This easy soup has everything you love about lasagna, all in one bowl, with a fantastic ooey-gooey “cheesy yum” ricotta and mozzarella topping! Italian sausage gives it so much flavor, met with a rich tomato broth. You can make it on the stovetop or in a crockpot. It’s the ORIGINAL lasagna soup recipe to hit the internet, and still the BEST!
THE Lasagna Soup Recipe That Started It All.
I first shared this soup recipe way back in March 2011, before any other lasagna soup recipes appeared on the internet. And over the years I’ve received hundreds of reader’s comments — I hear over and over again that this recipe is their favorite version. Whenever someone asks me to recommend a recipe that’ll please the whole family, I point them straight to this one!
Because, seriously, who doesn’t welcome lasagna’s bold flavors, variety of textures, and big-long-hug kind of comfort?
The “cheesy yum” adds a ton of delicious fun to this recipe. Our family coined this term for the 3-cheese mixture of ricotta, Parm, and mozzarella that gets dolloped into individual bowls of soup. We love how the hot soup broth melts the cheesy yum and offers a creamy, gooey, comforting lasagna-like experience in every spoonful.
Another thing that’s key is that I use Italian sausage because it adds a big boost of savory flavor and incredible texture. I’ve tested this recipe using other proteins, and they just don’t measure up.
And while it’s not a deal-breaker for this soup, I hold a special place in my heart for anyone who uses mafalda pasta — it’s shaped like mini lasagna noodles (adorable!), and I never make lasagna soup without it!
When this soup is on the menu, my family insists on cheesy garlic bread for dipping. And if we invite friends and family to join us, I add a big bowl of Italian chopped salad. Besides a good amount of fresh ingredients, it has slices of salami, provolone, and black olives – and the zippiest Italian vinaigrette that everyone loves!
If we’re lucky enough to leftovers, it’s truly a win-win situation. Because leftover lasagna soup is even more amazing the next day, after the flavors have had extra time to mingle.
“I have been making this lasagna soup since 2011-2012, so for a long time. It is a family favorite for sure! It really is the best lasagna soup!”
Stephanie
Here’s My Simple Method:
I am not a fan of mushy noodles!
So I cook the noodles separately. Otherwise, the noodles keep absorbing the broth as the soup simmers, which makes them overly soft and can cause them to break down.
Plus, any leftover soup reheats much better if noodles are stored separately. Noodles require very little time to reheat, and heating them separately keeps them perfectly tender and chewy.
But if you plan to serve the soup right away and think you’ll eat most of it in that first meal (with little to no leftovers), it works great to cook the noodles right in the hot soup!
Just add the noodles during the simmering time – they should cook in 10 to 15 minutes, but it will depend on the temperature of your soup and the type of pasta you are using.
Whatever you do, do NOT let the soup simmer for a long period of time with the noodles.
Lasagna Soup with Cheesy Yum (stovetop or crockpot)
Ingredients
Soup:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1½ pounds bulk Italian sausage
- 1 extra-large yellow onion, chopped (about 3 cups chopped)
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste (add more for even deeper tomato flavor)
- 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 8 ounces mafalda pasta (fusilli and farfalle are also good options)
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced sliced thinly
Cheesy Yum:
- 8 ounces full-fat ricotta
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (See my mozzarella tip in Notes below)
Instructions
- Soup: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage and brown for 3 minutes, breaking it up into bite-size pieces with a wooden spoon.
- Add onion, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and cook until onion is softened and sausage is browned, about 7 more minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes more.
- Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta in a separate saucepan according to package directions, just to al dente. Do not over-cook. Drain.
- Cheesy Yum: In a medium bowl, create the "cheesy yum" by combining the ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Serve: Stir fresh basil into soup right before serving. Then add cooked pasta to individual bowls and ladle soup over the top. Serve with dollops of cheesy yum, plus additional shredded mozzarella, if desired, over the top.
CROCK-POT DIRECTIONS:
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. Once hot, add sausage and brown for 3 minutes, breaking it up into bite-size pieces with a wooden spoon. (*If you have a multi-cooker, set it to BROWN/SAUTE and add the oil. Once hot, add sausage and brown for 3 minutes, breaking it up into bite-size pieces with a wooden spoon.)
- Add onion, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and cook until onion is softened and sausage is browned, about 7 more minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes more.
- Transfer sausage mixture to slow cooker (or just proceed if using a multi-cooker) and add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Cover and set slow cooker to low 8 hours or high 4 hours.
- About 30 minutes before soup is ready, add pasta to slow cooker. Cover and cook until pasta is just al dente, checking after 15 minutes. (If you plan to let the soup sit for awhile before serving or are planning on leftovers, I strongly recommend cooking the pasta separately to avoid mushy noodles.)
Video
Notes
- Refrigerator: Store the soup, cooked pasta, and cheesy yum in separate containers in the refrigerator. Do not combine the soup and pasta together, as the noodles will absorb most of the soup broth and become soft and mushy. I also like to drizzle a little olive oil over the pasta after it has drained, and then fold gently to coat. This helps keep the pasta from sticking together.
- Freezer: This soup freezes very well. Store the soup, pasta, and cheesy yum portions separately in the freezer. Let everything thaw overnight in the refrigerator prior to preparing it for the next meal.
