Lasagna Soup

Something cozy and hearty for you today. This lasagna soup is serious comfort food. Warm-you-to-your-toes comfort food, right up there with my baked ziti and rigatoni. Rich and hearty, meaty, super cheesy, it’s every bit as satisfying as classic lasagna, only made simpler because everything is just tossed in a pot together and ready in 30 minutes. Sweet recipes are my specialty, but every now and then I make something savory that’s just so good I can’t keep it to myself, and I perfected this recipe shortly after Luke was born (I was too tired to put the effort into making a real lasagna!). Let me know in the comments if you try this lasagna soup and how you like it!

What You Need

It looks like a lot of ingredients, but most are staples. Note that these days I shred my own mozzarella and grate my own parmesan, it does make a difference!

Protein. For a hearty meal, we start with a meaty base of Italian sausage and ground beef. Sure, you can use all of one or the other, but I find the blend of the two gives you the best possible flavor (just like when making my meatballs). Tomatoes. We use tomato sauce, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes for a great flavor. To help balance that somewhat tinny flavor that can come with using canned tomatoes (or just due to the acidity of tomatoes in general) we also add a pinch of sugar. Save your fresh tomatoes for making tomato basil soup instead, as the canned variety are best here (just like with my homemade salsa). Ricotta cheese. A staple in Italian dinners and desserts alike (save your extra for cannoli or cannoli cake), this is what classic lasagna filling is made of and is key for an authentic lasagna flavor. Cream cheese. The secret ingredient in my stuffed shells and manicotti, this adds a beautiful creaminess to the soup. Noodles. Mafalda are the best option as they have the texture of lasagna noodles and just look like mini lasagna pieces! If you can’t find them, you can substitute a similar small pasta (I think I’d look for bowtie).

How to Make Lasagna Soup

The recipe is detailed in its entirety below, but here are the highlights: This ricotta-based topping is what gives the lasagna soup its cheesiness, since there’s none in the actual base of the soup recipe. You’ll mix up mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, parsley, and just a bit of cream cheese. The cream cheese is optional, but I love the flavor it adds. Dollop the topping on top of your soup, then stir it in for a creamy, cheesy meal. I also have a step-by-step video below the recipe detailing exactly how to make this recipe.

What to Serve with Lasagna Soup:

Any kind of crusty bread is great. We love my garlic knots, Garlic cheese drop biscuits, regular biscuits, buttermilk biscuits, or a slice of crusty artisan bread or sourdough. This recipe is a great stand-alone meal thanks tot he protein base and the veggies, but if you’re loooking for an appropriate side Bruschetta or a Caprese Salad are great options, and might I recommend some tiramisu or Italian cream cake for dessert?

Can I Make This in the Crockpot?

You can, but a lot of the heavy lifting needs to be done outside of the crockpot in order to get the best flavor. I would recommend cooking your onions, meat, and garlic on the stovetop as indicated. Then transfer these to the slow cooker along with all of the remaining ingredients except the pasta and spinach (and, of course, without the topping). Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. 30 minutes before you are ready to serve, add the pasta and spinach and cover, cook until the pasta is tender and then serve.

Tips

You can use one full pound of sausage or one full pound of ground beef instead of a combination of the two (though the way it this lasagna soup recipe is written yields the best flavor in my opinion). This recipe could also be made with ground chicken or ground turkey instead of beef. If you are going to make lasagna soup in advance, you may need to add a bit more broth when you serve it to make it appropriately soupy again. As the soup sits and simmers, the pasta noodles will absorb much of the liquid. If your grocery store doesn’t carry Mafalda noodles you can substitute any similarly-sized noodle (small bowties, spiral rotini, etc.) or you can simply break up lasagna noodles and use those. If you grate your own mozzarella cheese it will melt more nicely into the soup when you serve it, while pre-shredded tends to retain its shape. Full disclosure: I’m usually to lazy to shred my own and no one has ever complained.

Enjoy!