Lasagna Soup
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This is not only the best Lasagna Soup recipe, but it might just be the best soup recipe ever! Full of flavor and easy to make, this soup is so delicious, whether you make it in one pot on the stove, or in a Crock Pot! It’s filled with everything you love about lasagna in the form of a soup.
Italian sausage, seasoned tomato sauce and broken lasagna noodles make up the base of the soup. Then it’s topped off with all your favorite Italian cheeses, including ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan. This soup is comfort food in a bowl and guaranteed to become one of your new favorite recipes!
Table of contents
Lasagna soup is one of those things that sounds crazy, but just really works. When I told my husband I was making lasagna soup for the first time, he definitely questioned it, but then immediately fell in love.
If you’re a fan of the taste of lasagna, but hate how much work it is to put together, then this lasagna soup is what you’ve been looking for! It’s got all of the textures and flavors of a traditional lasagna but it only takes 15 minutes to prep, then either 30 minutes to simmer on the stove, or a few hours to cook in a Crock Pot.
I love both versions of this soup for different reasons. If you want the soup for dinner tonight in under an hour, the one pot stovetop version is perfect for you! If you want to plan ahead and let the soup simmer all day for a delicious dinner that night, then crockpot lasagna soup is perfect for you.
Either way you cook it, this lasagna soup is bursting with flavor and I know you’re going to fall in love with the deliciousness and how easy it is to make!
Ingredients
- Olive oil – or another neutral-flavored oil to cook the veggies.
- Onion – I recommend a yellow onion for it’s neutral flavor.
- Red bell pepper – I like using a red bell pepper in this recipe because it has a slightly sweeter flavor than other varieties of bell peppers. But if you only have a green, yellow or orange bell pepper on hand, feel free to use one of those instead.
- Garlic – I always recommend fresh minced cloves for the best flavor.
- Italian sausage – you will want loose Italian sausage for this recipe. If you can’t find Italian sausage, not in the casing, you can always use Italian link sausage, and simply remove the sausage from the casing before adding it to this recipe. You can use mild or hot Italian sausage, depending on your spice preference.
- Beef broth – since this is one of the main ingredients in the base of the soup, I recommend purchasing, or making, a high-quality beef stock or broth. Beef stock has a richer, deeper flavor than beef broth. I found this Custom Culinary Beef Base at a restaurant supply store in San Diego and am absolutely obsessed with it. You can order it online direct with a $5 shipping charge. It’s a little expensive for beef bouillon, but oh my gosh the flavor is so good. (Not sponsored, just obsessed!)
- Tomato sauce
- Crushed tomatoes – these tomatoes are somewhere between tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. They aren’t completely pureed, so there is still some chunkiness in the can of crushed tomatoes, that adds texture to the soup.
- Italian seasoning – click the link for my homemade seasoning blend that’s easy to mix up in 5 minutes. Or purchase pre-made Italian seasoning on the spice aisle at the grocery store.
- Salt + black pepper – to season the soup.
- Lasagna noodles – for this recipe, I like to use lasagna noodles broken into about 2 inch pieces. You could also use rotini pasta, extra-wide egg noodles or farfalle pasta.
- Spinach – I like to mix in fresh spinach leaves with the pasta. They cook down with the noodles and add an extra layer of flavor and texture to the soup. If you don’t have fresh spinach, you can use frozen spinach or omit the spinach.
- Ricotta cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Follow these instructions to make the soup in a slow cooker or Crock Pot. I used my Calphalon slow cooker, where the cooking pot can go from the stove to the slow cooker, saving time and dishes, which I love!
- Cook the veggies. Heat olive oil in a pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Add diced onions and bell peppers. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Add minced garlic, and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the sausage. Add loose Italian sausage to the pot, crumble with a spatula, and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Drain any grease from the pot with the sausage, then transfer the sausage and veggies to a slow cooker.
- Add the liquid and seasonings. Pour beef broth, tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes into the slow cooker. Season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
- Add the noodles and spinach. Thirty minutes before serving the soup, add the broken lasagna noodles and spinach leaves to the slow cooker. Stir until the noodles and leaves are completely covered in the liquid.
- Continue cooking the soup for an additional 30 minutes. After the 30 minute additional cook time, ladle the soup into bowls. Combine ricotta cheese with Italian seasoning, dollop this on top of the soup, and top with shredded mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan cheese. Optionally garnish with chopped fresh parsley, or basil.
How to make it on the stove
If making this recipe on the stove top, follow the steps above for cooking the veggies and Italian sausage in a large pot, or dutch oven. After draining any grease from the pot, return it to the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the beef broth, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to the pot with the cooked veggies and Italian sausage.
Immediately add the broken lasagna noodles and spinach, stir to combine everything and bring the liquid to simmer on the stovetop. Once simmering, cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes.
Recipe tips
- To make spicy lasagna soup, use hot Italian sausage and add 1/2 teaspoon (or more) crushed red pepper flakes with the Italian seasoning.
