! Garnish with loads of cheese and parsley, and get ready because I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll be making this again next week.
Lasagna Soup Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Simmer unused Parmesan cheese rinds with the soup broth – The rind may be incredibly difficult to shred and less appealing to eat, but that doesn’t mean it should be tossed away. Adding awesome extra flavor, add the rind at the same time as the broth, and remove it just before serving.
- Add some extra veggies – My favorites include frozen peas and carrots, zucchini, butternut squash, spinach, and chopped broccoli florets.
- Add different types of ground meat – Ground Italian sausage is my favorite with this soup. If you can’t find bulk ground Italian sausage, you can buy Italian pork or chicken sausages and remove the casings.
- For a thicker soup – Add extra tomato paste, 1-2 tablespoons at a time.
- Boil the pasta separately – If you expect leftovers or plan to freeze part of the soup, I highly recommend cooking the noodles separately from the soup.
Can You Freeze Lasagna Soup
Yes.
However, freezing this soup with the noodles and cheese included is not recommended. For best results, allow the soup (just the soup, not the noodles or the cheese) to cool in the refrigerator completely before transferring to freezer-friendly containers or double-bag in freezer-friendly zip-lock bags.
To reheat, allow the soup to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then transfer to a pot and cook until heated through. Once hot, decide if you want to add the pasta noodles directly to the soup or if you prefer to cook them separately. Serve topped with fresh mixed cheese.
Leftovers
Enjoy leftover lasagna soup within 3-4 days, thoroughly reheating on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, or n the microwave before serving.
How to Serve
I love to serve this lasagna soup with buttery garlic bread or extra-cheesy garlic bread, although buttered bread or dinner rolls are just as delicious. If I’m serving this soup to extended family or guests, I’ll usually include a green salad, like this fresh arugula salad.
Have you tried making this lasagna soup recipe?
Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts. And tag me #theforkedspoon on Instagram if you’ve made any of my recipes. I always love to see what you’re cooking in the kitchen.
RECIPE CARD
Lasagna Soup Recipe
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds ground meat - ground turkey, Italian sausage, ground pork, lean ground beef
- 2 medium yellow onions - diced
- salt + pepper - to taste
- 8 cloves garlic - minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes - (optional)
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 8 cups beef broth - or chicken broth, plus more if needed
- 1 pound lasagna noodles - broken into smaller pieces (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon sugar - (optional)
- 1 cup half-and-half - see notes
- Fresh parsley - to garnish
For the Ricotta Cheese Mixture
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded cheese - see notes
- 3 tablespoon finely minced parsley - (or 1/2 tsp dried parsley) optional
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a large pot or heavy-bottomed Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking it into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula, until nearly cooked through.
- Add the onions, salt, and black pepper. Mix well to combine. Sauté the onions with the ground meat, stirring often, for approximately 5 minutes, or until the onions start to soften and turn translucent. Stir in the minced garlic and red pepper flakes (if using). Cook for approximately 1 minute, stirring continuously.
- Add the tomato paste and Italian seasonings (dried parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary). Mix well to combine.
- Increase the stovetop to high heat and add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and beef broth. Allow the mixture to come to a low boil before stirring in the lasagna noodles (see notes). Mix well to prevent the noodles from clumping together. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring often, until the noodles are al dente (soft, but not mushy).
- As the noodles are cooking, prepare the ricotta mixture. Add the ricotta, shredded cheeses, chopped parsley, and, black pepper to a large mixing bowl. Mix well to combine. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
- Once the lasagna noodles are cooked, add the sugar and half-and-half (if using). Mix well to combine. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
- Serve each bowl with a dollop of the ricotta cheese mixture and additional chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Video
Jessica’s Notes
- Feel free to use your favorite ground meat in this recipe. Traditional lasagna is made with ground beef, but I am partial to ground sausage and ground turkey.
- If you don’t have all of the dried seasonings for this recipe, simply substitute (the dried parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary) with 2 FULL tablespoons of dried Italian seasoning.
- You may cook the lasagna noodles one of two ways– directly in the soup OR separately and then add them to each serving bowl just before serving. Of course, there are pros and cons to each. If, however, you expect leftovers or plan to freeze part of the soup, I highly recommend cooking the noodles separately from the soup.
- The half-and-half is completely optional. Although it does add an extra layer of richness to the soup, it doesn’t add to or take away from the flavor.
- I mixed the mozzarella and parmesan cheese with the ricotta cheese. Feel free to add different cheeses (goat cheese would add great flavor), subtract, or keep each of these cheeses completely separate.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
My kids loved this! Thank you.