Everything you love about Classic Lasagna in soup form! From the spicy sausage to the flavorful broth to the tender pasta to the gooey cheese, this Lasagna Soup recipe hits all the flavor notes you would expect when enjoying a good lasagna. But instead of hours to prepare, this soup is ready in 30 just minutes!
Serve Lasagna Soup with Dutch Oven Bread, Homemade Garlic Toast, and a Tossed Greek Salad for a delicious, comforting family meal.
Why this Recipe is the Best
This Lasagna soup will not disappoint--it is out of this world in flavor, extremely comforting, and deceptively easy to make.
Instead of going through the hassle of assembling traditional lasagna, this soup recipe comes together in one pot in less than 30 minutes.
Not only does that mean fewer dishes to wash, but it also means that you can put a rich, comforting meal filled with classic flavors on the table on even the busiest of nights.
And the flavor--oh the flavor! This recipe uses a couple of short-cuts, like Italian stewed tomatoes and Homemade Tomato Sauce, that both pack in a tremendous amount of flavor and cut back on the amount of time needed for simmering the soup.
What You Need
This soup does have quite a few ingredients, but most of them are pantry staples you probably have on hand. There are a few things to note on the ingredients so that you can have the best tasting lasagna soup.
- Sausage: Be sure to use Italian style sausage. Chicken, pork, or turkey, are all great options.
- Stock: Either chicken stock or vegetable broth work in this recipe.
- Pasta: You can use any pasta noodle you like. I prefer to use lasagna noodles broken into 1 to 2-inch pieces, but capanelle, rotini, or elbow noodles work just as well.
- Tomato Sauce: While you can use plain canned tomato sauce, I HIGHLY suggest using a jarred spaghetti sauce or homemade spaghetti sauce, as those both lend so much more flavor to the soup.
- Stewed Tomatoes: Italian-style stewed tomatoes are highly seasoned and add great flavor to the soup. Diced tomatoes can be used if that is all you have on hand.
- Spinach: Feel free to use defrosted frozen spinach in place of fresh spinach, just add with sauce and tomatoes to simmer longer. Baby kale is also able to be substituted for the spinach.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One: Ground Meat
- Brown Italian sausage over medium-high heat in a large heavy-bottomed stock pan until just cooked through.
- Add in diced onions, carrots, and garlic and saute for 3 to 5 minutes until the onions begin to soften.
- At this point, you can drain off excess grease if needed. This will depend on the fat content of the sausage you use for this recipe.
Step Two: Simmer
- Add in stock, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and seasonings.
- Bring soup to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Step Three: Add Pasta
- Add in 1 cup pasta of choice and fresh spinach.
- Cook soup until pasta is just al dente.
Step Four: Serve
I have a tip for how to serve this soup that will take it from good to out of this world!
Instead of topping with shredded Mozzarella cheese, place cubed fresh mozzarella in the bottom of each serving dish then ladle the soup over the cheese. And then to really add flavor, top with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.
The hot soup will melt the cheese and each bite will be layered with a good amount of gooey cheese!
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Brown sausage over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots and saute for 5 minutes.
- Put meat mixture into crock-pot with seasonings, garlic, stock, tomato sauce, and stewed tomatoes.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours.
- For the last 30 minutes of cooking, turn the crock-pot to high and add pasta and spinach. Serve with garnishes.
Recipes Tips and Notes
- For a smoother soup, blend the stewed tomatoes before adding to the soup. I often do this for my picky eaters!
- Feel free to use shredded Mozzarella cheese or omit the cheese altogether, for a dairy-free version.
- This soup can be left to simmer on low for up to 40 minutes before adding the pasta and spinach if desired. Just keep an eye on it and add in additional stock if needed.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep in mind that the noodles will swell as they sit in the broth. You may want to add a splash of stock or water to the soup before gently reheating on the stove or in the microwave.
- You may also freeze leftover soup for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator and then reheat on stove-top with the addition of 1 cup of stock or water before reheating to thin the soup out.
More Lasagna Recipes
If you tried this recipe, be sure to give it a star review! I love to hear how your family enjoys recipes from my kitchen! And if you are looking for directions on how to make this in the Instant Pot, be sure to check out my Instant Pot Lasagna Soup recipe.
Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- 2 cups onion chopped
- 1 cup carrot finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 14.5 ounce can Italian-style stewed tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup spaghetti or tomato sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 6 lasagna noodles, broken into 1 to 2 inch pieces regular not oven-ready noodles
- 4 ounces fresh or cubed mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
Stove Top Lasagna Soup
- Brown sausage on medium-high heat in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan until browned through, breaking into small pieces as the sausage cooks. Add the onion, garlic, and carrots and continue to cook for 3- 5 minutes or until the onions begin to soften. Drain off any remaining grease, and return meat to the pan.
- Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and spices. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the fresh spinach and 1 cup pasta and cook until pasta is al dente (according to package directions on pasta of your choice)--about 8-10 minutes.
- Ladle the soup over chunks of cubed cheese and then top with fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese, as desired.
Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup
- Brown sausage over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots and saute for 5 minutes.
- Put meat mixture into crock-pot with diced tomatoes, stock, garlic, seasonings, and tomato sauce. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours.
- For the last 30 minutes of cooking, turn crock-pot to high and add pasta and spinach. Serve with garnishes.
Notes
- For serving, fresh mozzarella is best, but a regular block of mozzarella or provolone cheese cubed into small pieces will work as well.
- Instead of lasagna noodles, use capanelle, rotini, or elbow noodles.
- Either chicken stock or vegetable broth work in this recipe.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep in mind that the noodles will swell as they sit in the broth. You may want to add a splash of stock or water to the soup before gently reheating on the stove or in the microwave.
Nutrition
Beth
Yummy! This is so delicious and tasty! My family loves this recipe! I can't wait to make this again soon!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so happy to hear your family enjoyed this soup Beth!