This hearty, delicious, and easy lasagna soup is the perfect recipe to make when you’re craving lasagna but don’t want to do all of the work. Made with just a few simple ingredients and topped with a dollop of perfect cheesy goodness, this is a soup that the entire family will love!
One of my favorite things in life is my husband’s lasagna and that’s for two reasons. One, because it’s absolutely delicious and two, because I never have to make, haha.
Here’s the thing about lasagna, while I LOVE it, I rarely, if ever, feel like spending the time to make a pan full of lasagna. The remedy for that? Lasagna soup!
This hearty and delicious lasagna soup gives you all the flavor of lasagna with the ease of a soup. You still get all of the cheesy goodness, tender noodles, and hearty meat sauce that you love in a lasagna but in soup form. It’s perfection!
Watch How to Make This Recipe
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Simple Lasagna Soup Ingredients
Ground Beef & Italian Sausage: for that delicious classic lasagna flavor, this recipe uses a combination of lean ground beef and Italian sausage.
Garlic and Onion: to help build that delicious flavor base, this soup uses plenty of onion and freshly minced garlic.
Spices: a combination of Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and red pepper flakes all help to give the soup that lasagna flavor.
Tomatoes: this soup uses crushed tomatoes, fire roasted tomatoes, and a little tomato paste.
Chicken Broth: I like to use low-sodium chicken broth so that I can better control the level of salt in the soup.
Zucchini: for some extra veggies, you’ll add some sliced zucchini to the soup and let it simmer for a few minutes before serving.
Lasagna Noodles: you can’t have lasagna soup without lasagna noodles right? You’ll break them up a bit before cooking to make them more manageable.
Basil: plenty of fresh basil really helps to bring the soup flavor alive.
Cheeses: for that classic cheesy goodness, the soup is topped with a combination of parmesan, ricotta, and mozzarella with plenty of fresh herbs and a little lemon juice to brighten it up!
Ingredient Swaps and Substitutions
- ground beef & Italian sausage – if you prefer you can swap the ground beef and Italian sausage for ground turkey to keep this soup even more lean. You can also use a combination of ground turkey and Italian sausage or just all Italian sausage if you like. Another great option is to use a ground chicken or turkey Italian sausage instead of pork. If you need a vegetarian option you could easily use your favorite plant-based ground sausage or ground beef.
- lasagna noodles – when it comes to the pasta in this recipe you have so many options! you can keep it more traditional and use the broken lasagna noodles, or go with a smaller variety of pasta like Campanella, farfalle, Mafalda, or even penne. If you need to keep the soup gluten free, you can use your favorite gluten free noodles in this recipe!
- broth – don’t have chicken broth? Beef broth or vegetable broth will also work.
- veggies – this is a great and very forgiving recipe to add extra vegetables to. Any veggie that would sound good in your lasagna will likely work well in this soup. A few of my favorites are spinach, bell peppers, and mushrooms. More sturdy veggies like peppers and mushrooms can be added while you are cooking the ground meat. Stir in leafy greens like spinach closer to the end of cooking.
- cheese – if you need to keep this soup dairy free you can easily leave off the cheese topping altogether or use your favorite plant-based versions ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses.
How to Make This Healthier Lasagna Soup
Step One: Start by heating a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the olive oil and then add the ground beef and Italian sausage to the pot. Cook and brown the meat, using a wooden spoon to break it up as it cooks.
Step Two: Once the meat has browned, you can add the diced onion and minced garlic to the pot. Cook everything for a few more minutes until the onion begins to become translucent and the garlic is really fragrant.
Step Three: Next, add the Italian seasoning, salt, red pepper flakes, tomato paste, and stir until well combined. Then, add the crushed tomatoes, fire roasted tomatoes, chicken broth, and dried bay leaf and stir. Bring the soup to a boil and then cover with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the soup simmer for twenty to twenty-five minutes.
Step Five: While the soup is simmering, cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions in plenty of salted water. Break the lasagna noodles into smaller pieces before cooking them.