- To make creamy lasagna soup, stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream at the end of the cooking time, before serving.
- This recipe serves 4 people. To double this recipe, simply click on the 2X button in the recipe card below. The ingredient amounts in the recipe card will automatically update. This recipe makes excellent leftovers, so make a double batch and you’ll have another meal prepped for later in the week!
- You can use ground beef, ground turkey or ground pork, instead of Italian sausage, but it won’t add as much flavor to the soup as the sausage. If using a ground meat, instead of sausage, I recommend adding an extra 1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning to the soup.
- If you’d like to sneak in some more vegetables, feel free to add diced carrots, celery, or mushrooms to the pot with the onions and bell peppers.
Storage and reheating
Store lasagna soup leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.
The soup can be reheated on the stove, or in the microwave. To reheat it on the stove, add the soup to a medium saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally, until the soup is bubbling and hot, around 8-10 minutes.
To reheat in a microwave, place one portion of the soup in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 2-3 minutes.
To freeze this lasagna soup, I recommend making the soup without the lasagna noodles. After the soup is cooked, let it cool before moving it to the freezer. To allow it to cool safely, place it in the refrigerator first. Store it in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Once cooled, transfer the soup to a freezer safe Ziplock bag. Flatten the soup in the freezer bag for quicker and easier defrosting. When it’s time to defrost the soup, I recommend placing it in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours to thaw.
After it’s thawed, place it in a slow cooker on low heat for 3-4 hours to reheat, add the lasagna noodles 30 minutes before serving. Or reheat the soup in a pot on the stove. Add the soup to a pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Bring it to a simmer, add the lasagna noodles, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes.
Dietary options
To make this soup vegetarian, replace the Italian sausage with 1 pound fresh diced mushrooms. I like to use crimini, or baby bella mushrooms, but you could also use white button mushrooms or large portobello mushrooms, diced into small pieces. You will also need to replace the beef broth with vegetable broth.
To make this soup gluten free, replace the traditional lasagna noodles with gluten-free lasagna noodles.
What to serve with it
This easy lasagna soup recipe is delicious served with garlic bread, garlic knots, cheesy pull apart rolls, or breadsticks for dipping in the soup.
You can also pair it with any of these delicious salad recipes.
More soup recipes
Make your menu super cozy with all of these delicious and easy soup recipes!
Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup onions, diced
- ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage, or ground beef
- 5 cups beef broth, or chicken broth
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 4 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided (click link for the recipe)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces lasagna noodles, broken into 2 inch pieces
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the diced onion and red bell peppers, cook 4-5 minutes, add the minced garlic, cook for an additional minute. Add the Italian sausage and cook through, for 6-8 minutes.
- Drain any grease from the skillet, then add everything from the skillet to a large slow cooker, or Crock Pot.
- Add the beef broth, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to the slow cooker.
- Cook for 6-8 hours on low, or 3-4 hours on high.
- Thirty minutes before the cooking time ends, add the pieces of lasagna noodles and spinach to the slow cooker. Continue to cook for 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and remaining 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
- Spoon the soup into bowls, top with a dollop of the seasoned ricotta cheese and sprinkle with parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Optionally garnish with fresh chopped basil or parsley.
Video
Notes
- To make this recipe on the stove top, follow the steps above for cooking the veggies and Italian sausage in a large pot, or dutch oven.
- After draining any grease from the pot, return it to the stovetop over medium-high heat.
- Add the beef broth, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to the pot with the cooked veggies and Italian sausage.
- Immediately add the broken lasagna noodles and spinach, stir to combine everything and bring the liquid to simmer on the stovetop.
- Once simmering, cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes.
- To make spicy lasagna soup, use hot Italian sausage and add 1/2 teaspoon (or more) crushed red pepper flakes with the Italian seasoning.
- This recipe serves 4 people. To double this recipe, simply click on the 2X button above. The ingredient amounts will automatically update.
- You can use ground beef, ground turkey or ground pork, instead of Italian sausage, but it won’t add as much flavor to the soup as the sausage. If using a ground meat, instead of sausage, I recommend adding an extra 1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning to the soup.
- If you’d like to sneak in some more vegetables, feel free to add diced carrots, celery, or mushrooms to the pot with the onions and bell peppers.
- Store lasagna soup leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.
- To reheat it on the stove, add the soup to a medium saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally, until the soup is bubbling and hot, around 8-10 minutes.
- To reheat in a microwave, place one portion of the soup in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 2-3 minutes.
- To make this soup vegetarian, replace the Italian sausage with 1 pound fresh diced mushrooms. I like to use crimini, or baby bella mushrooms, but you could also use white button mushrooms or large portobello mushrooms, diced into small pieces. You will also need to replace the beef broth with vegetable broth.
- To make this soup gluten free, replace the traditional lasagna noodles with gluten-free lasagna noodles.
Nutrition Facts
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