This lasagna soup recipe is what happens when you want all the comfort of lasagna but don't feel like dealing with layers and assembly drama. It's basically the best lasagna soup you'll make - all the cheesy, herby, tomatoey goodness swimming in a rich broth that'll warm you up from the inside out. I make this easy lasagna soup recipe constantly during cold months because it comes together in one pot and tastes like you've been simmering it all day. Plus, you can customize each bowl with different toppings, so everyone's happy.
Why You'll Love This Lasagna Soup Recipe
This creamy lasagna soup recipe turned me into the person everyone texts when they want "that soup that tastes like lasagna but isn't weird."
What Really Happens:
People actually finish their bowls instead of picking around the noodles like they do with chunky soups. This one-pot lasagna soup recipe gets my kids asking for seconds before I've even sat down to eat mine. Even my husband who claims he "doesn't like soup" keeps going back for more and pretending he's just "checking the seasoning."
Way Better Than Regular Lasagna:
No more waiting an hour for layers to bake, no more soggy middle pieces, no more wondering if it's actually cooked through. This stovetop lasagna soup recipe gives you every single flavor you want in about 30 minutes. Plus you can taste and adjust as you go instead of crossing your fingers and hoping.
Makes You Look Smart:
One pot feeds six hungry people and costs maybe eight bucks total. Everyone thinks you spent hours on some complicated Italian recipe when really you just made this easy lasagna soup recipe by throwing stuff in a pot and stirring. People always ask for the recipe like it's some family secret.
Jump to:
What You'll Need
The smell of garlic sizzling in olive oil while Italian herbs bloom in the heat always gets me excited about making soup. This one-pot lasagna soup needs surprisingly few ingredients to create all those layered flavors you're craving.
Main Ingredients
- Ground Italian sausage or beef
- Onion and garlic
- Crushed tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Chicken or beef broth
Pasta & Cheese
- Pasta shells or broken lasagna noodles
- Ricotta cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
Seasonings & Extras
- Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh basil
- Red pepper flakes
- Heavy cream (optional)
- Spinach (optional)
Everything you need to make this lasagna soup is in the recipe card.
How to Make Lasagna Soup Recipe
Making homemade lasagna soup starts with building layers of flavor just like traditional lasagna, but way faster. This lasagna soup recipe takes about 30 minutes total, which beats waiting forever for traditional lasagna to bake
Brown Your Base
- Cook ground sausage or beef in a large pot until browned
- Add diced onion and cook until soft
- Stir in garlic and cook for another minute
- Don't drain the fat - keeps things flavorful
Build the Soup
- Add tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes
- Pour in crushed tomatoes and broth
- Season with Italian herbs, salt, and pepper
- Bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes
Add the Pasta
- Stir in pasta shells or broken lasagna noodles
- Cook until al dente like the package says
- Taste and fix seasoning
- The noodles soak up liquid as they cook
Finish with Cheese
- Take off heat and let it cool a bit
- Ladle into bowls and plop ricotta on top
- Sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan over everything
- Throw on some fresh basil if you have it
Perfect stovetop lasagna soup should taste rich and satisfying without being too thick or watery.
Top Tip
The key to amazing lasagna soup recipe success is browning that tomato paste properly - don't skip this step or rush it. I used to just dump everything in at once and wondered why my easy lasagna soup recipe tasted flat. Cook the tomato paste for a full 2 minutes until it darkens and smells sweet, not sharp. This concentrates the flavor and gets rid of that metallic taste. Also, let the soup rest off the heat for a few minutes before serving so the cheese doesn't turn into rubber strings when you stir it in.
Ingredient Substitutions & Variations
Need to switch things up with this lasagna soup recipe? Ground turkey works perfectly instead of sausage if you want something lighter, and honestly tastes just as good.
No ricotta on hand? Cottage cheese does the trick - just give it a quick stir so it's not chunky. Cream cheese works too if you thin it with a splash of milk.
For vegetarian lasagna soup recipe variations, skip the meat entirely and load up on mushrooms, zucchini, or bell peppers. They add great texture and soak up all the flavors.
Want to make it in the slow cooker? This one-pot lasagna soup recipe adapts easily - brown everything first, then dump it in your crockpot with the broth and tomatoes. Cook on low for 6 hours, add the pasta in the last 30 minutes.
Going the instant pot route? Use the sauté function for browning, add liquid ingredients, pressure cook for 5 minutes, then quick release and stir in cooked pasta.
Turkey broth instead of chicken gives it a deeper flavor, and beef broth makes it really hearty.
Storage and Reuse Instructions
This easy lasagna soup recipe actually tastes better the next day once all those flavors have time to mingle. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days, though it never lasts that long around here.
The pasta situation: Here's the thing - pasta keeps absorbing liquid even after you're done cooking. If your leftover lasagna soup recipe looks thick, just add more broth when reheating until it's the consistency you want.
Reheating without disasters: Warm it gently on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Microwave works too but add a splash of broth first so it doesn't dry out. Don't blast it on high or the cheese will get weird and stringy.
