Lasagna Soup

With this lasagna soup recipe, you can have your cheesy, meaty pasta and sip it, too.

Lasagna is a staple of our dinner tables—the layered pasta casserole is an easy way to feed a crowd (or a hungry family). The best part? Leftovers are practically guaranteed.

Our Test Kitchen is reimagining that much loved lasagna experience with this recipe for lasagna soup, a new take on the suppertime classic.

Why We Love Lasagna Soup

This lasagna soup comes together in just 25 minutes. It boasts a tomato-rich soup base with loads of flavor from tender garlic and onions. Diced tomatoes lend a freshness that's bright against all the cheese—both a ricotta topping that is mixed with Parmesan and a healthy helping of shredded mozzarella are used. You can bet we'll be making it year-round.

Our Test Kitchen describes this dish as "a hearty and comforting bowl of soup, with tender beef and velvety noodles."

When composing the final dish, don't skip the dollops of cold, nutmeg-spiked ricotta, which melt so very slowly into the hot soup. The shredded mozzarella does the same, adding little pops of creaminess that melt in your mouth. The addition of nutmeg mimics the bechamel you'll find in a classic lasagna, and it really takes the dish over the edge, without overwhelming the flavors of the soup.

Ingredients for Lasagna Soup

Most of the ingredients for lasagna soup will be familiar if you've ever made lasagna. But instead of long sheets of lasagna, you'll break them up into smaller pieces that are easily picked up with a spoon. Here's what you need from the pantry and grocery store:

• Ricotta cheese: This rich, creamy cheesy slowly melts in the warm soup to add a luscious mouthfeel. We like the whole-milk variety.
• Parmesan: This is mixed into the ricotta for the ultimate cheesy topping.
• Nutmeg: Surprised? Don't be. Nutmeg is used to make classic bechamel sauce, which is frequently used in lasagna and other pasta dishes. This mimics the flavor without all the effort.
• Salt: To season the meat and the cheesy topping.
• Olive oil: Helps brown the ground beef.
• Ground chuck: We like this cut of ground beef for its rich flavor, but you can user a leaner cut if you want.
• Yellow onion and garlic: These are essential for building flavors in the soup.
• Diced tomatoes: Tender canned tomatoes are the perfect balance of tangy and sweet.
• Chicken stock: Makes this mixture a true soup.
• Sugar: A little bit of sugar will balance all the flavors of the dish and bring out the tomato brightness.
• Lasagna noodles: Break or cut larger lasagna noodles into smaller pieces.
• Red wine vinegar: This adds a final hit of brightness so the soup isn't too rich.
• Mozzarella cheese: There can never be too much cheese in a lasagna-inspired dish.
• Basil leaves: A bit of brightness and a classic Italian herb.

How To Make Lasagna Soup

Lasagna soup is ready in just 25 minutes, which means these steps are fast and easy. Here's a quick outline of how to make lasagna soup:

• Step 1. Make the cheese topping: Combine ricotta, Parm, nutmeg, and some salt in a bowl. Mix, and chill until ready to use.
• Step 2. Brown the ground beef: In a large Dutch oven, cook the beef until it's done. Spoon it out of the pot, and drain the beef on a paper towel. Set aside.
• Step 3. Add onion and garlic: To the Dutch oven, add the onion and garlic, and cook until tender. Add the diced tomatoes, seasonings, and stock.
• Step 4. Add noodles: Put the pasta pieces in the soup mixture, and cook until al dente. Then add back the ground beef. Remove from the stove, and stir in the vinegar.
• Step 5. Top with cheese: Divide the soup among serving bowls, top with the ricotta mixture, mozzarella, and fresh basil.
  

Variations

One thing you're really going to love about this lasagna soup recipe is how versatile it is. Yes, it takes 25 minutes, which makes it a no-brainer for a fast and easy weeknight dinner. But you can also adjust it to what ingredients you might have on hand, which makes it an indispensable part of our weeknight dinner rotation.

• Change pasta: If you don't have any lasagna noodles, stir in macaroni, rotini, or any other smaller pasta you like. Just make sure to cook the pasta only to al dente so it doesn't turn mushy.
• Swap meats: Ground chuck is a wonderful option for a classic lasagna flavor, but you can also use other ground meats. Consider ground chicken, turkey, or Italian sausage.
• Go vegetarian: For a vegetarian take, use meat alternative crumbles and vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
• Add more vegetables: If you're looking to sneak in a few more plants, cook green bell peppers, carrots, or celery with the onions and garlic. When you stir in the ground beef in the final steps, stir in a big bag of spinach. It cooks down well.

Test Kitchen Tips

A few tips on making this easy, one-pot lasagna soup from the experts who developed and tested it:

• Drain the beef: Be sure to allow the beef to drain on paper towels, which removes some of the oil and prevents a layer of fat developing on the surface of the soup.
• Pick the right pasta: Skip the no-boil pasta for this soup—it will overcook and turn mushy. Regular lasagna noodles with wavy edges will add more texture to the final dish.
• Don't overcook the pasta: Stop cooking the soup when the pasta is almost al dente; it will continue cooking and absorbing liquid once off the heat.

What To Serve With Lasagna Soup

Enjoy this lasagna soup with a slice of garlic bread and a glass of red wine. A delicious and refreshing side salad is always welcome, too.

How To Store Leftovers

Lasagna soup makes great leftovers. Put any you have at the end of the meal in an airtight container, and store in the fridge up to 5 days. Reheat on the stove—you might need to add a bit of stock to loosen it up—or in the microwave.

Freezing: We don't recommend you freeze lasagna soup in its complete stage. The pasta will be mushy once thawed. If you need to get ahead, try the steps below.

Make-Ahead: Looking to make this 25-minute dinner even faster? You can cook this soup up through Step 3. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 3 months, and keep (or freeze) the ground beef separate.

When you're ready to finish it, return the soup to the stove, and bring to a boil. (Thaw frozen soup and meat overnight in the fridge.) Add the pasta and ground beef to the soup at the same time, and cook until the pasta is al dente. Continue with the recipe, and serve.

More Classic Soup Recipes

This isn't the only fantastic soup recipe we have. Try one of these next:

• Chicken Pot Pie Soup
  
• Broccoli-Cheddar Soup
• Acorn Squash Soup
• Stuffed Cabbage Soup
• Loaded Potato Soup