Lasagna soup gives you all the good parts of a lasagna (the meaty tomato sauce, the soft noodles, the melty cheese) without the layering, the 90 minutes in the oven, or the pan you have to soak overnight. It’s all in one pot and on the table in about 45 minutes, which is why this lasagna soup recipe has become one of the most searched soups every fall.
There are a lot of versions out there. This lasagna soup recipe focuses on the things that tend to go wrong: noodles that turn to mush, cheese that clumps into a stringy ball, and leftovers that are more like a casserole than a soup by the next day.
Cook’s note: Break the noodles inside a zip-top bag before they go in. The shards don’t fly across the counter, and you get even, spoon-sized pieces.
RECIPE
One Pot Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb Italian sausage mild or hot, casings removed
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 piece Parmesan rind optional, about 2 inches
- 8 lasagna noodles broken into 2-inch pieces (about 8 oz)
- 2 cups baby spinach optional
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan plus more for serving
- fresh basil torn
Method
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up, until well browned, about 7 minutes. Leave the fat in the pot.
- Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, tomato paste, oregano, basil and pepper flakes and stir for 2 minutes, until the tomato paste turns a shade darker and starts sticking to the pot.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and broth and scrape up the browned bits. Add the Parmesan rind, bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Add the broken noodles and simmer, stirring often so they don’t stick, for 10 to 12 minutes, until tender. Stir in the spinach at the end until wilted. Remove the rind and season with salt and pepper.
- While the soup simmers, mix the ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan in a bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top each one with a big spoonful of the cheese mixture and some basil. Serve right away.
Nutrition
Notes
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Why the Cheese Goes on Top, Not In
Plenty of recipes tell you to stir the ricotta and mozzarella straight into the pot. Don’t. The mozzarella melts into long strings that wrap around the ladle, and the ricotta goes grainy once it boils. A cold dollop on each bowl works much better. It melts slowly as you eat, you get creamy bites and tomato bites, and it tastes a lot more like an actual slice of lasagna. It also keeps the leftovers from turning into a thick, cheesy block.
Small Steps That Make a Big Difference
- Really brown the sausage. The dark bits on the bottom of the pot are where most of the flavor comes from. Give it a full 7 minutes.
- Cook the tomato paste. Two minutes of stirring until it darkens takes away the tinny, raw taste and makes the broth taste like it simmered for hours.
- Throw in a Parmesan rind. If you keep the ends of your Parmesan (you should), one piece in the broth adds a salty, nutty depth that you can’t get any other way. Fish it out before serving.
- Stir while the noodles cook. Broken lasagna noodles love to stick to each other and the bottom of the pot, especially in the first 3 minutes.
The Leftover Problem (and How to Avoid It)
This is the complaint in almost every comment section: day-two lasagna soup has no soup left. Pasta keeps absorbing liquid in the fridge. You have two options:
- Cook the noodles separately in salted water, drain, toss with a little oil, and add a handful to each bowl. The soup keeps its broth for days. This is the way to go if you’re meal prepping.
- Keep extra broth around. If the noodles are already in, just stir in a cup of broth or water when you reheat and adjust the salt.
Can You Make Lasagna Soup in a Crockpot?
Yes, with one rule: the noodles go in at the end. Brown the sausage, onion, garlic and tomato paste in a skillet first (this step matters, don’t skip it), scrape it all into the slow cooker, and add the tomatoes, broth, spices and Parmesan rind. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4. Then add the broken noodles, turn it to high and cook for 25 to 30 minutes until tender. Top with the cheese mix as usual. If you like slow cooker soups, this crockpot loaded potato soup is another hands-off favorite.
Swaps and Variations
- Beef: use half ground beef and half sausage. Add 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed if you drop the sausage completely.
- Lighter: ground turkey or chicken sausage, and part-skim ricotta.
- Vegetarian: skip the meat, sauté 8 oz of chopped mushrooms and a diced zucchini instead, and use vegetable broth.
- Other pasta: mafalda, campanelle or even broken no-boil lasagna noodles all work. No-boil noodles cook in about 6 minutes, so check early.
- Creamy: stir 1/2 cup of heavy cream into the pot before serving for a rosé-style broth.
Storage and Freezing
Keep the soup and the cheese topping in separate containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. For freezing, freeze only the soup base (without noodles or cheese) for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight, bring it back to a simmer, and cook fresh noodles right in the pot. It tastes like you made it that day.
Lasagna Soup Recipe FAQs
Can I use jarred marinara instead of crushed tomatoes? Yes. Use one 24 oz jar and cut the dried herbs in half, since most jars are already seasoned.
What if I don’t have ricotta? Cottage cheese blended until smooth works well, or skip it and just use mozzarella and Parmesan.
Can I make it gluten free? Use gluten-free lasagna noodles, but cook them separately, since they break down faster and cloud the broth.
What goes with it? Garlic bread, of course, or a crisp green salad with a sharp vinaigrette. For more cozy bowls like this one, try the roasted butternut squash soup or browse all our soup recipes.
