One Pot Vegetarian Lasagna Soup with mushrooms, white beans, and herbed ricotta. This easy weeknight dinner is ready in just 30 minutes and makes for delicious leftovers.
Easy One Pot Lasagna Soup
This recipe combines all the hearty, cheesy comfort of lasagna in a weeknight-friendly soup. It calls for classic lasagna noodles, which get broken up into a jumble of shapes and sizes. Of course you could use any pasta noodle you like, but I love the varying texture lasagna sheets add.
In place of ground beef, cremini mushrooms add meaty texture and savory depth to this vegetarian soup. Add to further ensure you don't miss the meat, white beans add a one-two punch of protein and fiber.
And since I personally can't imagine lasagna without ricotta cheese, the soup gets finished with an herb-y ricotta mixture. (A simple mix of ricotta, Parmesan, fresh basil, cracked black pepper, and olive oil). You can swirl the cheese mixture into the soup, or just dip some crusty bread in it. Either way, it really rounds out the whole lasagna-in-a-bowl experience.
How to Make Lasagna Soup:
As much as I love classic lasagna, I think we can all agree it's a labor of love. Which is why this soup is the BEST possible alternative. Not only does it come together in one pot, it's on the table in just 35 minutes. Classic lasagna, on the other hand, can dirty a whole kitchen and take up to two hours. This recipe makes the weeknight lasagna experience totally feasible.
To start, sauté the onions and mushrooms until softened. Next, stir in the big flavor agents: garlic, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste. Tomato paste offers a ton of bright umami flavor, which adds lots of depth to this soup. The key to unlock its full flavor potential, however, is to caramelize it. This is why the tomato paste cooks with the garlic for two minutes before the liquid is added. You'll know it's good-to-go when the bright hue turns more brick red. Once it goes dark and starts sticking to the pan, it's time to deglaze by adding broth and crushed tomatoes.
At this point, it's time to bring the soup to a boil, add the noodles, and cook until al dente. I love breaking up the lasagna sheets into different shapes and sizes for some textural interplay. If you prefer another pasta shape, though, feel free to swap them out.
Once the soup is done, it's time to crown it with herbed ricotta. (Because let's be honest, it's not "lasagna" with ricotta!). I also like to garnish with extra basil, cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of quality olive oil.
What is the Best Way to Freeze Soup?
Leftover soup is a sure-fire way win to busy weeknights. And it's basically the gift that keeps on giving since soup is ALWAYS better on day 2 or 3. Since this soup is meatless, it will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer. Follow these steps for how to best freeze Lasagna Soup (or really, most any soup) for best results:
- Allow the soup to completely cool. Either stick it in the refrigerator, or place the whole pot in a bath of ice water in the sink. To better release the heat, stir the soup every so often while it's chilling.
- Ladle the soup into gallon- or quart-size zip-top plastic freezer bags, let out any trapped air, and tightly seal.
- Lay bags flat in a single layer in the freezer. It's important to not stack them until they're frozen, or else they may stick.
- To reheat, transfer the bags to the fridge and let thaw overnight. Once thawed, pour the soup into a Dutch oven or stock pot, and cook over medium heat until warm.
It's best to freeze and thaw this soup without the ricotta mixture. Mainly because ricotta cheese can loose some of its light, creamy consistency after being frozen and reheated. I recommend to just prepare a fresh batch upon serving, or simply leaving it out!
If you give this recipe a try, be sure to tag #dishingouthealth so I can see your beautiful creations! And don't forget to follow Dishing Out Health on Pinterest and Facebook for the latest recipe updates!
More Healthy Soup Recipes to Try:
Nourishing White Bean and Lemon Soup
Healthy Winter Minestrone Soup
One Pot Lasagna Stew (Vegetarian)
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped
- 8 oz. cremini mushrooms quartered
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes with basil
- 1 15-oz. can navy beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 6 oz. dry lasagna noodles broken into small pieces (about 7 sheets)
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese divided
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, cook 4 minutes, until softened. Add mushrooms; cook 4 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden. Add garlic, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and red pepper flakes; cook 2 minutes, until tomato paste turns brick red and garlic is aromatic. Stir in crushed tomatoes, beans, broth, and 2 cups of water. Bring mixture to a boil over high. Add lasagna noodles, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until noodles are cooked, about 12 minutes. Turn off heat and gradually stir in ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese.
- Combine ricotta, remaining ¼ cup Parmesan, basil, and remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a small bowl. Season with cracked black pepper.
- Divide lasagna soup evenly between each of 8 bowls. Top with a dollop of ricotta mixture, and garnish with extra fresh basil, if desired.
Nutrition
Jo
It says 4 cups of broth.
Then says add 2 cups
Where do the other 2 cups go
Bryan
Would this taste just as well without mushrooms? (Allergic)
Jennifer
And yet another winner! This was easy and delish. Used up some shallots in lieu of the onion and subbed Northern beans bc the grocery delivery service we use was out of navy beans … other than that, was by the book. Used low fat ricotta bc the non dairy was $8 - yikes! Don’t skip the cheese - it was so tasty!!! We may or may not have had some ciabatta (recommend). 🙂 Thanks for making such wonderful meals!!
Jamie Vespa
Hi Jennifer - I'm so thrilled you enjoyed the soup! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! Cheers.
Hayley
I'm planning to make a vegan ricotta to top this; can I use a vegan parmesan cheese replacement in the soup or leave that out?
Jamie Vespa
Yes, vegan Parm will work just fine!
Karly Rose
Easy and delicious! Reheats well. I thought the noodles might be too soggy, but it was just lovely! Another great recipe Jamie!
Regina B
DELICIOUS!! I’m Italian and always looking for lighter, and simpler variations to our classics. I froze half, so excited to see how it holds up!
Kathryn
My family loved it! And it certainly does make good leftovers. Only adjustment I made was whole wheat lasagna noodles and doubled the beans.
dishingouthealth
Fantastic!! So glad you enjoyed it!
Karen Milton
Absolutely delicious!! Enjoying the leftovers on repeat!
dishingouthealth
Leftovers are the BEST. So glad you're enjoying it!