Lasagna is incredible but let’s be real. You’re not spending a Tuesday night boiling noodles, browning meat, making béchamel, and playing Tetris with cheese layers. This lasagna soup delivers everything you love about classic lasagna – rich meat sauce, tender noodles, and creamy cheese – without layering, baking, or babysitting a pan. One pot. One hour. Real comfort food that fits your schedule.
The difference between boring soup and one you’ll crave is all in the technique. Brown the meat hard to build fond (a step most people rush). Bloom the garlic and Italian seasoning in that fat. Toast the tomato paste and bouillon paste until they darken and smell sweet – that’s where depth lives. Then add marinara, fire-roasted tomatoes, and beef broth, drop the noodles right into the pot, and let them soak up every ounce of flavor. Finish each bowl with ricotta mixed with Parmesan and basil for the ultimate cheat code: every layer of lasagna, zero assembly required.
This recipe lives in our comfort food soups for a reason – it’s built for real dinners, not weekend projects.
🔪 Ingredients for Lasagna Soup
The Soup
- Olive oil – For browning the meat and building flavor
- Ground beef – Use 80/20 for richness without excess grease
- Italian sausage – Sweet or hot, both work; adds depth you can’t fake (though we’re always partial to hot)…
- Yellow onion, diced – Classic base flavor
- Green bell pepper, diced – Traditional lasagna-adjacent flavor; adds sweetness
- Garlic, minced – Fresh only; jarred gets muddy here
- Italian seasoning – One blend keeps things simple
- Kosher salt – Season in layers
- Black pepper – Adds background heat
- Crushed red pepper flakes – Optional, but recommended
- Tomato paste – Must be cooked until brick-red for depth
- Chicken bouillon paste – Boosts savory flavor without extra liquid
- Marinara sauce – Use one you already like; it sets the tone
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes – Adds smoky tomato backbone
- Low-sodium beef broth – Lets you control salt
- Bay leaf – Quiet background flavor
- Lasagna noodles, broken – Rustic bites > perfect squares
- Fresh parsley – Brightens everything at the end
Ricotta Topping
- Whole-milk ricotta – Creamy, not grainy
- Parmesan – Salty, nutty balance
- Kosher salt – Just enough to wake it up
- Fresh basil – Clean herbal finish
- Shredded mozzarella – Melts into the soup, not the bowl
Equipment
- Large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven
- Wooden spoon
- Small bowl (for ricotta topping)
📝 Step-by-Step Instructions: How to Make Lasagna Soup
- Brown the meat. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and beef. Cook until about halfway browned.
- Build the base. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook until the meat finishes browning and the vegetables soften, about 6 minutes.
- Bloom the seasoning. Stir in garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Cook the pastes. Add tomato paste and chicken bouillon paste. Stir constantly for 1 minute so they caramelize instead of scorching.
- Add the liquids. Pour in marinara, fire-roasted tomatoes (with juices), beef broth, and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cook the noodles. Add broken lasagna noodles and stir well so nothing sticks. Simmer 10–12 minutes, stirring often, until noodles are tender.
- Finish the soup. Remove bay leaf. Stir in parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Mix the ricotta topping. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and basil.
- Serve. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with shredded mozzarella, then add a spoonful of ricotta mixture and let it melt in.
🔄 Substitutions & Variations
- Skip the sausage and use all ground beef if preferred.
- Use hot Italian sausage for extra heat.
- Cook noodles separately if you want firmer texture for leftovers.
- Swap ground turkey for a lighter option (season aggressively).
💡 Meat Nerd Tips
- Cooking the tomato paste until it darkens removes the raw tomato bite and adds depth. Don’t rush it.
- Bouillon paste isn’t cheating—it’s concentrated flavor insurance, especially in soups with a lot of starch.
- Breaking lasagna noodles by hand gives you uneven edges that feel more like real lasagna bites.
- Brown the meat properly – color equals flavor – not just grey steamed meat.
- Stir continuously after adding tomato paste and bouillon paste so they don’t burn.
- Then, stir immediately after adding noodles to prevent clumping.
- Use a marinara you already like; it’s part of the final flavor.
- Add the mozzarella first, so the heat of the soup melts it before the ricotta goes on.
🍽️ What to Serve with Lasagna Soup
- Crusty bread or garlic knots for dunking
- Simple green salad with a sharp vinaigrette
- Extra Parmesan and red pepper flakes at the table
🧊 How to Store and Reheat Lasagna Soup
- Refrigerate cooled soup in an airtight container up to 4 days.
- Reheat gently on the stove over medium-low heat.
- Add a splash of broth when reheating—the noodles soak up liquid as it sits.
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Lasagna Soup Recipe (One-Pot, Cheesy, and Weeknight-Lazy)
Recommended Equipment
- Large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven
- Wooden spoon
- Small bowl (for ricotta topping)
Ingredients
For the Soup:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 cup yellow onion diced
- 1 cup green bell peppe diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon paste
- 1 jar 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 1 can 14.5 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 6 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 9 lasagna noodles broken into 1 to 2 inch pieces
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
For the Toppings
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- shredded mozzarella cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage and ground beef. Cook until about half browned.
- Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook until the meat finishes browning and the veggies soften, about six minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, italian seasoning, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato paste and chicken bouillon paste. Cook while stirring for another minute.
- Pour in the marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, and beef broth.
- Add the bay leaf, then bring the soup to a simmer. Heat for 6-8 minutes.
- Add the broken lasagna noodles. Stir until they’re submerged. Simmer until the noodles are tender, about 10-12 minutes. Stir often to prevent sticking.
- Remove the bay leaf and stir in the fresh parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Mix the ricotta, Parmesan, kosher salt, and basil in a small bowl.
- Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with mozzarella. Add a spoonful of the ricotta mixture.
Notes
- Soup thickens as it sits; add broth when reheating.
- For firmer noodles, cook them separately and add per bowl.
- Use whole-milk ricotta for the creamiest topping.
- This soup is even better the next day once flavors settle.
Nutrition
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❓ Lasagna Soup FAQs
Yes, but the soup will taste flatter. The bouillon paste adds concentrated savory depth that balances the tomatoes and noodles.
No. The juices add flavor and help season the broth.
Yes, but freeze it without the noodles for best texture. Add freshly cooked noodles when reheating.
The noodles absorb liquid as the soup rests. Add more broth when reheating to loosen it.
Yes. Cooking noodles separately keeps them firmer, especially if you plan on leftovers.
Make a big pot, grab a ladle, and let this one do the heavy lifting – weeknight comfort without the mess.
