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LASAGNA SOUP RECIPE

Name: LASAGNA SOUP RECIPE
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 250g (9 oz) Ground beef, 80/20; 250g (9 oz) Italian sausage, casings removed (hot or sweet); 1 medium Yellow onion, finely diced; 4 cloves Garlic, minced; 2 tbsp Tomato paste; 400g (14 oz) Crushed San Marzano tomatoes; 400g (14 oz) Diced tomatoes, with their juice; 1 litre (4 cups) Low-sodium chicken or beef stock; 1 tsp Dried oregano; 1 tsp Dried basil; 1/2 tsp Dried thyme; 1/2 tsp Red chili flakes; 1 tsp Kosher salt; 1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper; 1 tsp White granulated sugar (balances tomato acidity); 200g (7 oz) Lasagna sheets, broken into rough 5cm pieces; 60g (2 cups loosely packed) Fresh baby spinach (optional, added at the end); 250g (1 cup) Full-fat ricotta cheese; 100g (1 cup) Fresh mozzarella, torn, or low-moisture mozzarella, shredded; 50g (1/2 cup) Parmesan, freshly grated; 1 tbsp Fresh flat-leaf parsley or basil, finely chopped; Pinch Kosher salt and black pepper, to season the ricotta; To taste Extra Parmesan, for finishing each bowl; To taste Red chili flakes and fresh basil leaves; Crusty bread or garlic bread For serving alongside

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Total 40m

Prep 10m

Cook 30m

Serves 6

Level easy

Lasagna soup is every flavor of a classic baked lasagna built into a single pot of soup. Seasoned ground beef, Italian sausage, a rich tomato broth, broken lasagna noodles, and a ricotta-parmesan-mozzarella dollop stirred in at the table. Same flavors. A fraction of the time. No layering, no baking dish to scrub.

Where did lasagna soup come from? It started appearing on American food blogs around 2010 and picked up serious momentum on social media through 2022 and 2023. The appeal is direct: classic lasagna takes 90 minutes minimum and requires precise layering. Lasagna soup takes 40 minutes and one pot and tastes close enough that most people prefer it for a weeknight.

What makes it taste like actual lasagna and not just tomato pasta soup? Three things. The combination of ground beef and Italian sausage gives the broth the same savory, fennel-forward, slightly spicy depth that a good Bolognese layer delivers. Tomato paste cooked until caramelized before the liquid goes in adds concentration and body. And the three-cheese topping, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan stirred into each bowl right before eating, is exactly what the cheese layer in a baked lasagna does to the flavor and texture of every bite.

What noodles work best? Broken lasagna sheets are the traditional choice for authenticity. Break them into rough 5cm pieces before adding. Bowtie pasta, rigatoni, and pappardelle all work as substitutes. Whatever you use, cook the pasta directly in the soup for the last 10 minutes so it absorbs the broth flavor and releases starch that thickens the soup naturally.

What does lasagna soup taste like? Rich, deeply savory, slightly sweet from the tomatoes, with a creamy, tangy finish from the ricotta. The broth is thicker than a standard soup because of the pasta starch and the tomato concentration. It eats more like a stew than a broth-forward soup.

The ricotta topping is not optional. It's the thing that makes lasagna soup taste like lasagna rather than pasta in tomato broth.

Recipe Profile

4 attributes

Category Soups Salads Light Meals

Subcategory Soups Stews

Origin USA

Season All Season

Ingredients

25 Items

Instructions

6 Steps

Make the cheese topping first

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, torn mozzarella, grated Parmesan, and chopped parsley or basil. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Stir until combined. Taste it. It should be creamy, slightly salty, and herby. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Making it first means it's cold and ready to go into each hot bowl right at the table. Cold ricotta topping against hot soup creates the right temperature contrast and keeps the cheese from immediately dissolving into the broth.

Brown the meat

Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and Italian sausage directly to the dry pot with no oil. The fat from the meat is enough. Break the meat up with a wooden spoon and cook without stirring for 2 minutes so the bottom layer develops a crust before you mix. Then stir and continue cooking for another 4 to 5 minutes until fully browned with no pink remaining. Tilt the pot and spoon out excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon behind in the pot. The fat carries flavor. Draining completely makes the broth taste flat.

Cook the aromatics

Add the diced onion to the browned meat in the pot. Cook over medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for 60 seconds until fragrant. Add the tomato paste directly to the pot and press it against the hot surface. Cook for 90 seconds, stirring constantly, until it darkens to a deep brick red and smells caramelized. This step concentrates the tomato flavor and removes the raw, sharp edge that uncooked tomato paste leaves in soups.

Build the broth

Pour in the crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes with their juice. Stir and scrape up any browned bits from the pot bottom. Add the stock, dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, chili flakes, salt, pepper, and sugar. Stir everything together. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broth deepens in color and the tomato and meat flavors have started to meld. Taste the broth now before the pasta goes in and adjust salt if needed.

Add the pasta and cook

Add the broken lasagna sheets directly to the simmering soup. Stir immediately to prevent them from sticking together at the bottom of the pot. Cook uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until the pasta is al dente. The pasta releases starch as it cooks and thickens the soup naturally. The soup will look noticeably thicker at the end of the pasta cooking time than when the pasta went in. If it thickens too much, add a splash of stock. If adding spinach, stir it in now and cook for 60 seconds until just wilted.

