Ready in 30 minutes and made in one pot, this EASY lasagna soup is the perfect, hearty, comfort food recipe! Big chunks of ground beef, tender noodles, a tomato-based broth, and topped with a three-cheese mixture of ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan! If you like lasagna, you're going to LOVE this soup version of the Italian classic!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: easy lasagna soup, easy lasagna soup with ground beef, lasagna soup recipe ground beef, lasagna soup with ground beef, one pot lasagna soup
Servings: 8
Calories: 318kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
Soup
1poundlean or extra lean ground beefabout 90 to 95% lean*
9lasagna noodlesbroken into chunky bite-sized pieces (or another small shaped pasta such as ziti, penne, wheels, small shells, elbow macaroni)
2cupsfresh spinachkale may be substituted
1teaspoongranulated sugaroptional and to taste
Cheese Topping
8ouncesricotta cheese
1cupmozzarella cheeseshredded
½cupParmesan cheesefinely grated
1tablespoonItalian seasoning
½teaspoonsaltoptional and to taste
Garnishes, optional
Fresh herbs finely minced such as fresh parsleyfresh basil, oregano, or as desired
Instructions
Soup
To a large Dutch oven or soup pot, add the ground beef, onion, and saute over medium-high heat to brown the beef, about 5 minutes. Crumble and stir beef frequently as it cooks to ensure even browning. Tip - If desired, you can add 1 tablespoon olive oil to help things along if you're using very lean beef.
Add the garlic, stir, and saute for 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir continuously. Note - If you're using a fattier cut of ground beef, ground Italian sausage, or chorizo, you may consider draining the cooking liquid but in most cases, if you're using lean or extra-lean ground beef, there's very little fat that will be rendered out, and what is present is pure flavor and I do not drain it off.
Add the chicken broth, spaghetti sauce, petite diced tomatoes, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, stir to combine, and bring to a boil.
Add the lasagna noodles, and cook until they're al dente, about 11 to 13 minutes, or as indicated on the package. BrothTips - If at any time the soup looks like it needs more broth because the noodles have soaked up a fair amount, add additional chicken broth 1/2 to 1 cup at a time. If by chance (less likely) the soup is too brothy, simply allow it to boil rapidly for an extra couple minutes and some of the excess liquid volume will evaporate.
Add a couple big handfuls of spinach, turn off the heat, and stir to combine until wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Taste the soup and make any necessary seasoning adjustments as desired. Tips - If the soup tastes at all flat, boring, or lackluster, it likely needs more salt. I personally add another 1-2 teaspoons at this point but do as you see fit. It may also need more pepper, Italian seasoning, or more red pepper flakes to add a tiny bit of additional flavor in the form of 'heat' without being spicy in the least.
Optionally, add 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. I find that it balances the acidic nature of all the tomato-based ingredients but it's personal preference. Set soup aside momentarily.
Cheese Topping
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, and stir to combine.
Ladle the soup out into bowl, top with a dollop of the cheese mixture, stir in as desired, and optionally garnish as desired, and serve immediately. See below for storage and reheating.
Notes
*You can substitute ground Italian sausage (sweet or hot), ground chorizo, or about 1/2 pound of ground turkey or ground turkey and make up the other 1/2 pound with ground beef, sausage, or chorizo. Ground turkey or ground chicken are so lean that without some fattier protein, your soup may be a little lackluster in flavor.StorageIn the Refrigerator: This recipe will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. Note that as it sits, the noodles will continue to absorb the broth so the overall level of the broth will seem reduced - it is - but it's inside the noodles. This is common with any noodle-based soup. Add more broth when reheating (see below), if necessary.In the Freezer: This recipe will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. However, if you plan to freeze it, I suggest not freezing it with the noodles nor the cheese already in the soup. Boil a fresh batch of noodles, thaw the soup, and the noodles to it along with the a tablespoon or two of the cheese mixture.To Reheat: I use my microwave for quickness and ease and reheat my leftovers for about 30-60 seconds on high, or as needed. But you can use your stove top and a kettle if you prefer. Consider adding extra chicken broth as the soup will likely have thickened and the liquid volume gets soaked up by the noodles so some extra broth, to taste, will be a welcome addition.Slow Cooker Directions: Read blog post for details.