You know those nights? When you desperately need the cozy hug of Italian comfort food, specifically that big, cheesy pan of lasagna, but you absolutely do not have the two hours (or frankly, the energy) for all that layering? Ugh, I feel that in my bones! That’s why this **Lasagna Soup** recipe became a staple for me—it’s my secret weapon. We capture every single incredible flavor note—the rich tomato, the herbs, the cheesy filling—and turn it into a vibrant, bubbling soup ready in under an hour. Seriously, if you’re craving the essence of lasagna without the massive clean-up, this soup is your answer. Get ready!
Why This Easy Lasagna Soup Recipe Works (EEAT Focus)
I’ve spent years trying to bottle up big, complex Italian flavors into weeknight meals, and this soup is probably my best success story. When you look at the traditional steps for baking a regular lasagna, you see all that layering, right? It eats up the time! My approach here is all about speed without sacrificing that deep, soulful taste. Cleaning up after this is a dream, too—just one big pot! I think people forget that a great meal doesn’t have to take half the day to make.
I am so excited for you to try the shortcuts here because they totally work. You can check out more quick meals on my easy dinner recipes page if you just need fast solutions!
The Quick Path to Lasagna Soup Comfort
Seriously, 45 minutes total. That’s less time than it takes a casserole to bake! The magic is twofold: we skip the entire assembly process—no laying noodles flat or spreading sauce layer by layer. We just break the lasagna pasta right into the pot. It cooks right in the broth, absorbing all that amazing flavor while tenderizing perfectly. It’s a total time saver, and you get the flavor of layered pasta without the work.
Expert Tips for the Best Lasagna Soup Flavor
When you’re simplifying, you need to amp up the flavor where you can. My best advice for the richest possible base for your **Lasagna Soup** is this: ditch the plain ground beef sometimes and go for Italian sausage instead. The sausage already has fennel and herbs mixed in, so you instantly deepen the savoriness of the broth as it cooks with the onions and garlic. Trust me, it really kicks this soup up a notch!
Ingredients for Your Simple Lasagna Soup
Gathering these ingredients is half the battle, and honestly, they are pantry stables for me! Keeping these on hand means I can whip this up practically anytime I get a craving. It’s so straightforward—we are using mostly canned goods and simple fresh stuff like onion and garlic. Remember, the quality of the canned tomatoes really matters here because they are the backbone of your broth! If you want to see some other amazing, creamy things you can make with simple items, check out my guide on creamy deliciousness soup ideas.
Here is exactly what you need to pull this together. Don’t skip the ricotta—that’s what makes it taste exactly like lasagna!
- 1 pound ground beef or Italian sausage (up to you!)
- 1 medium onion, chopped small
- 2 cloves garlic, minced finely
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes—the good stuff!
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 4 cups beef broth (low sodium is fine, we add our own salt)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces lasagna noodles, which you’ll want to break into small pieces
- 1 cup ricotta cheese (whole milk is best for texture)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Step-by-Step Instructions to Make Lasagna Soup
Okay, this is where the magic really happens! Making **Lasagna Soup** is all about building layers of flavor in one pot, which is why I love one-pot meals so much. We’re going to handle the meat first, then bring everything to a simmer, and finally, stir in that creamy cheese goodness at the end. If you’re looking for other great one-pot wonders, you must check out my recipe for one-pot cheesy taco pasta—it uses similar principles!
Browning Meat and Sautéing Aromatics for Lasagna Soup
First things first, grab your biggest, sturdiest pot. We need medium heat here. You’re going to brown your ground beef or Italian sausage until it’s perfectly done. Don’t skip the next part: drain off any excess grease! Nobody wants oily soup, no matter how good the **Lasagna Soup** is going to taste. Once it’s drained, toss in your chopped onion and let it cook down until it gets soft and sweet, maybe about five minutes. Then, add your minced garlic. Garlic burns fast, so just stir it around for about 60 seconds until you can really smell it—that means it’s ready!
Simmering the Broth and Noodles in the Lasagna Soup Base
Now we build the sauce! Pour in your crushed tomatoes, your tomato sauce, and all that beef broth. Add your basil, oregano, salt, and pepper—get those dried herbs in there! Crank the heat up until the whole thing starts a proper rolling boil. Once it’s bubbling away nicely, you dump in those broken-up lasagna noodles. Listen, this part is key: Once the noodles are in, bring it back down to a gentle simmer. You have to stir it every few minutes so the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom. Let it cook like that for about 10 to 12 little minutes until those noodles are nice and tender, just the way you like them.
Finishing and Serving Your Delicious Lasagna Soup
The smell filling your kitchen right now should be pure Italian heaven!
