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Lasagna soup gives you everything you love about a pan of lasagna without any of the layering: ruffled noodles simmered right in a creamy sun-dried tomato broth with spicy vegan sausage, smoked paprika, and wilted spinach. A creamy spoonful of lemony ricotta goes on top and melts into the hot broth in creamy pockets as you eat!
save this recipe!When I have time for layers, I bake my Easy Vegetarian Lasagna. This soup is for the nights I don’t, and as a new mom, that’s most nights. Breaking the noodles is also a job kids can help with, which makes this one of the few dinners that comes with a built-in helper.
This lasagna soup started with two things I already loved. The first is marry me flavor: sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, parmesan, and a splash of cream. If that combo is your weakness too, my Marry Me Chickpeas are the skillet version.
The second is spicy vegan sausage, which is one of my favorite things to brown at the bottom of a soup pot. It brings its own seasoning, so it does a lot of the flavor work in about 10 minutes.
Then there are the noodles. This is where lasagna soup can go sideways, and the fix comes down to how you break them.
Key Ingredients
- Vegan spicy sausage: This is the meaty, seasoned backbone of the soup, and the spice blend in the sausage seasons the broth for you. Brown it until it turns firm so it holds as crumbles in the broth instead of going soft.
- Lasagna noodles: Any lasagna noodle works here. Wavy ones are just more fun, and those ruffled edges make each spoonful look like lasagna.
- Ricotta: Whole milk ricotta stays creamier and richer than part-skim against the hot broth. If you want to make it from scratch, my 5 Minute Microwave Ricotta is a fast homemade option.
- Lemon: The zest flavors the ricotta and the juice brightens the finished soup.
- Parmesan: Half goes into the ricotta for a salty topping and half melts into the soup to thicken and season it.
- White Beans: They make the soup more filling without changing its lasagna personality.
- Tomato paste: Cooking it with the sausage instead of stirring it into the broth gives it a few minutes to darken, which deepens the tomato flavor.
- Diced Tomatoes: Leave the liquid in, since it counts toward the broth. The petite dice also melt into the soup more than larger chunks would.
- Spinach: Stirred in off the heat, it wilts in the residual warmth and stays bright green.
Butter vs Oil
Instead of reaching for butter or olive oil, this soup starts with the oil straight from the sun-dried tomato jar. One less thing to pull out, and the tomato flavor is there from the first step.
What to Serve With Lasagna Soup
This soup is rich and creamy, so I like a side with some crunch or a little sharpness. A crusty loaf for dunking and a Caesar salad are never wrong.
For something green, my Roasted Broccoli With Lemon and Parmesan echoes the lemon in the soup, and my Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic and Garlic bring a tangy sweetness that cuts through the cream.
Vegetarian Lasagna Soup (With Lemon Ricotta Topping)
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta, 245
- 1 cup grated Parmesan, divided, 80 g
- 3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil, divided
- 3 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
- 1 lemon, juice and zest
- 1 Tbsp oil, from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes, 15 mL
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp each oregano, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp each salt and pepper
- 14 oz vegan spicy sausage*, 396 g
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, in oil, roughly chopped, 60 g
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups vegetable broth, 1 L
- 1 15-oz can petite diced tomatoes, do not drain, 425 g can
- 8 oz wavy lasagna noodles, about 8 noodles
- 1 15-oz can white beans, like Great Northern or cannellini, drained, 425 g can
- 2 cups spinach
- ½ cup heavy cream, 120 mL
Instructions
- Ricotta: In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup whole milk ricotta, 0.5 cup grated parmesan, 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil, and 1 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley. Zest 1 lemon and add it in (reserve the juice for later). Cover and refrigerate until time to serve.
- Brown "Meat": Heat 1 Tbsp oil, 4 cloves garlic (minced), ½ tsp each oregano, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, and ¼ tsp each salt and pepper in a large pot over medium heat. Cook for about 2 minutes, until garlic is fragrant. Crumble 14 oz vegan spicy sausage* into the pan, along with ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes and 2 Tbsp tomato paste. Cook until sausage is browned and firm, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Broth: Stir in 4 cups vegetable broth and 1 15-oz can petite diced tomatoes. Cover and bring to a boil, about 5 minutes.
- Noodles: Break 8 oz wavy lasagna noodles into large pieces (roughly into 4ths). Add them to the pot along with 1 15-oz can white beans (drained). Cover and cook until noodles are tender, 8 to 12 minutes.Stir occasionally so the noodles don't stick to the bottom or to each other.
- Finish: Remove from heat. Stir in 2 cups spinach until wilted, then stir in ½ cup heavy cream, 0.5 cup grated parmesan, 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil, and 2 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley. Finish with 1 to 2 Tbsp of lemon juice.
- Serve: Ladle soup into serving bowls, topping generously with the ricotta mixture!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist, and should be taken as an estimate. For the most accurate nutritional information, calculate it using the actual ingredients in your recipe.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
