Lasagna Soup

A cozy cold-weather soup that delivers all the comfort of lasagna in a bowl. Spicy Italian sausage, a fennel-and-celery sofrito, tomatoes, and lasagna noodles simmer in a beef-and-chicken broth, finished with dollops of a creamy ricotta-mascarpone cheese blend and a chiffonade of fresh basil. Far easier than building a full lasagna, but every bit as satisfying.

smart_display Published 2025-02-03 download Extracted 2026-06-10

25m Prep

90m Cook

1h 55m Total

8 Servings

soup italian-american lasagna sausage comfort-food one-pot winter pasta

Ingredients

For the Cheese Topping

10 oz ricotta cheese
2.5 oz Parmesan cheese (grated)
2.5 oz mozzarella cheese (grated)
4 oz mascarpone cheese (room temperature (substitute cream cheese))
1 tsp garlic (chopped)
a little hot sauce opcional

For the Soup

1 lb spicy Italian sausage (removed from casing)
1 large yellow onion (diced)
3 stalks celery (finely diced)
3 small carrots (finely diced)
1 whole fennel (finely diced)
1.5 tbsp garlic (finely chopped)
1 tbsp fresh rosemary (chopped)
1 tbsp fresh thyme (chopped)
4 oz ham (sandwich-cut slices, diced) opcional
2 cans canned whole tomatoes (hand-crushed)
4 cups beef stock
6 cups chicken stock
6 oz lasagna noodles (cut into small pieces)
to taste fresh basil (torn, plus chiffonade for garnish)
to taste fresh parsley (chopped)
to taste salt
to taste black pepper

To Finish

drizzle garlic olive oil (for serving) opcional

Steps

For the Cheese Topping

1

Make the cheese topping: in a bowl, combine the ricotta, grated Parmesan, grated mozzarella, room-temperature mascarpone (or cream cheese), chopped garlic, chopped parsley, a little salt, and a dash of hot sauce. Mix until smooth and creamy, then form into small balls.

Tip: The mascarpone or cream cheese adds texture and offsets the ricotta, which can be watery on its own.

~5 min

For the Soup

1

Mise en place: prepare and measure all ingredients before you start cooking — dice the onion, celery, carrots, and fennel small; chop the garlic and herbs; and cut the lasagna noodles into small pieces.

Tip: Cut the noodles small so they fit comfortably on a spoon — you don't want a big piece in a soup.

~25 min
2

In a large 7-quart pot, brown the spicy Italian sausage (removed from its casing) over medium-high heat until it develops a beautiful color, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Remove the sausage and set aside, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.

Tip: Sausage counts like bacon — render its fat first, then cook the vegetables in that flavorful fat.

~8 min
3

Add the diced onion to the sausage fat and sauté until lightly caramelized and golden brown.

~6 min
4

Add the celery, carrots, and fennel to make an Italian sofrito. Season with a little salt and pepper and sauté, letting the vegetables soften and reduce, sweating out their water before any liquid goes in.

~10 min
5

Stir in the garlic, rosemary, thyme, and the optional diced ham. Add the hand-crushed canned tomatoes, scraping the bottom of the pot to release any browned bits, then return the cooked sausage to the pot.

~5 min
6

Pour in the beef stock and chicken stock (about 10 cups total). Add a portion of the fresh basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook slowly until all the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Adjust salt and pepper.

Tip: Add basil in two stages — some at the start and some near the end — for two layers of flavor.

~75 min
7

Add the small-cut lasagna noodles and cook until tender to your liking. Noodles cooked in broth take longer than in water — about 14 to 15 minutes. Stir in the remaining basil and chopped parsley at the last minute.

~15 min

To Finish

1

Chiffonade the reserved basil: stack the leaves, roll them tightly, and slice very thin. Cut long strips in half so they fit on a spoon.

~3 min
2

Ladle the soup into bowls. Top each with two or three cheese balls and let them melt into the broth. Garnish with basil chiffonade, a little Parmesan and mozzarella, a crack of black pepper, and a light drizzle of garlic olive oil. Serve hot.

~2 min

Nutrition (por porción)

420

Calorías

22g

Proteína

30g

Carbohidratos

24g

Grasa

Fibra

Cultural Context

Lasagna soup is a modern Italian-American comfort-food riff that deconstructs the classic layered casserole into a one-pot soup. Chef Jean-Pierre, a French-trained chef and longtime restaurateur, builds his version on a fennel-forward sofrito (the aromatic base Italians prize) and tops each bowl with a ricotta-mascarpone cheese blend that mimics the creamy cheese layers of a baked lasagna. It captures the soul of the dish with a fraction of the effort, making it a popular weeknight alternative to the labor-intensive original.