Easy Lasagna Soup
All the flavor of baked lasagna in one pot in about an hour. Italian sausage, tomatoes and broken lasagna noodles simmer in a savory beef broth. Each bowl is finished with a dollop of herby ricotta and melty mozzarella.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 46 min
- Wait
- 2 min
- Total
- 1 hr 3 min
- Makes
- About 11 cups (6 generous servings)
Steps
Before you start
- Remove the ricotta from the fridge when you start chopping so it is easier to stir.
- Shred the mozzarella from a block if you can. It melts more smoothly than pre-shredded cheese, which contains anti-caking starch.
- Use a 5- to 6-quart pot. The noodles swell as they cook, and a smaller pot will crowd them.
- Plan about 1 hour 3 minutes in total: 15 minutes of prep, 46 minutes on the stove and a 2-minute rest for the cheese.
- Plan to serve right away. The noodles keep absorbing broth as the soup sits.
Prep and mix topping
- Dice the onion, mince the garlic, break the lasagna noodles into rough 1½-inch (4 cm) pieces, and chop the spinach if using.
- In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta, Parmesan and chopped parsley with a pinch of black pepper.
- Cover and set the ricotta mixture aside in the fridge.
- Keep the shredded mozzarella separate.
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Ready when: Noodle pieces are bite-sized and the ricotta mixture is evenly speckled with herbs.
Tip: Break the noodles by hand in a large bowl so the pieces don't scatter across the counter.
Brown the sausage
- Set a 5- to 6-quart pot over medium-high heat and add the sausage.
- Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles with a wooden spoon.
- Stop when no pink remains and the pieces are browned in spots.
- Tilt the pot and spoon off all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat.
- If your sausage is very lean and the pot looks dry, leave all the fat in.
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Ready when: Sausage is browned with no pink left and reaches 160°F (71°C).
Tip: Don't stir constantly for the first couple of minutes. Letting the sausage sit briefly gives it better browning and more flavor.
Soften the onion
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the diced onion to the sausage and fat and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot as the onion releases moisture.
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Ready when: Onion is soft and translucent with lightly golden edges.
Toast garlic and paste
- Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes if using.
- Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- The paste will darken to a brick red and the garlic will smell fragrant.
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Ready when: Tomato paste has darkened to brick red and the garlic smells fragrant but is not browned.
Tip: If the garlic starts to brown, add a splash of the broth right away. Burnt garlic turns bitter.
Simmer the broth
- Add the crushed tomatoes, beef broth, water and sugar if using.
- Stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, about 3 minutes, then reduce to medium-low.
- Partially cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice so the flavors blend.
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Ready when: Soup is steadily bubbling at the edges and smells rich and tomatoey.
Tip: Taste for acidity. If the soup tastes sharp, the optional teaspoon of sugar will round it out.
Cook the noodles
- Raise the heat to medium so the soup holds a steady gentle boil.
- Stir in the broken noodles.
- Cook uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes so the pieces don't stick together or to the bottom.
- Start tasting a noodle at 10 minutes and go by tenderness rather than the clock.
- If they still have a firm center, keep cooking, checking every minute (some brands need up to 14 minutes).
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Ready when: Noodles are tender with a slight chew (al dente), with no hard white center, and the soup has thickened slightly.
Tip: Stir often at first, because broken lasagna pieces tend to clump on the bottom of the pot.
Add spinach and season
- Turn the heat to low.
- Stir in the spinach, if using, and cook for 1 minute until wilted.
- Season with salt, starting with ½ teaspoon, and black pepper.
- Taste and adjust.
- Remove the pot from the heat.
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Ready when: Spinach is dark green and wilted, and the soup tastes well seasoned.
Tip: Wait to salt until the end. The sausage, broth and cheeses already add salt.
Top and serve
- Ladle the hot soup into bowls.
- Add a generous spoonful of the ricotta mixture to each bowl.
- Sprinkle about ¼ cup (28 g) of mozzarella over each.
- Let the bowls sit for about 2 minutes so the cheese softens and melts into the soup, then serve right away.
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Ready when: Mozzarella is soft, stringy and starting to melt into the soup.
Tip: For extra-melty cheese, run filled oven-safe bowls under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes.
Good to know
Tips
- Break the noodles into small pieces so they fit on a spoon and cook evenly.
- Cook the noodles right in the soup. Their starch gives the broth a lightly thickened body.
- Toasting the tomato paste before adding the liquid adds depth in only 2 minutes.
- If leftovers get too thick, loosen the soup with ½ cup (120 ml) of broth or water when reheating.
Make ahead
Make the soup through step 5 up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate. Reheat to a gentle boil, then cook the noodles fresh in step 6. Mix the ricotta topping up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Fridge: store the soup without the toppings in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The noodles will absorb broth, so add a splash of broth or water when reheating. Freezer: the noodles turn soft after freezing, so freeze the soup base without noodles for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat and cook fresh noodles in it. Reheat gently in a pot over medium-low heat, stirring, until steaming hot (165°F/74°C), then add the toppings.
Substitutions
- Italian sausage (mild or hot) → ground beef or ground turkey. Add ½ tsp fennel seeds and an extra pinch of salt and red pepper flakes to mimic Italian sausage. Cook turkey to 165°F (74°C).
- low-sodium beef broth → low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth. The soup will taste lighter and a little less savory. Add 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce if you like.
- dry lasagna noodles (about 6–7 standard noodles) → mafalda, campanelle or broken pappardelle. Use the same weight and check for tenderness 2 minutes before the package time.
- whole-milk ricotta → whole-milk cottage cheese, drained. The texture is slightly looser. Blend it briefly for a smoother topping.