Step Six: You can also make the cheese topping while the soup is simmering! Add the ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses, lemon juice, chopped basil, chopped parsley, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper to a mixing bowl. Mix up the cheese until well combined and then give it a taste and adjust the seasoning.
Step Seven: Once the soup has finished simmering, you can add in the sliced zucchini and simmer for a minute or so more until it is tender. The zucchini should be tender but still bright green.
Step Eight: Lastly, finish the soup by stirring in the cooked lasagna noodles and fresh basil. Ladle the soup into bowls and then top with a generous spoonful of the cheese mixture. Sprinkle on additional fresh basil and then serve!
Storage and Reheat Instructions
Store the lasagna soup in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to three to four days. When it’s time to reheat, you can either do so in the microwave or on stove top by letting it simmer on low until heated through.
Tips and Tricks for the Best Soup
- Don’t forget to salt the pasta water with a generous sprinkle of salt to ensure that the lasagna noodles are well seasoned.
- I prefer to add the cheese mixture separately to each bowl right before serving. That way everyone can choose their desired amount or skip it altogether. You can add the cheese mixture to the entire pot of soup but I prefer to add it to each individual bowl instead to avoid any cheese sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Don’t skip the additional fresh basil before serving. It really adds that extra punch of flavor to the soup.
- While I include a recommended amount of salt in the recipe ingredients, feel free to use less or a little more if needed to suite your tastebuds.
- The starch from the pasta may cause the soup to thicken a bit after sitting, so if it becomes too thick you can add a bit of extra broth (just add the amount based on your preference) when reheating to help maintain that soup like consistency.
How to Freeze
This a great soup to freeze and save for a rainy day!
Here are some of my favorite freezer tips:
- Make the noodles fresh – if you plan to make and freeze the soup, I recommend skipping the step to make the noodles. You can make the noodles fresh when you plan to thaw, reheat, and serve the soup.
- Skip freezing the cheese – if using, I recommend making the cheese topping separately and not freezing with the rest of the soup.
- To reheat the soup from frozen – remove it from the freezer and place in the fridge to thaw. When it has thawed completely reheat the soup either on stovetop or in the microwave.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
- Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup
- Hearty Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup
- Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Salsa Verde Chicken Soup
- Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Easy Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Healthy Zuppa Toscana Soup
Get all of our reader favorite soup recipes, here!
I hope you give this Lasagna Soup a try! It’s delicious, comforting, and a hearty weeknight lunch or dinner.
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Lasagna Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Lunch & Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Lunch & Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 pound Italian sausage
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1–15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 large zucchini, sliced
- 8 lasagna noodles, broken in half
- 1/4 cup chopped basil (plus more for garnish)
Cheese Topping for Serving
- 8 oz ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
- generous pinch of salt and pepper
Method
- Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the olive oil and then add the ground beef and Italian sausage. Brown the meat, breaking it up as it cooks.
- Once the meat has browned, add the diced onion and minced garlic. Cook for a few more minutes until the onion begins to become translucent.
- Next, add the Italian seasoning, salt, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste. Stir until well combined.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, fire roasted tomatoes, chicken broth, and dried bay leaf and stir. Bring the soup to a boil and then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- Cook the Noodles: While the soup is simmering, cook the lasagna noodles. Break the noodles in half before adding them to a large pot of boiling water that has been seasoned with salt. Stir them occasionally to prevent sticking. Once the noodles are al dente, drain them and let the cool a bit. Use a sharp knife to cut the lasagna noodle halves in half again. Set aside.
- Make the Cheese Topping: Add the ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses, lemon juice, chopped basil, chopped parsley, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper to a mixing bowl. Mix everything until well combined.
- Once the soup has finished simmering, add the sliced zucchini and simmer for a minute or so more until it is tender. The zucchini should be tender but still bright green.
- Lastly, stir in the cooked lasagna noodles and fresh basil. Ladle the soup into bowls and then top with generous spoonfuls of the cheese mixture and additional fresh basil.
Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: THE MINDFUL HAPA
