Lasagna Soup with Creamy Basil Ricotta Topping

When I’m craving lasagna but not the commitment, this easy lasagna soup always delivers. It’s a one-pot wonder packed with Italian sausage, ground beef, tender noodles, and a rich tomato broth that tastes like it’s been simmering all day. It’s finished with a whipped, herby ricotta topping that takes this soup from good to absolutely next level!

It’s basically science: everyone loves lasagna. All that gooey cheese, hearty meat, and tender noodles layered together? Hard to resist. But even my easy lasagna recipe feels like a project on a busy Wednesday, which is exactly why this creamy lasagna soup exists.

It’s a cozy, deconstructed take made with Italian sausage, garlic, Italian herbs, and a rich tomato-based broth that tastes just like the classic. Instead of layering with béchamel, a splash of heavy cream adds silkiness, and a dollop of herbed ricotta on top melts into every spoonful. You get all that familiar, comforting flavor — just in a simpler, weeknight-friendly form. Add my perfectly garlicky Caesar salad, and dinner is complete!

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Crockpot lasagna soup

Making lasagna soup with ground beef in your slow cooker is easy! Here’s how to do it:

1. Brown the meat: Simply brown the meat in a skillet, then transfer it to the crockpot.
2. Add the remaining ingredients (except the pasta and cream) to the crockpot, give them a good stir, then cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until all the flavors have melded together.
3. Add the final touches: Add the pasta and the cream about 30 minutes before serving. This will allow the pasta to soften and the cream to warm through without curdling.
4. Serve: Right before the soup finishes, make up your ricotta topping. (Or make the topping ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you’re ready for it.) Ladle out the soup into each bowl, and serve with the ricotta topping. Enjoy!

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Meaty Lasagna Soup with Ricotta (30 Minutes!)

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

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Recipe video below. While lasagna is one of my all-time favorite dinners, even making an easy lasagna can sometimes feel like too much work. That's why I came up with this lasagna soup recipe. It has all the flavors of traditional lasagna but is made into a soup in only 30 minutes. Don't skip the herbed ricotta topping – it's my favorite part!

8

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 lb mild Italian sausage (see notes)
• ▢ ½ lb lean ground beef
• ▢ 1 small onion (finely minced)
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
• ▢ 4 cups chicken stock
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1 teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
• ▢ 9 lasagna noodles (broken into bite-sized pieces)
• ▢ ½ cup heavy cream (optional)

Ricotta Topping

• ▢ 1 cup ricotta (see notes)
• ▢ ½ cup minced basil
• ▢ ½ cup EACH: grated parmesan and mozzarella
• ▢ 1 clove garlic (finely minced)
• ▢ 1 pinch EACH: salt and pepper

Instructions 

• Remove the Italian sausage from its casing and add it and the ground beef to a soup pot over medium-high heat. Cook until well-browned, breaking up the meat while stirring.
  1 lb mild Italian sausage, ½ lb lean ground beef
  
• Add the onion and cook until it's translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste to the pot and cook until the tomato paste starts to darken and smells sweet, about 2 minutes.
  1 small onion, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 3 cloves garlic
  
• Add the chicken stock, diced tomatoes and their juices, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and bring the pot to a boil. Stir in the broken up lasagna noodles then lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer until the noodles are soft, about 15 minutes.
  1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, 4 cups chicken stock, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper, 9 lasagna noodles
  
• While the soup is simmering, make the topping. Add all the ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and mix well.
  1 cup ricotta, ½ cup minced basil, ½ cup EACH: grated parmesan and mozzarella, 1 clove garlic, 1 pinch EACH: salt and pepper
  
• Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Serve the soup topped with the ricotta topping and a few extra basil leaves.
  ½ cup heavy cream
  

Video

Notes

Meat: Instead of the sausage and ground beef mix, use 1 ½ lb of either. And if you’d like it spicy, use spicy Italian sausage. 

Sausage casing: To remove the sausage casing, cut the sausage in half lengthwise and then remove the meat and discard the thin casing. 

Ricotta: Cottage cheese makes a decent and budget-friendly alternative to ricotta. 

Cream: I listed the heavy cream as optional. But honestly, I love it so much that I hope you add it. It’s not a lot, but it does balance the soup and add a bit of something extra special. 

Make-Ahead/Freezer Instructions: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days and reheated gently on the stove. If the soup thickens too much, add a splash of water or stock. If you’re making this for meal prep or to freeze, I suggest cooking the pasta separately and adding it to your bowl when serving, as the pasta becomes softer the longer it sits in the soup.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 bowl, Calories: 553kcal (28%), Carbohydrates: 32g (11%), Protein: 29g (58%), Fat: 34g (52%), Saturated Fat: 15g (94%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 107mg (36%), Sodium: 1079mg (47%), Potassium: 525mg (15%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 4g (4%), Vitamin A: 471IU (9%), Vitamin C: 3mg (4%), Calcium: 221mg (22%), Iron: 3mg (17%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

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