Freezing is tricky with this one because pasta gets mushy when frozen. If you want to freeze it, make the soup base without pasta, then add fresh noodles when you reheat.
I usually make a double batch and we eat it for lunch all week. Way better than whatever sad desk salad I'd normally have.
What to Serve With Lasagna Soup Recipe
This hearty lasagna soup recipe pairs perfectly with crusty garlic bread for dipping - because let's be honest, soup without bread is just sad. A simple Caesar salad cuts through all that richness nicely, or just throw together whatever greens you have with basic vinaigrette.
Breadsticks work great too if you're feeling lazy and don't want to make garlic bread from scratch. Sometimes I just toast regular bread and rub it with a garlic clove - tastes fancy but takes two seconds.
A glass of red wine doesn't hurt either, though I'm usually too busy making sure everyone has enough cheese on top to enjoy mine while it's still warm.
My Italian Friend's Secret
My friend whose nonna ran a small trattoria in Naples since the 1940s finally told me why my lasagna soup tasted like watered-down pasta sauce instead of actual soup.
Her Real Talk: "You're making tomato water with noodles floating in it - Italian soup needs proper building." Her family served locals who knew real soup from tourist food. Don't just dump everything together or you get bland liquid with stuff in it.
What Works: Layer the flavors like you're building a house - brown the meat properly, cook the aromatics until they smell right, bloom the tomato paste until it's sweet. Her nonna's technique for three generations: patience with each step, taste as you go, trust your nose over the clock.
Reality Check: Watched her make this probably eight times before I realized she wasn't using measuring cups or timers, just tasting and adjusting until the soup-to-ingredient balance was perfect.
This proper lasagna soup recipe technique works because it's been perfected by Italian families who actually know the difference between soup and sauce with pasta floating in it.
FAQ
What are the ingredients for lasagna soup?
The basic stuff is ground meat, onion, garlic, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, pasta, and the three cheeses - ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan. Italian seasoning pulls it together. You can throw in spinach or fresh basil if you're feeling it.
Do you put ricotta cheese in lasagna soup?
Yeah, but not mixed in - that makes it clumpy and weird. I just plop ricotta on top of each bowl right before serving, then sprinkle the other cheeses over it. Way better texture this way. For creamy lasagna soup that actually works, this is the move.
What can I do with leftover lasagna?
Turn it into soup! Chop up that day-old lasagna and toss it in broth with extra tomatoes. It breaks down into this chunky, amazing soup situation. For lasagna soup with leftovers tricks, it's honestly better than reheating regular lasagna.
Can you use beef broth in lasagna soup?
Definitely - beef broth makes it way richer than chicken broth. I actually like it better when I'm using ground beef instead of sausage. For hearty Italian soups vibes, beef broth gives you that deeper flavor.
Can you make lasagna soup in a crockpot?
Sure, but brown the meat first or it'll taste bland. Dump everything except pasta in the slow cooker for 6 hours on low, then add pasta the last 30 minutes so it doesn't turn to mush.
Food Safety: Cook ground meat to 160°F and don't leave soup sitting out more than 2 hours before putting it in the fridge.
More Recipes You'll Love
This lasagna soup recipe works great for cozy dinner nights! When I'm making this hearty soup and need something classic to round out comfort food week, our green bean casserole recipe gives you that perfect creamy side dish everyone actually wants to eat.
For slow-cooked comfort that uses similar one-pot patience, our pot roast recipe creates that same satisfying warmth with tender meat that falls apart. And our cottage pie recipe adds hearty variety when you're meal prepping comfort foods that actually fill people up.
Smart meal planning means having recipes that actually work together instead of fighting for space in your weekly rotation.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Lasagna Soup Recipe:
Easy Lasagna Soup Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Large pot or Dutch oven To brown meat and simmer the soup
- 1 Wooden Spoon To stir and scrape up browned bits
- 1 Ladle To serve soup into bowls
- 6 Soup bowls To serve the finished lasagna soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage or beef can use turkey for lighter option
- 1 medium onion diced (yellow or white onion)
- 3 cloves garlic minced fresh
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste key for deep flavor - don't skip
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes good quality makes a difference
- 4 cups chicken or beef broth beef broth gives richer flavor
- 8 oz pasta shells or broken lasagna noodles shells hold the flavors well
- 15 oz ricotta cheese full-fat for best texture
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded (save some for topping)
- ½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated preferred
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning dried herb blend
- salt and pepper to taste season throughout cooking
- fresh basil for garnish optional for extra flavor
Instructions
- Cook ground sausage or beef in a large pot until browned. Add diced onion and cook until soft. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute. Don't drain the fat - keeps things flavorful.
- Add tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes until darkened. Pour in crushed tomatoes and broth. Season with Italian herbs, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in pasta shells or broken lasagna noodles. Cook until al dente like the package says. Taste and fix seasoning. The noodles soak up liquid as they cook.
- Take off heat and let it cool a bit. Ladle into bowls and plop ricotta on top. Sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan over everything. Throw on some fresh basil if you have it.
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