Soups & stews / Chicken, noodle & dumpling soups
Lasagna Soup with Seasoned Ricotta
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Sausage browns, tomato paste cooks down to brick red, and a spoonful of herby ricotta melts into every bowl. It's Sunday lasagna on a Tuesday night, in about forty-five minutes.
The short version
Brown Italian sausage with onion, cook the tomato paste until brick red, then simmer with crushed tomatoes and broth for 20 minutes. Boil the noodles separately, stir in cream and Parmesan, and top each bowl with seasoned ricotta. About 45 minutes.
What makes ours better
small changes, very loud compliments
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Cook the tomato paste in the pot. Two minutes of frying turns raw tomato paste dark and sweet, which gives the broth the long-simmered flavor of a baked lasagna sauce.
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Boil the noodles separately. Pasta cooked in the soup clouds the broth with starch and swells into mush by the second bowl. Cooked apart and added to the bowls, it stays tender.
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Season the ricotta. Plain ricotta tastes of nothing. Stirring in Parmesan, basil, lemon zest and salt turns a dollop into the cheese layer you'd have in the pan.
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Stir in a little cream. Half a cup smooths the acid in the tomatoes and gives the broth the richness of the baked version without making it heavy.
What you need
check the pantry before you promise anyone
- Italian sausage1 pound
- Tomato paste2 tablespoons
- Can crushed tomatoes28 ounces
- Mafalda or broken lasagna noodles6 ounces
- Heavy cream½ cup
- Finely grated Parmesan½ cup
- Fresh basil½ cup
- Whole-milk ricotta1 cup
Soup
Seasoned ricotta
tap each one as it goes in. no double-salting.
Steps
apron on. phone down. mostly.
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Brown the sausage
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break it into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook until it is browned in spots and no pink remains, about 8 minutes.
About 8 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Cook the onion and garlic
Add the onion to the sausage fat and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes for 30 seconds.
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Fry the tomato paste
Push everything to the sides, add the tomato paste to the center and cook it, stirring, until it darkens to a brick red and sticks a little to the pot, about 2 minutes. Then stir it through the sausage.
The dark spots on the bottom are flavor. The broth will lift them in the next step.
About 2 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Simmer the broth
Add the crushed tomatoes, broth and salt, scraping up the browned bits. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes, until the broth tastes rich and the tomato flavor has deepened.
About 20 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Boil the noodles
While the soup simmers, cook the noodles in well-salted boiling water for 2 minutes less than the package says. Drain and toss with a teaspoon of oil so they don't stick.
They will finish softening in the hot soup. Cooking them fully now gives soft noodles.
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Mix the ricotta
Stir the ricotta, Parmesan, herbs, lemon zest and salt together in a small bowl.
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Finish and serve
Turn the heat to low. Stir in the cream, Parmesan and basil, then taste and add salt or pepper. Divide the noodles among bowls, ladle the soup over, and top each with a big spoonful of the seasoned ricotta.
Good to know
read this before somebody asks for seconds
- Sausage is the flavor backbone, so buy one you like. For lighter soup, use ground turkey and add a teaspoon of fennel seed and an extra half teaspoon of salt.
- For melted cheese on top, scatter shredded mozzarella over the hot bowls and broil for 2 minutes.
- Cooked pasta is best added to the bowls, not the pot, if you expect leftovers.
- Beef can replace some of the sausage. Use half sausage and half ground beef, cooked the same way.
- Storage. Store soup and noodles separately in the fridge, up to 4 days. The soup freezes for 3 months without the noodles and cream. Reheat gently and add fresh noodles.
Questions, answered
asked and answered at the kitchen counter
What pasta should I use for lasagna soup?
Broken lasagna sheets are the classic. Mafalda, or "mini lasagna" noodles, have the same ruffled edges and fit on a spoon, so they are easier to eat.
Do I have to cook the noodles separately?
You can cook them in the soup if you plan to eat it all at once, adding an extra cup of broth. Separate cooking keeps the broth clear and the noodles tender for leftovers.
Can I make lasagna soup without cream?
Yes. Leave it out and the ricotta on top still gives richness. Add a small pinch of sugar if the tomatoes taste sharp.
How do I make it in a slow cooker?
Brown the sausage, onion and tomato paste on the stove, then simmer everything except the noodles, cream and cheese on low for 4 to 6 hours. Cook noodles separately and finish as written.
Can I freeze lasagna soup?
Yes, without the noodles and ricotta. Freeze for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the fridge, and finish with fresh noodles and the seasoned ricotta.
From the table
Made it? Tell me everything. Especially if somebody said it was better than their mother’s. I’ll keep your secret.
Made it?
tell me the truth, then tell me who had thirds
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Published October 29, 2026.