Lasagna Soup: Perfect Winter Dinner

I love soup and, thankfully, so does my family. Various chilis, chicken noodle, and sausage tortellini soup are frequently on the menu at Casa Slagel. Last year I made a recipe for lasagna soup that was mentioned by a friend and it quickly became a favorite. It’s easy to assemble, too!

This is the recipe I use: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/lasagna-soup/

Lasagna Soup

Lasagna Soup made with ground beef, sausage, spinach and three types of cheese! The perfect dinner for those cold winter nights!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings: 7

Calories: 510kcal

Author: Lauren Allen

Ingredients

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
1 yellow onion , chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic , minced
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 recipe homemade marinara sauce (or 24 ounce marinara sauce)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried parsley , chopped (or 2 tsp dried)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoons dried basil
7 cups low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
9 lasagna noodles , broken into pieces
2 cups fresh spinach leaves (optional),
10 ounces ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
fresh basil , for serving

Instructions

In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook ground beef and sausage until browned. Season with salt and pepper as you cook. Drain grease and remove meat from the pot.
In a large pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Toss in diced onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in minced garlic and cook for another minute or two.
Stir in tomato paste, marinara sauce, spices, and broth. Return meat to pot.
Bring to boil then add lasagna noodles (broken into 4ths) to potand reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until noodlesare tender. Add spinach, if using.
In a small bowl, stir together mozzarella, Parmesan and ricotta cheeses
Ladle the hot soup into bowls, and dollop a scoop of the cheese mixture on top. Garnish with fresh basil

Notes

Store lasagna soup covered, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Make ahead instructions: Make the recipe up to step 4. Do not add the noodles to the pot. Store the soup in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, start at step 5, bringing the soup to a boil and cooking the noodles at that point. it back up on the stove. Serve with a dollop of cheese.

Freezing instructions: Freeze lasagna soup without the cheese. Place soup in a freezer safe container and freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat slowly on the stovetop. If you are making this recipe specifically for freezing, you may choose to make the noodles fresh once ready to serve (see make ahead instructions).

Lasagna Soup

I made this for Christmas Eve dinner for my family and it was perfect. I whipped it up in the afternoon before church and just left it on the stovetop (off) in my Le Creuset Dutch oven while we attended candlelight service. We came home and with just a quick reheat while I toasted some garlic bread, dinner was ready!

The cherry on top is that this recipe is quite possibly even better the next day. My parents came up from Atlanta Christmas Day and we all enjoyed the leftovers for lunch. My dad actually declared, “this is the best soup I’ve ever had.” High praise, indeed!

Side note: if you do not already own a Le Creuset Dutch oven, do yourself a favor and get one ASAP. They are the industry standard for good reason. I’ve had mine since my wedding almost sixteen years ago. They last forever and heat beautifully. Le Creuset is an investment, for sure, but money well spent.

Do you get on a cooking kick in January? I enjoy getting back into a routine and eating somewhat lighter after the indulgences of the holidays. Two new cookbooks made their way under the tree for me and I had the most glorious evening last week sipping wine while perusing them and folding down pages. My new cookbooks are The Village Cookbook by Beth Chappo and Go-To Dinners by Ina Garten.

Cookbooks

Ina Garten has been my favorite chef since way back in her Barefoot Contessa days. Her style is incredible and her recipes, even the more challenging ones, are doable because of how she breaks it down. As you can see, I have many of her cookbooks. Not only are they full of great menus, they look pretty sitting out!

Barnes and Noble is where I buy most of my Ina books, but I’m thrilled to discover they are on Amazon. Her latest (Go-To Dinners): https://amzn.to/3ZoHIv9 My favorites:

Foolproof: https://amzn.to/3VVyoMx

At Home: https://amzn.to/3Zfbv9P

Make It Ahead: https://amzn.to/3k4srje

Barefoot Contessa/Ina Garten Books

Beth Chappo is the style guru and influencer formerly known as Seersucker and Saddles. Her IG handle is @beth.chappo. Her clothes and home decor are also top notch, but her recipes are exceptional.

I’ll share new recipes as I work my way through my new books. First on the agenda is Beth’s “Seersucker Chicken.”

*edited to add that I’ve made Seersucker Chicken (OG) and Seersucker Chili. Both were amazing.

Happy cooking!