Once those noodles are cooked perfectly, it’s time to make it creamy. Take the pot off the heat *before* you add the ricotta cheese. Gently stir in that whole cup of ricotta until it melts in and disappears, making the broth luxurious and thick. That’s what mimics the soft cheese layer in real lasagna!
Ladle the hot **Lasagna Soup** into big bowls. Don’t just stop there! Top each serving generously with shredded mozzarella and that grated Parmesan cheese. Let it sit just long enough for the cheese to get melty and gooey. Perfection!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions for Lasagna Soup
I always get asked about ingredient swaps when people try my **Lasagna Soup** for the first time, and honestly, this recipe is pretty flexible—but a couple of things I won’t budge on! You saw in the instructions that I mentioned using Italian sausage versus ground beef. If you want that deep, restaurant-quality flavor that stands up to the cheese and tomatoes, go for the sausage. It just brings its own smoky, herby goodness to the pot, eliminating half your seasoning worries.
Regarding the herbs, if you don’t have individual basil and oregano bottles sitting around, don’t panic! I often use a good quality Italian seasoning blend instead. Just use about a tablespoon of the blend—it covers all those bases, and you get that classic Italian taste right in your **Lasagna Soup**.
Here’s one extra pro-tip that really helps flavor-wise: If you happen to have some leftover red wine hanging around, use half broth and half wine when you are building your base. It adds a little acidity and depth that just makes the whole soup taste like you simmered it for hours! If you’re looking for how to punch up your Italian flavors in general, you have to check out my notes on Italian salad dressing dry mix recipe; the herbs are similar worlds!
Serving Suggestions for Your Lasagna Soup
Okay, so you’ve got this huge, cozy bowl of cheesy, meaty **Lasagna Soup**—wonderful! But what do you serve alongside it? You don’t want anything too heavy because the soup itself is pretty filling, right? I always think it needs just one simple, crunchy thing to balance out the creamy texture.
My absolute go-to is always, always, always some form of garlic bread. If you’re feeling extra lazy, just toast up some slices of thick Italian bread, rub them with a cut clove of raw garlic, and drizzle them with olive oil. Bake it until it’s perfectly crisp on the edges. If you want something truly decadent, you have to see how I make my version which involves a bit of cheese layering, too! You can find that genius recipe for garlic bread grilled cheese, which makes the perfect dipping vehicle.
If bread feels like too much carb action for the night, a really simple side salad is my second choice. Keep the dressing light—maybe a sharp, bright vinaigrette. The acidity from the salad cuts right through the richness of the tomato broth and the mozzarella cheese. It just cleanses your palate between spoonfuls. Honestly, even a handful of crisp romaine lettuce with a splash of red wine vinegar is fantastic. It’s all about what makes you feel satisfied!
Storing and Reheating Leftover Lasagna Soup
One of the best things about making a big batch of soup is having leftovers, and this **Lasagna Soup** honestly tastes incredible the next day. However, we have to talk about the noodles because they are the main player when it comes to leftovers.
When you store soup with pasta in it, those pasta pieces are going to keep drinking up the broth overnight, even when refrigerated. By morning, your soup might look more like a very loose casserole than a broth-filled soup! Don’t worry, this is normal for any pasta soup. Your noodles will be super soft, but the flavor is still totally there.
If you’re planning on leftovers, I highly recommend separating them if you can. Store the soup base (broth, tomatoes, meat) in one airtight container and keep the crumbled lasagna noodles separate in another container. When you are ready to eat, reheat the broth base first and then add the noodles right before serving. That keeps them from getting gummy!
Now, if you just dump it all in one container and stick it in the fridge—that’s fine too! When you reheat it on the stovetop the next day, you’ll probably notice it’s gotten terribly thick. That’s where you just need a splash of water or extra broth. Add a splash or two while heating gently, stirring until it loosens up back into a proper, comforting **Lasagna Soup** consistency. Remember, low and slow reheating is the name of the game; you don’t want to boil it aggressively once the cheese is in there, just warm it through!
Frequently Asked Questions About Lasagna Soup
I always get so many good questions after people try this recipe for the first time! It shows me that you all are really getting into the cooking, which I love. Dealing with pasta in a soup can sometimes be tricky, but once you know a few secrets, your **Lasagna Soup** will be perfect every single time. If you’re looking for other creative one-pot wonder topics, you should check out my friend’s amazing ideas over at one-pot macaroni cheeseburger soup recipe for some inspiration!
Can I make this Lasagna Soup vegetarian?
