Quick and easy soup that has all the flavors of lasagna, but instead of tediously making a layered casserole, it’s combined into a soup. I cooked the noodles separately rather than cooking them IN the soup as the original recipe suggested. If you do cook them in the soup, it’s a one-pot soup dinner.
Two soups in a row . . . sorry about that, but couldn’t wait to share this recipe with you. You may have seen it on pinterest (I think that’s where I found it first) but then clicked through to find the recipe and blog at CarlsbadCravings.com. I just about never make lasagna anymore – sometimes because of the work, sometimes because it’s so carb-centric. But in this recipe, I could control the carbs (used much less lasagna noodles) but it still had all the fabulous flavors of traditional lasagna.
A good friend was visiting me – Lynn’s wife Sue was enjoying an Hawaiian holiday with a girlfriend, so Lynn flew to SoCal and stayed with me as he visited people all over the area (hey used to live here). Lynn also was SO very gracious to take care of a bunch of honey-do items for me. He was a whirlwind of busy-ness during his stay and got all the jobs done! I owe him many thanks! I’ve visited them in Colorado a couple of times, and there are Sue-recipes here on my blog, as she’s a really good cook.
Anyway, since Lynn was here, I decided to invite some mutual friends, 3 widowers, actually, (we all know each other from our church choir) for dinner. I knew they’d enjoy seeing Lynn and visiting. I knew all of their wives well, and all of us (except Lynn) commiserate about being widow(er)s. Anyway, I thought this sounded like a good dinner option for the evening, and oh, was it ever.
Since I doubled the recipe, it wouldn’t fit in my instant pot – so I made it in my big slow cooker. I cooked the pasta separately just before serving. If you’re going to eat all the soup at the first sitting, you can cook the noodles in the soup (and might have to add a bit more chicken broth to the mixture), but if leftovers are in the plan, cook the noodles separately so they don’t get mushy when the soup is reheated.
As it happened, I didn’t have any Italian sausage, so I substituted ground pork and added the seasonings that are used for Italian sausage (specifically fennel). The original recipe called for ground beef, but you could likely use ground turkey too or a mixture. The onion and meat are cooked through, then you begin adding ingredients. That’s the beauty of this dish – once the onion and meat are cooked, you just pile in all the stuff (herbs and spices, garlic, marinara sauce [or your choice of spaghetti sauce], tomatoes, tomato paste, a dash of balsamic, a dash of sugar [to counteract the acidity of all the tomato products], some cream at the end, and then the pasta is added.
A bunch of toppings are prepared – I used shredded Mozzarella, Pecorino-Romano, Italian parsley, fresh sliced basil and a good spoonful of whole milk ricotta cheese. I served the soup in the kitchen and each person added what they wanted of the toppings. Two of the fellows went back for seconds, and we had enough for another dinner for two.
What’s GOOD: the flavor is just super. So very easy to make. Quick! Tastes just like lasagna. I liked everything about it, and will definitely be making it again. I’d double it again, and freeze half, but wouldn’t add the cream to it to freeze.
What’s NOT: can’t think of a thing.
printer-friendly PDF and MasterCook 15/16 file (click link to open recipe)
* Exported from MasterCook *
Easy Lasagna Soup
Recipe By: adapted from Carlsbad Cravings (blog)
Serving Size: 6
1 pound ground pork — or Italian sausage or chicken Italian sausage
1 yellow onion — diced
4 garlic cloves — minced (4 to 5)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes — or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano — crushed between your palms
24 ounces marinara sauce — (see notes below)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth — divided (or more if desired)
14 ounces crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 whole bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt — optional
1/2 teaspoon pepper — optional
1 1/2 cups lasagna noodles — dry, broken into approx. 1-2 inch pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream — optional
GARNISH:
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese — grated
2/3 cup ricotta cheese — whole milk type
1/3 cup Italian parsley — chopped
1/3 cup fresh basil — sliced
NOTES: For a double recipe – for the jarred sauce, I used a bottle of Lucini Marinara sauce, and a bottle of Rao’s Vodka sauce. You can use your own homemade, or bottled. Original recipe called for Prego. If you’re going to eat it all at the first sitting, you cook the pasta in the soup. If not, cook the pasta separately and add it to each bowl – this way the pasta won’t be overcooked for the leftover servings.
1. Heat large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add meat and onion and cook, stirring occasionally until meat is browned. Add garlic, dried basil, oregano and red pepper flakes and saute for 30 seconds. Drain off any excess fat.
2. Add red sauce, half the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt and simmer lasagna noodles (or other noodles of your choice) until just al dente. Drain.
3. Discard bay leaf and stir in heavy cream (optional) and more chicken broth to reach desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Spoon a few lasagna noodles into each bowl and add soup on top. Garnish individual servings with desired amount of cheeses, fresh basil, fresh Italian parsley and a dollop of ricotta cheese.
Per Serving: 587 Calories; 36g Fat (52.7% calories from fat); 34g Protein; 39g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 112mg Cholesterol; 1137mg Sodium.
hddonna
said on March 6th, 2018:
This is sure to be a hit with my crew. If you are cooking the noodles in the soup, at what point are you supposed to add them?
These directions are for top-of-the-stove cooking in a Dutch oven, which is probably how I would usually want to do it, but when you made it in your slow-cooker, how long did you cook it?
I’ll have to go look at the recipe I put up, to make sure I didn’t screw up in the directions. I cooked the lasagna noodles separately and just added them in to each dish of soup. I refrigerated the cooked lasagna noodles and for leftovers I reheated the soup and added them in just to warm them through. If you added them in the slow cooker, if it’s simmering, it would probably take about 15 minutes, but I’d test them after 10 to make sure they wouldn’t be overcooked. . . hope that helps . . . carolyn t
hddonna
said on March 7th, 2018:
Thanks. Just wondered. I doubt if I would decide to cook pasta in the slow cooker. You did say you cooked the noodles separately. But in the recipe it doesn’t mention a slow cooker at all, just what looks like stove-top directions, and it only says to cook the sauce mixture for thirty minutes and then finish it. I would have thought in a slow cooker it would have required at least four hours–at least I haven’t seen many recipes that take less than that.
Yes, you’re right about the slow cooker aspect. I merely COOKED it in my slow cooker, but didn’t use it as a slow cooker with hours of simmering, etc. My slow cooker has a saute function so I’m able to do onions, meat, etc. to get browning, etc. Once I cooked the raw stuff, then I lowered the temp to slow cooker function and just let it burble away for about half an hour. This soup takes no time to make! Let me know what you think of it. . .carolyn t
hddonna
said on March 12th, 2018:
I see–so it should work fine on top of the stove as well. I’m sure my guys would like it. (Of course, I would, too!)