- Microwave: Place desired amount of pasta in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap, leaving one corner slightly open to allow steam to escape. Heat on medium power to prevent overcooking. Heating time will vary depending on the amount of pasta you are reheating, but for 1 to 2 cups of pasta, start with 30 seconds. Give a stir and then microwave in shorter intervals, stirring in-between, until hot.
- Stovetop: Bring some water to a boil in a sauce pan. Be sure to use enough water to sufficiently cover the amount of pasta you are reheating. When the water comes to a full boil, add the leftover pasta and give a good stir. Boil for 30 seconds and then test to see if the noodles are hot. If needed, add time in 15-second intervals, until sufficiently heated. Remember that the pasta has already been cooked, and only needs to be reheated. Do not overcook or it will become mushy. Then drain the noodles.
Love your recipe! And you :). Lovely. A family favourite.
Is this your personal photo? Bc it’s all over fb with a different recipe attached to it, FYI.
Thanks, Mommak. Yes, these are my own original photos. I am aware that this recipe and my photo are being used alot, mostly without my permission. I simply cannot keep up with everyone stealing my content, especially this one. Thank you for letting me know, though.
My husband and I Love this Soup, he loves lasagna and I love soup on cold Colorado nights. Burrrrrr. 1* at this time…….seems a bit early, so happy to have this soup to warm us up!
How long do would you cook it in the slow cooker? And how long would you let the noodles it once you added them?
I made lasagna soup, yum!
Nice to meet you, Angela – so glad you liked this soup, too!
Was also wondering if you know the nutrition info?
Sorry, Melissa. I don’t include nutrition info on my recipes.
Tried this tonight for the first time….I am a terrible cook, and I got rave reviews for this recipe….THANKS!!! you make me look good! :) We loved it! And the cheesy yum was AWESOME!!!
That’s awesome, Melissa! So glad everyone liked it, and that you were left shining in the process!
We LOVE this soup! I tweaked this time for a lower fat option (I’m following weight watchers) and used 2lbs of fresh ground hot italian chicken sausage (Sprouts carries this near us) and whole wheat fusili, with just a sprinkle of cheese (7 WW points plus for those who do weight watchers — for a heaping 1.5 cups of soup and a half cup of whole wheat pasta).
Brenda:
My name is Terri Powers and I am a fellow blogger. A woman named Donna Massey Bird has created a new group called Bird House Recipe Sharing and is moving all of the content of an old group that was shut down by Facebook to the new group called Bird House Recipe Sharing which is an open group for now. She steals photographs and recipes from bloggers like you and me, then claims them as her own without linking back or giving credit to the original source. I suggest you visit this group before she changes it to closed or secret. Here is the content that I found and believe may belong to you.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1377613875811662&set=gm.247438975406191&type=1&theater
I hope you considering helping to stop this woman by reporting this to Facebook.
By the way, I’ve made this from your recipe. Delicious!
Fiance and I love this soup. It’s dropping down to 37 tonight here in Oklahoma.. Brrr. I wanted to make it again for the chill so I googled Lasagna Soup and made sure to add Cheesy Yum to the search bar so that I found yours :) I need to write this one down, or at least take a screenshot so I never forget it.
Isn’t that Cheesy Yum fabulous?! Thanks for coming back to let me know! :)
I finally made this this weekend! It wasn’t even a cold night, but it got me out of making fresh lasagna for the fiancé. And it was so much better than a boring old lasagna- i got three kisses of approval! ;) Still have some in the fridge! I’m thinking school lunch!
I love to hear this, May. Enjoy!!
Is three cups of onions correct?
Yes, it’s correct. This recipe makes a good amount of soup. Unless you really don’t like onions, I wouldn’t use any less.
This soup is so delicious. The only change I would make is to drain the meat before I add the onions and garlic. I had to skim a good bit off before I served it. It was still awesome though!
This is definitely one of the best soups our family has ever had and we are soup LOVERS! This soup is amazingly delicious!
Hi! I’ve made this soup in the past and loved it!! But I’ve recently started eating healthier and losing weight. Now that it’s heading into fall/winter I would luv to make this again… Do u have any idea what the nutrition facts are on this recipe? Also what does everyone think about substituting ground turkey for the sausage?
Thanks
Amanda :)
Hi Amanda! I do not track nutrition counts on my recipes, sorry. And I think you would be just fine substituting ground turkey or shredded chicken in this recipe. I would probably just add a bit of extra Italian seasonings, as the Italian sausage gives this soup so much flavor.
Fantastic! Quite possibly the yummiest thing to come out of my kitchen. My toddler loved it as much as I did! No ricotta on hand, but plain Greek yogurt was a great alternative. Definitely making this again. Thank you!
this recipe is fantastic!! it was easy to make and tastes perfect…the cheese is delicious. thank you so much for sharing!!
Could you freeze this? It is my daughter’s favorite so I am going to try to, but wondered if anyone else has? THanks!
I bet if you freeze it w/o the noodles, and add those after you thaw/reheat it might work.
I love a good bowl of soup.
I made this recipe last night, and my wife and I loved it. The only change we decided to make on our next soup was less meat in the dish. Reason, we plan to put in more pasta, which we cook outside the soup, and more yum cheese. Thanks for posting the recipe, we plan to make this often.
Phil
I was thinking about making this tonight and I was ust wondering if I could ground beef instead? Im guessing the sausage has spices added in so I didnt know if I woukd need to add anything extra or not. Other then that this looks great cant wait to try!