Lasagna Soup
This lasagna soup has all of the delicious flavors of a classic lasagna, in soup form! It’s easy to make, flavorful and so comforting.
Lasagna Soup is like a hug in a bowl
I can’t think of anything more comforting than homemade lasagna, except maybe this lasagna soup! I love this recipe because the pasta noodles cook right in the pot of soup, soaking up so much flavor. Plus, you can’t beat the easy clean up of a one pot recipe!
This lasagna soup is especially thick and hearty, filled with ground beef, noodles and a few veggies, too. We like to top our bowls of soup with a spoonful of ricotta and a little shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan. Yum!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Best Types of Pasta for Lasagna Soup
I like to make this soup with short pasta shapes that have a bit of texture to them. My favorite is mafalda pasta, which are like mini lasagna noodles (you can see them in the recipe video in this post). Pictured in the photos is cascatelli, a fun pasta shape with lots of texture. You could use other short pasta shapes, too.
You can also use regular lasagna noodles and break them up into small bite-size pieces. Be sure that the noodle pieces aren’t too big or it makes them hard to eat in the soup. (I speak from experience here!)
How to Make Lasagna Soup
Cook ground beef, onion and bell pepper in a Dutch oven or other large pot until the meat has browned.
Add remaining ingredients. First, stir in the garlic, tomato paste, dried oregano, dried basil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute to cook off the raw garlic and tomato paste flavors. Then stir in the broth and crushed tomatoes. Bring the soup to a boil, then stir in the noodles.
Simmer soup for 12-15 minutes, until noodles are cooked, stirring often to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Taste test a noodle to check for doneness.
Stir in chopped spinach and serve, topped with ricotta, mozzarella and/or Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Recipe Variations
- Meat: You can make this soup with ground beef, Italian sausage or ground turkey.
- Vegetarian: Omit the meat and add cremini mushrooms to the pot to sauté along with the onion. Or, stir in a can of cannellini beans, small white beans or red kidney beans when adding the noodles.
- Vegetables: Change up the veggies in this soup. Try adding diced carrots (sauté them with the onion), chopped zucchini (add it with the noodles) or swap the spinach for kale.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: If you plan to make this lasagna soup ahead of time, under-cook the noodles just a little bit. The noodles will continue to soak up more of the saucy broth as the soup rests in the refrigerator. You may need to add more water or broth right before serving if the soup thickens up too much.
- To Store: Store lasagna soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: Let cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. The noodles may lose some of their texture, so you may wish to wait and add them after freezing. Thaw soup overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To Reheat: Reheat soup in a pot on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until hot. You may need to add more broth when reheating if the pasta has soaked it up during storage.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef, or Italian sausage or ground turkey
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 8 ounces short pasta shapes or lasagna noodles*, about 8 lasagna noodles, broken into bite-size pieces (see note)
- 2 cups packed fresh spinach, chopped (about 2 ounces)
- Optional, for serving: shredded mozzarella, ricotta and/or grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onion and bell pepper and cook, breaking up the meat and stirring often, until the meat browns, about 6-8 minutes. Drain off excess grease as needed.
- Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, dried oregano, dried basil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Stir in the broth and crushed tomatoes. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
- Stir in the pasta or broken lasagna noodles and reduce heat to a medium boil. Cook for 12-15 minutes (uncovered), or until noodles are cooked, stirring often to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Taste test a noodle to check for doneness.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped spinach.
- Serve with a sprinkle of shredded mozzarella and/or Parmesan, and/or a spoonful of ricotta cheese, as desired.
Notes
- Noodles: I prefer to make this soup with short pasta shapes, because they are easier to eat than broken up lasagna noodles. If using short pasta, I like to choose one with some texture. I’ve used cascatelli from Trader Joe’s, or if you can find mafalda pasta, they are like mini lasagna noodles and work perfectly in this soup.
- Make Ahead: If you plan to make this lasagna soup ahead of time, under-cook the noodles just a little bit. The noodles will continue to soak up more of the saucy broth as the soup rests in the refrigerator. You may need to add more water or broth right before serving if the soup thickens up too much.
- To Store: Store lasagna soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: Let cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. The noodles may lose some of their texture, so you may wish to wait and add them after freezing. Thaw soup overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To Reheat: Reheat soup in a pot on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until hot. You may need to add more broth when reheating if the pasta has soaked it up during storage.
I originally shared this recipe in February 2018. Updated September 2024 with an improved recipe, new photos and more tips.
I was a bit skeptical about this at first, but decided to try it out. This soup is fantastic! I’m so glad I gave it a chance!
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you for leaving a comment to let us know. 🙂
Hubby was asking for “lasagne soup”, and up popped this recipe on Pinterest. He requested ground beef instead of turkey, and no bell pepper, and it was absolutely delicious. He said it tastes exactly how he envisioned it!
Am I able to make this in the instant pot?
I think you could make it work, but without testing it myself it’s difficult to give specific directions. Soups take a long time for the Instant Pot to reach pressure and then release pressure, due to the high volume of liquid in the pot. If you add the noodles before pressure cooking, they may overcook and become mushy. You could pressure cook and then add the noodles and cook them using the saute function, but then I’m not sure it would be much easier than making this on the stove.