Absolutely, you totally can! If you’re skipping the beef or sausage, you need something hearty to replace that body in the broth. My favorite swap is using cooked brown or green lentils. They hold their shape really well and absorb that tomato flavor beautifully. You could also find a good quality plant-based ground where you shop; just brown it up the same way you would the meat in Step 1. That way, you still get that foundational savory flavor when you start building your **Lasagna Soup** base.
Why are my noodles mushy in the Lasagna Soup?
Oh, I know that sad, mushy pasta texture! It’s usually one of two things. First, are you putting the pasta in while the broth is still boiling hard? If it’s a rolling, aggressive boil, it cooks the pasta way too fast, and it just breaks down. Make sure you lower that heat to a gentle simmer as soon as those broken noodles hit the liquid. Second reason: did you add them too early? Remember, they only need 10 to 12 minutes. If you add them before the broth is even hot, they’ve been soaking in liquid for way too long by the time you eat!
What is the best cheese to use for topping Lasagna Soup?
The topping is crucial because that’s where you get that classic lasagna flavor signature! You absolutely must use both the shredded mozzarella and the Parmesan—it’s non-negotiable for that perfect salty, stretchy top layer. However, if you want to cheat and get that creamy ricotta vibe right on top, try this: dollop a tiny spoonful of cold ricotta right into the center of your bowl just before serving, then cover it with the mozzarella. When you sink your spoon in, you get that wonderful cheesy layer melting throughout your **Lasagna Soup**!
Estimated Nutritional Data for Lasagna Soup
Now, I’m not a registered dietitian or anything, so please take these numbers with a grain of salt! Whenever I post a recipe, I run the ingredients through one of those online calculators just to give you a general idea of what you’re digging into, especially if you’re tracking macros or calories. Since this is hearty comfort food, it’s not exactly diet food, but wow, is it packed with protein!
This breakdown is based on the recipe making exactly six generous servings. If you serve yourself smaller bowls, those numbers drop right down. But let’s be real, when you make **Lasagna Soup**, you want a big bowl, right?
Here’s the general snapshot:
- Calories: About 450 per serving
- Protein: A whopping 28 grams! That’s fueling!
- Fat: Around 22 grams total fat, with 10 grams being saturated fat from the cheese and meat.
- Carbohydrates: Roughly 38 grams, which mostly comes from those tasty little broken pasta pieces.
- Fiber: A nice little boost of 5 grams.
- Sodium: This one is higher at 850mg, mainly because of the broth and cheese, so you might want to opt for low-sodium broth if you’re sensitive!
- Cholesterol: Around 75mg.
This data just confirms what I already knew: it’s rich! But when it tastes this authentic to a classic Italian dinner, sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy the richness. It’s worth every single calorie when you get that perfect spoonful of cheesy, herby goodness!
Share Your Perfect Lasagna Soup Experience
Well, that’s it! You’ve successfully navigated the easiest route to a massive bowl of cheesy, hearty comfort food. I’m genuinely so excited for you to try this **Lasagna Soup** recipe the next time a major craving hits you. It’s truly the dish my family asks for time and time again when we can’t face a proper layered bake.
Cooking should always feel like an adventure you want to repeat, and I truly hope this recipe becomes one of your own signature moves! Once you’ve tasted it, I would be thrilled if you came back here and let me know what you thought. Did you use the Italian sausage trick I told you about? Or maybe you threw in extra Parmesan on top? I absolutely live for hearing about your kitchen successes!
Please jump down to the comments below and give this recipe a rating—five stars if it saved your weeknight dinner, or whatever feels right! If you want to chat more about soup techniques or any of my other recipes—or just want to share a picture if you managed to snap one before you devoured it all—feel free to get in touch via my contact page!
Happy cooking, and enjoy every last, cheesy spoonful of your homemade **Lasagna Soup**!
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Simple Lasagna Soup
- Total Time: 45 min
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A straightforward recipe for a comforting soup that tastes like lasagna.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or Italian sausage
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces lasagna noodles, broken into small pieces
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef or sausage in a large pot over medium heat. Drain excess fat.
- Add the chopped onion to the pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef broth. Add basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Add the broken lasagna noodles. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Stir in the ricotta cheese until it melts into the soup.
- Ladle the soup into bowls. Top each serving with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese before serving.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, use Italian sausage instead of ground beef.
- You can substitute dried herbs with 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning blend.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 12
- Sodium: 850
- Fat: 22
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Unsaturated Fat: 12
- Trans Fat: 0.5
- Carbohydrates: 38
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 28
- Cholesterol: 75
Keywords: lasagna soup, beef, tomato, pasta, easy soup, italian soup