Layering a lasagna takes an hour of assembly before it ever reaches the oven. Creamy lasagna soup delivers the same beef, tomato, and cheese in one pot, on the stove, in forty minutes.
The Science Behind It
Three separate mechanisms give this soup the body of a baked lasagna. Breaking the noodles into the broth lets their starch leach directly into the liquid instead of rinsing away in a colander, and that free starch thickens the broth as it simmers. Browning the beef and cooking the tomato paste until it darkens builds Maillard compounds that a boiled sauce never develops.
The cream matters for a reason worth stating precisely: tomatoes are acidic, and acid is what makes dairy curdle. Heavy cream survives it because its butterfat content sits above 36 percent, which keeps the milk proteins from clumping. Milk or half-and-half curdles in the same pot under the same conditions. Stirring the cream in off the boil, at the end, protects it further.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | For sauteing the onion |
| Onion | 1 medium | Finely diced |
| Ground beef | 1 lb | 80/20 keeps the broth from tasting lean |
| Garlic | 5 cloves | Minced |
| Tomato paste | 2 tbsp | Cook until it darkens before adding liquid |
| Tomato basil pasta sauce | 25 oz | Any variety works |
| Diced canned tomatoes | 28 oz | Undrained |
| Chicken broth | 4 cups | Keep 1 to 2 extra cups for thinning |
| Lasagna noodles | 12 sheets | Dried, not oven-ready. Broken into 2-inch pieces |
| Heavy cream | 1/2 cup | 36 percent butterfat or higher |
| Seasoning | 2 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tsp dried oregano | Salt goes in twice, 1 tsp each time |
| Cheese and herbs | 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup parmesan, 1/2 cup ricotta, 6 tbsp basil | Added at the bowl, not the pot |
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven and cook the onion until soft. Add the beef and brown it completely, then stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, tomato paste, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cook until the paste darkens and smells sweet.
Pour in the pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
Add the broken noodles and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Push the pieces under the liquid, reduce the heat, and simmer 10 to 12 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks.
Take the pot off the boil and stir in the heavy cream. Add 1 to 2 cups extra broth here if you want it thinner.
Ladle into bowls and top each with mozzarella, parmesan, a spoonful of ricotta, and basil.
Slow Cooker and Instant Pot
Slow cooker. Brown the beef and onion in a skillet, add the garlic, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt, then transfer everything to the slow cooker with the sauce, tomatoes, and broth. Cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 8. Boil the noodles separately and stir them in with the cream during the last 30 minutes.
Instant Pot. Brown the beef and onion on Saute, add the garlic, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cancel Saute, add the sauce, tomatoes, broth, remaining salt, and broken noodles, then cook 15 minutes on Soup mode. Quick release and stir in the cream.
Tips
Use dried lasagna sheets, never oven-ready. No-boil noodles are pre-cooked and go soft to the point of falling apart in a simmering broth.
Keep the noodle pieces submerged. Two-inch pieces that float cook unevenly and stay hard at the edges.
Salt in two stages. One teaspoon with the aromatics seasons the beef itself, one teaspoon with the noodles seasons the broth. All of it at the end sits on top of the dish rather than in it.
Eat leftovers within 2 to 3 days. The soup keeps 4 days refrigerated, but the noodles keep absorbing broth the whole time and eventually turn the pot into a casserole. If you are cooking specifically for leftovers, make the base without noodles and boil them fresh each time.
Freezing
Freeze this soup only without the noodles and without the cream, for up to 3 months. Both fail on thawing: the noodles collapse into paste, and the cream separates. Cook fresh noodles and stir in the cream when you reheat the base.
One pot, forty minutes, and a broth thick enough to stand a spoon in. The ricotta melting into the top of the bowl is the part that makes it taste like lasagna rather than beef soup.
Print
Creamy Lasagna Soup, Ready in 40 Minutes
All the beef, tomato, and cheese of a baked lasagna in one pot on the stove. Broken lasagna noodles cook right in the broth, so their starch thickens it as it simmers. Ready in 40 minutes and finished with heavy cream, then topped with mozzarella, parmesan, ricotta, and fresh basil. Slow cooker and Instant Pot methods included.
- Total Time: 40
- Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
Soup
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 lb ground beef, 80/20
5 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp tomato paste
25 oz tomato basil pasta sauce
28 oz diced canned tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth, more if you want a thinner soup
2 tsp kosher salt, divided
12 lasagna noodles, dried, broken into 2″ pieces
½ cup heavy cream
Garnishes
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
½ cup ricotta cheese
6 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven and cook the onion until soft. Add the beef and brown it all over, then stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, tomato paste, and 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt. Cook until the paste darkens.
Stir in the pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
Add the broken lasagna noodles and the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Push the pieces under the liquid, reduce the heat, and simmer 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender.
Take the pot off the boil and stir in the heavy cream. Add 1-2 cups extra chicken broth here if you want a thinner soup.
Ladle into bowls and top each one with mozzarella, parmesan, a spoonful of ricotta, and fresh basil.
Notes
Use dried lasagna sheets, not oven-ready. No-boil noodles are pre-cooked and fall apart in a simmering broth.
Keep the noodle pieces submerged while they simmer, or the floating edges stay hard.
Refrigerated leftovers keep 4 days, but eat them within 2-3. The noodles keep absorbing broth the whole time. If you are cooking specifically for leftovers, make the base without noodles and boil them fresh.
Freeze without the noodles and without the cream, up to 3 months. Both fail on thawing: the noodles collapse and the cream separates.
Slow cooker: brown the beef and onion in a skillet, add the garlic, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt, then transfer to the slow cooker with the sauce, tomatoes, and broth. Cook High 4 hours or Low 8. Boil the noodles separately and stir them in with the cream during the last 30 minutes.
Instant Pot: brown the beef and onion on Saute, add the garlic, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cancel Saute, add the sauce, tomatoes, broth, remaining salt, and broken noodles. Cook 15 minutes on Soup mode, quick release, and stir in the cream.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop, Slow Cooker, Instant PotStovetop, Slow Cooker, Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Italian