Get ready to indulge in the cozy comfort of lasagna without all the hassle! This easy lasagna soup recipe will become your new go-to for satisfying weeknight dinners. It is packed with all the classic flavors of lasagna but in a savory soup form.
For more warm meals on a chilly day, try my chicken noodle soup, tomato soup, or ham and bean soup.
Jessica’s Recipe Science
- Cooking the pasta directly in the soup releases the starches, thickening the broth and creating a rich, hearty consistency.
- Browning the meat develops deep, savory flavors through the Maillard reaction, enhancing the dish’s overall taste.
- Simmering the soup with tomatoes and Italian seasonings melds the flavors together, replicating the classic taste of lasagna.
Featured Comment 8
“I will definitely make this again! I particularly liked how I could make it for as many people that are eating dinner and save the sauce for other meals.”—Joan
Why It Works
I took my classic baked lasagna recipe and turned it into a stovetop, one-pot dish. Each serving of this lasagna soup is hearty, with thick pieces of pasta, a meaty tomato sauce, and three types of cheese. You get all of the components of the classic layered casserole in one bowl.
You will sear the ground beef and pork to develop flavor, then simmer with tomatoes and pasta until tender. No need to cook the lasagna in a separate pot! This lasagna soup recipe takes about 30 minutes to cook and is ready to serve with crusty garlic bread. Adults and kids love this cozy meal!
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pasta: Use dried lasagna noodles, about 7 ounces or 8 pieces. You can use no-boil lasagna, but it will cook faster. Break them into about 1-inch-wide pieces. Fresh homemade pasta is a great option, but check for doneness after the first 5 minutes, then every minute after.
- Soup Base: For convenience, use marinara sauce as the soup base. Store-bought jars typically use tomato paste for thickness, plus I’ve added petite diced tomatoes for extra texture. You’ll need 23 ounces for the recipe. Add unsalted beef stock or broth for flavor and to dilute the consistency.
- Alliums: Sauté diced yellow onion and minced garlic in olive oil to add sweet, savory notes to the soup.
- Meat: Use two types of meat: lean ground beef and fresh sweet Italian sausage. My family prefers mild sausage, but you can use spicy for extra heat.
- Seasonings: Season the soup with fresh onion and garlic, dried Italian seasoning for a concentrated herbaceous note, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Cheese Mixture: For a creamy consistency, mix ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan, chopped parsley, and fresh basil.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
This one-pot lasagna soup is easy to customize! Try these tasty suggestions to switch up each batch:
- Pasta: Instead of lasagna, try other types of pasta like farfalle, orecchiette, cochigle, tortellini, or ravioli. Wider cuts or filled pasta will give a heartier texture.
- Tomatoes: Instead of marinara, make your own sauce with a few tablespoons of tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. If you have ripe, sweet tomatoes, dice them and add them to the soup. You can also use my tomato basil soup as the base.
- Meat: Use mild, medium, or spicy Italian pork sausage. If using precooked sausage, slice or dice it up and sauté. You can use ground chicken or ground turkey instead of beef. Add my Italian meatball recipe to the soup pot.
- Spicy: For a spicy flavor, add red pepper flakes, minced hot peppers, or hot sauce.
- Vegetables: Add veggies like sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, eggplant, or zucchini. Stir in baby spinach or kale right before serving.
- Cheese: Instead of ricotta, use crème fraîche or cream cheese. Use Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano instead of parmesan.
- Cream: For an even thicker soup, add ½ to 1 cup of heavy cream at the end of cooking.
- Herbs: Add fresh herbs like oregano and tarragon, or add a bay leaf while simmering.
How to Make Lasagna Soup
Step 1: Prepare the Pasta
Break the dried lasagna into about 1-inch-wide pieces, then set aside.
Step 2: Sauté the Aromatics
To add dimension to the soup, sauté diced yellow onions in hot olive oil. Add in minced garlic for pungency. Don’t over-brown the alliums; just evaporate some moisture to enhance the onions’ natural sweetness.
Make the lasagna soup in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, like a large Dutch oven; I use my Le Creuset pot. Something that holds heat well, browns the meat, and lets the ingredients simmer.
Step 3: Brown the Meat
Cook the ground beef and pork sausage. Use a meat masher or wooden spoon to break the meat into smaller pieces. If you let the protein cook thoroughly, it will tighten up and be harder to break into round chunks.
Season with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Sear to brown the surface and develop more flavor. The process takes only about 3 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat.
Pro Tip: I prefer 80/20 ground beef. This adds a meaty taste and has extra fat for flavor and richness. Fresh ground pork sausage is savory and tender, complementing the milder beef. I use a half pound of each, but you can change the ratios or use one type of meat.
Step 4: Add Tomatoes and Sauce
Once the meat is no longer pink, add in the marinara sauce, a whole can of diced tomatoes with the juices, and beef broth. Chicken broth or chicken stock may be substituted. The mixture may seem thin at first, but the consistency will thicken once the dried noodles are added and cooked.
