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Comfort food · Free printable
All the lasagna,
none of the layering.
Lasagna is wonderful. Lasagna is also an afternoon of layering, baking, and waiting while everyone asks, “Is it ready yet?” This soup gives you the same cozy flavor in one pot. The noodles get broken up, the sauce turns into broth, and the cheese gets to be the star on top of every bowl.
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It’s the kind of dinner that brings people to the table without being called twice. Make a big pot, set out the cheese topping, and let everyone scoop their own.
Make it at home
Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
- ¾ pound ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons each dried basil, dried parsley, dried oregano, and Italian seasoning
- Salt, cracked black pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 6½ cups chicken broth
- (I add 1 teaspoon caldo de pollo.)
- 1 pound lasagna noodles, broken into thirds
- 1 cup heavy cream
- A handful of fresh basil
Cheese topping
- 15 ounces ricotta
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan
- ¼ cup chopped fresh curly parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
How to make it
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and ground beef and brown them together, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks.
- Add the onion and cook until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook about 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato paste, dried basil, dried parsley, dried oregano, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, and caldo de pollo. Bring to a boil, then taste before adding any salt.
- Add the broken lasagna noodles. Lower to a simmer and cook, stirring often so they don’t stick, until tender (check your package directions).
- While the noodles cook, mix the ricotta, mozzarella, Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl.
- Stir the heavy cream and fresh basil into the soup. Taste once more and adjust the seasoning.
- Ladle into bowls and top each one with a generous scoop of the cheese mixture.
A note on salt: The meat is half hot Italian sausage and half ground beef. The sausage and the caldo de pollo both bring their own salt, so taste before adding more.
A note on leftovers
The noodles keep soaking up broth after the pot comes off the heat, so tomorrow’s soup will be thicker, closer to a saucy pasta. Stir in a splash of broth when you reheat. If you know you’ll have leftovers, cook the noodles separately and add them to each bowl as you serve. Keep the cheese topping in its own container.