Years ago, in the midst of moving to a new house and completely exhausted, one of my best friends, Melanie, stopped by with this Lasagna Soup. I love how food can bring people together, soothe hearts, and show those you care about that you love them. I was so grateful to have a home cooked meal after eating fast food and quick fixes all week. Mel had told me about this soup before, with its cheesy surprise at the bottom of the bowl and it was just as amazing as she had described. I knew I couldn’t keep all of this goodness to myself, so here it is. Put this one on your menu ASAP!
Ingredients Needed
- Italian Sausage – I almost always use Turkey Italian Sausage for any recipe that calls for Italian sausage. Foster Farms (no sponsorship here, I just love it) makes both a “hot and spicy” and a “sweet.” Sweet just means it’s not spicy- either one works in most recipes. I pretty much always have this in my freezer.
- Olive oil
- Chopped onions
- Fresh garlic
- Dried oregano
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Canned diced tomatoes – Preferably fire-roasted.
- Bay leaves
- Chicken broth
- Pasta – Fusilli or mafalda work great, but any pasta is fine! You could even break up lasagna noodles if desired.
- Fresh basil
- Salt and pepper
- Tomato Paste – Quick tip: It’s kind of annoying when recipes use only 1-2 tablespoons of something like tomato paste. If you’re like me, you put the rest in a container and freeze it and then end up throwing it out next time you clean out your freezer. Or the next time you need it, you need another tablespoon and now you have a big frozen block you have to chip away at. What I usually do is spoon it out into 1 tablespoon measurements, either on a piece of waxed paper like you see in the photo, or into an ice cube tray that’s been lined with plastic wrap. Once they’re frozen, place them in a zip top bag in your freezer and next time you need some, you can just grab the amount you need, all measured out and ready to go.
- Ricotta cheese – All ricotta is not created equal. I’ve tried a few common grocery store brands that are extra grainy and lack flavor. Trader Joe’s brand is great, as is Galbani. You want full fat here!
- Parmesan cheese
- Shredded mozzarella – Optional, for sprinkling on top.
How to Make Lasagna Soup
- You’ll brown up the sausage and then add in some onions and garlic, some dried herbs, a couple of bay leaves, some diced tomatoes and chicken broth, and some tomato paste.
- While the soup in simmering away, you can whip up the cheese mixture: ricotta, shredded Parmesan cheese and seasoned with salt and pepper.
- This soup includes noodles too, and you can put them in the soup towards the end of simmering to cook them, or do as I did and cook them separately.
- To assemble the soup for serving, spoon a generous dollop of the cheese mixture into the bottom of the bowl and add some pasta if you cooked it separately.
- Then ladle the hot soup over the top. This is where it works its magic. Just let it sit for a minute or two and by the time you’re ready to eat, it’s like a treasure chest of ooey gooey melted cheese down there. Do yourself a favor and serve this with a loaf of crusty rustic bread you can dip and spread the cheesy love with. And then make a pot for a friend!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 304 days for best results. Store your ricotta mixture in a separate airtight container.
- Noodles in soup are sometimes tricky, and end up sucking up way too much of the broth, and getting soggy in leftovers, etc. So I like to sometimes just cook them separately and add them to the individual servings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this ahead of time?
If you need to plan ahead, cook the soup through simmering, cool, and refrigerate until ready to reheat. While reheating, prepare your cheese mixture and noodles, then assemble your bowls.
Can I freeze this soup?
The soup base freezes well, but for best results I’d recommend both cooking your pasta and making your cheese mixture fresh right before serving.
Can I make this gluten-free?
Absolutely! Use your favorite gluten-free pasta here. I would definitely recommend cooking your pasta separately so it holds it’s shape!
Lasagna Soup
Gooey, delicious, and perfect for a wintry day, this Lasagna Soup never disappoints. Just be sure to make enough to share!
Servings 1.5 cup servings
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 ½ lbs Italian Sausage I use Italian Turkey Sausage
- 3 cups chopped onions
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- optional: 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 28- ounce can diced tomatoes preferably fire roasted
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 8 ounces fusilli or mafalda pasta or other pasta of your choice
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil or a heaping tablespoon dried basil
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- a few cracks of black pepper
- optional: shredded mozzarella for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces and cook until browned and cooked through. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. If you’re using dried basil, add it at this point. Cook for about a minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate.
- Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. You can add the dry pasta to the soup in the last 8-ish minutes of cooking, or do as I prefer, and cook the pasta separately and add to individual servings. Right before serving, stir in fresh basil if you’re using fresh, and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.
- To serve, place a generous dollop of the ricotta mixture in each soup bowl, add pasta if you cooked it separately, and ladle the hot soup over the cheese. Let it sit for a minute for the cheese to get all melty, sprinkle mozzarella on top if desired and eat up.
Notes
- Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 304 days for best results. Store your ricotta mixture in a separate airtight container.
- Noodles in soup are sometimes tricky, and end up sucking up way too much of the broth, and getting soggy in leftovers, etc. So I like to sometimes just cook them separately and add them to the individual servings.
Nutrition
Calories: 541kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 34g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 87mg, Sodium: 1650mg, Potassium: 677mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 446IU, Vitamin C: 17mg, Calcium: 221mg, Iron: 3mg
Calories: 541kcal
Cost: $12
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Questions & Reviews
this looks really yummy. I’m thinking of using it for my soup kitchen next month, how many does the original recipe say it serves? thanks!
I made this soup last year and again just this past weekend when we had company. It is always a HUGE hit, and I can definitely say it’s one of my favorite soups ever!
Genius! (about the tomato paste)
And I can’t wait to make this! (about the soup)
Hey! I just made this soup for the gang arriving at my house on the day before Thanksgiving…I had a couple of upturned noses…at first! After they tried it they LOVED it! I used chicken sausage with smoked mozz and garlic (can’t remember the name of it, but you can get it at Costco) instead of the Italian sausage AND I didn’t use quite 3 cups of onions as that seemed like A LOT!! (and it was) One of our new favs!
Oh, this looks wonderful! Seeing this post made me miss our Glenwood and Blue Barn days so much! I love both Sara and Mel and I am totally going to make this soup and think of both of you. I love you ladies!
I made this the other day after I found it on Pinterest and I think it’s one of my new favorite soups. Thanks for posting and adding some of your tips as well.
This looks fabulous and I can’t wait to try it! Tonight I am in charge of food for our RS Christmas dinner and we are serving your sausage tortellini soup, which I expect to be a huge hit. As soon as I recover from the big event, I’ll be ready to try lasagna soup.
Also, thanks for the tomato paste tip. When I have leftover cream I freeze it in ice cube trays so I can drop a cube or two in when I want something to be a little extra creamy, but I hadn’t thought of doing it with tomato paste. Excellent idea!
Great idea for the tomato paste!
It must have been divine intetervention that you posted this because this weekend I inadvertently opened a can of tomato paste instead of tomatoe sauce and I thought, “crap- now what ?” So I stuck it in the fridge to worry about later. Lo and behold, your very next recipe not only calls for tomato paste, but even shows me how to preserve it! Are you freaking kidding me?! Lol! Just got done eating this and it was out to this world. The husb loved it but then again he always loves what I make off of here! Thank you!!!
This looks amazing!!!!!