Step 5: Cook the Pasta
Add the broken-up lasagna pieces to the boiling liquid. Stir well, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir the pot every few minutes to prevent the flat noodles from sticking together. They will absorb the water and tenderize in about 25 minutes.
Cooking the noodles directly in the same pot with the tomatoes saves you time, and there are fewer pots to clean! The starches released from the flour in the pasta will thicken the soup. The longer it sits in the pot, the more water it absorbs. Adjust the consistency as needed with more liquid. If you like a thinner soup, add more beef broth or water.
Step 6: Make the Cheese Topping
No lasagna is complete without big dollops of creamy ricotta cheese. I combine whole milk ricotta with melty mozzarella and salty parmesan. Chopped herbs like parsley and fresh-cut basil add an enticing aroma once stirred into the hot soup.
For a creamier texture, stir in a portion of the cheese mixture. Alternatively, ladle the soup into bowls and top with a generous scoop of cheese.
Step 7: Ready to Serve
Use a ladle to divide the soup into bowls. Top with a dollop of the ricotta cheese mixture. If desired, garnish the homemade lasagna soup with more fresh parsley and basil. If you like this easy meal, try my Crockpot lasagna recipe, it’s a great set it and forget it meal!
Frequently Asked Questions
Regular lasagna noodles with ribbon edges are thicker than no-boil varieties. No-boil noodles (or oven-ready) are thinner, so they tenderize quicker in the oven without cooking in water. They are pre-cooked and then dehydrated, making layering faster and easier. In lasagna soup, traditional noodles soak up more water and need more time to hydrate and soften. No-boil noodles will create a slightly thinner consistency.
Cook lasagna soup for 3 to 4 hours on high or 7 to 8 hours on low. In an Instant Pot, sauté the alliums and meat, add the sauce ingredients and lasagna, then cook on manual high pressure for 6 minutes, then quick release.
I recommend substituting the ground beef and sausage with sliced mushrooms for an umami taste and chewy texture, or other vegetarian proteins like crumbled firm tofu or seitan. Use dairy-free cheese substitutes.
Yes! While the soup is simmering, add diced bell peppers, zucchini, corn, or mushrooms. Wilt spinach or kale at the end of cooking for extra leafy greens.
Yes, storage is easy! Let the lasagna soup cool, then transfer it to an airtight container. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Yes! You can store the lasagna soup in the freezer for up to 6 months. Freeze the cheese mixture separately from the soup and defrost. Add more beef stock or water to thin out the soup when reheating.
Serve This With
If you tried this Lasagna Soup, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
- 8 dried lasagna noodles, about 7 ounces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup diced yellow onion, ¼" dice
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ½ pound ground beef, 80 to 90% lean
- ½ pound Italian sausage, casing removed
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 23 ounces marinara sauce
- 14.5 ounces canned petite diced tomatoes
- 4 cups unsalted beef broth, or stock
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped basil
Instructions
- Prepare the Lasagna – Carefully break the dried pasta into about 1-inch-wide pieces. Set aside.
- Sauté the Aromatics – In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Sauté onions until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Brown the Meat – Add the beef and sausage to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high and break the meat into smaller pieces. Cook until no pink remains, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the salt, Italian seasoning, and black pepper.
- Make the Soup – Stir in marinara sauce, diced tomatoes with the juice, and 4 cups of beef broth.
- Cook the Pasta – Bring the soup to a boil, then add the lasagna pieces. Reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. For a thinner soup, gradually add beef broth or water until you reach the desired consistency. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
- Make the Cheese Topping – In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, parsley, and basil. Reserve for topping the soup. For a creamier soup, stir in some of the cheese topping, saving the rest for topping.
- To Serve – Use a ladle to divide the soup into bowls. Top with dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture. If desired, garnish with more parsley and basil.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Recipe Yield: About 8 cups
- Serving Size: About 1 cup
- Storing: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 6 months.
- Reheating: Warm on the stovetop, adding in more water or beef broth to thin the consistency.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
William says
Love this recipe as well as all of my friends! 😄 Once family and friends try this you’ll be making it all the time! Warning!!!!!
Jessica Gavin says
Wonderful that everyone is enjoying the lasagna soup recipe, William!
Robbie says
Probably the greatest thing I’ve ever found on YouTube I’ve made it probably 30 times I gave the recipe to my nephews my sisters the only thing I’ve changed was I don’t really like ricotta so I switched it out for cream cheese which works just as good overall Bravo great dinner
Jessica Gavin says
Whoo-hoo! I’ll have to try the addition of the cream cheese. Yum!
Joan Macgillivray says
I will definitely make this again! I particularly liked how I could make it for as many people that are eating dinner and save the sauce for other meals.
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for your feedback!
Marie says
I’ve never been tempted to make Lasagna in a pan but this soup was an easy put together. Delicious!
Jessica Gavin says
Yay! Thank you so much for making the recipe, Marie!