Taste and serve

Taste the finished soup and adjust salt, pepper, or chili flakes. Ladle into deep, warmed bowls. Spoon 2 to 3 generous tablespoons of the cheese topping into the center of each bowl. Don't stir it in. Let it sit on top and partially melt into the soup over the first minute of eating. Finish each bowl with extra Parmesan, fresh basil or parsley, a pinch of chili flakes, and cracked black pepper. Serve with crusty bread or garlic bread alongside.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving

599.6kcal Calories approx.

protein 72%

35.9g

sodium 50%

1159.2mg

cholesterol 34%

102.8mg

Vitamin D 2%

0.4mcg

Calcium 37%

367.4mg

Iron 13%

2.3mg

Potassium 15%

718.4mg

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

What every cook needs to know about lasagna soup

Why does lasagna soup taste like actual lasagna?

The combination of ground beef and Italian sausage mirrors what a proper meat layer in baked lasagna tastes like. Sausage brings fennel, garlic, and spice. Beef brings richness and depth. Cooking them together in one pot means the fat and flavor from both meats go directly into the broth. The caramelized tomato paste adds the same concentrated tomato layer that a slow-cooked Bolognese provides. And the three-cheese topping dropped into each bowl replicates the creamy ricotta and melted mozzarella layers of the original dish bite for bite.

Why cook the pasta in the soup instead of separately?

Cooking lasagna noodles directly in the broth does two things. The pasta absorbs the soup flavor as it cooks rather than tasting like plain boiled pasta sitting in flavored broth. And the starch released from the pasta as it cooks thickens the soup to a consistency closer to a stew than a clear broth, which is exactly the texture lasagna soup should have. The trade-off is that leftover soup thickens further overnight as the pasta keeps absorbing liquid.

What happens to leftovers?

The pasta absorbs broth overnight in the fridge and the soup turns thick and stew-like by the next day. Add a splash of stock when reheating and it comes back to the right consistency quickly. For meal prep specifically, cook the pasta separately and store it apart from the soup. Combine when reheating. This keeps the broth at the right consistency for up to 4 days.

Can you make lasagna soup without Italian sausage?

Yes. Use 500g of ground beef alone and add 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds, a pinch more chili flakes, and an extra clove of garlic to the aromatics to compensate for the flavor that Italian sausage provides. The soup is still very good. The fennel note from the sausage is noticeable when it's missing, so the fennel seeds substitute matters.

Does the ricotta topping have to be cold?

Cold ricotta going into a hot bowl creates the right contrast. It partially melts at the edges while staying creamy in the center, which is how the cheese layer in baked lasagna behaves. Room temperature ricotta melts into the broth too fast and loses its distinct creamy texture. Make the topping first, keep it in the fridge, and spoon it cold into each hot bowl right before serving.

Lasagna soup is a one-pot soup that recreates the flavors of baked lasagna without the layering or baking time. It's made with ground beef, Italian sausage, a rich tomato broth, broken lasagna noodles cooked directly in the soup, and a three-cheese topping of ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan added to each bowl at serving. It takes about 40 minutes and produces the same deep, savory, cheesy flavor profile as a classic baked lasagna.

Broken lasagna sheets are the most authentic choice, broken into rough 5cm pieces before adding to the soup. Bowtie pasta (farfalle), rigatoni, and pappardelle are good substitutes with similar texture and sauce-catching ability. Cook the pasta directly in the soup for the last 10 to 12 minutes so it absorbs the broth flavor and releases starch that thickens the soup naturally.

Yes. Brown the meat and cook the aromatics on the stovetop first, then transfer everything except the pasta and cheese topping to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. Add the broken lasagna noodles in the last 30 minutes on high heat. Make the cheese topping separately and add cold to each bowl at serving. The broth develops a deeper flavor in the slow cooker but the pasta needs to be watched so it doesn't overcook and turn mushy.

The pasta releases starch as it cooks and the soup thickens significantly, especially overnight. For a thinner consistency during cooking, add stock a ladleful at a time. For leftovers, add a splash of stock when reheating and stir over medium heat until the soup returns to the right consistency. For meal prep, cook the pasta separately and combine with the soup only when serving.

Yes. Replace the ground beef and Italian sausage with 2 cans of drained lentils or 400g of finely diced mushrooms, or a combination of both. Use vegetable stock instead of chicken or beef stock. Add 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds and an extra tablespoon of tomato paste to build the savory depth that the meat would otherwise provide. The cheese topping stays the same. The soup is still rich and satisfying without the meat.

Freeze the soup base without the pasta and without the cheese topping. Cooked pasta doesn't freeze well, it turns mushy when thawed. Cool the soup base completely, transfer to freezer-safe containers, and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat on the stovetop, cook fresh pasta directly in the reheated soup, and make the cheese topping fresh. The base freezes and reheats with no quality loss.

Recipe By

Elena Marchetti

Elena Marchetti is Roamfeast's Recipe Expert, developing and testing global recipes for home cooks. With a background in professional kitchens and food writing, she focuses on recipes that are accurate, achievable, and genuinely worth cooking - no filler, no untested shortcuts.