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I was a little concerned one evening last weekend as I served this Lasagna Soup. It wasn't the soup that was the problem, it was the fact that it was the fourth time in 5 days that I was serving the same thing.
Yikes! I wondered if there'd be some kind of mutiny, or maybe a, "Let's order out" hint.
I'd been testing, tweaking and turning this recipe inside out, getting it just right. My husband's a really good sport, but I was thinking perhaps a good thing had been pushed a little too far.
I was surprised at what he said when I placed the bowl of fragrant, steaming soup in front of him that fourth time. His response? "This is the best soup you've ever made!"
And guess what? That was Saturday evening and Sunday, on the way home from church (knowing there were leftovers), he said, "I can't wait to have a bowl of that soup for lunch!".
I have to agree, it's really that good, even the fifth time around. If you like Italian food, you're going to love this easy, amazingly delicious and fun Lasagna Soup. With all the flavors of traditional lasagna, but half the work, it's definitely a winner for make-ahead weekday dinners and also a really unique treat for guests and casual dinner parties.
My humble little kitchen thinks that it's been transported to the sunny Mediterranean as this soup has wafted aromas all week reminiscent of an authentic Italian trattoria. The soup starts with a sauté of onions, garlic, spices and Italian sausage. Red wine is added to de-glaze the pan. A generous scoop of tomato paste is added, which caramelizes before the chicken broth and fire-roasted tomatoes are introduced. A 30 minute simmer melds the flavors and melts the tomatoes into the delicious, vibrantly flavored broth.
It's not lasagna though without pasta, right? But what kind of pasta do you use for lasagna soup?
I've seen regular lasagna noodles broken up and added to this type of soup, but I wanted something a bit more fun. I checked out my local market and after scouring the shelves, found Campanelle pasta. Campanelle means "bellflowers" in Italian, and like it's namesake, has fluted, petal-like edges which remind me of lasagna noodles. Their hollow center is perfect for capturing sauce (and soup!).
You could use any type of small pasta for this soup, but another one which captured my intrigue is called Mafalda. Have you ever seen it? Mafalda looks exactly like miniature lasagna noodles. I think they'd work great, but they're not as readily available in my area of the country, so I stuck with the Campanelle.
This easy Lasagna Soup will be on my menu often during the chilly months ahead (especially if Scott has anything to say about it). It's perfect for family get togethers - after all, doesn't it seem that everyone, young and old alike, enjoys Italian cuisine? The soup can be made ahead and frozen (without the pasta) making it perfect for the busy holiday season. Just pull a container of it out of the freezer in the morning, cook the pasta when you get home and a delicious dinner for family and/or friends will be quite effortless. Add a loaf of warm, crusty bread, a fresh salad and a little Pavarotti on iTunes and you're there! Bonjourno!
- 8 ounces small pasta* or broken lasagna noodles see notes below
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage** see notes below
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ cup 4 ounces tomato paste
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 15- ounce cans fire-roasted canned tomatoes*** see notes below
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
- For the topping:
- 2 cups grated fresh mozzarella
- 1 cup coarsely grated fresh parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
- freshly ground black pepper
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and stir. Add the noodles and return to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes less than the amount of time directed on the package instructions. Remove one noodle and try it. Pasta should be cooked but still have a little bite (al dente). If needed, cook a minute or two longer. Don't overcook. Drain well then drizzle with a few teaspoons of olive oil. Toss till the noodles are coated and set aside.
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Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes or until softened. Add the Italian sausage and break into small pieces with with a metal spatula or the back of a large spoon. Add the garlic, oregano and basil. Cook until the sausage is well browned, about 15-20 minutes (if sausage is not browning well increase heat a bit.) If, after cooking, there's a lot of grease rendered, remove excess. Leave a little (about tablespoon) - it will give the soup great flavor.
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Add the tomato paste and wine. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan until tomato sausage mixture is a deep dark red color and most of the wine has evaporated, about 6-8 minutes
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Add the chicken broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, red pepper flakes and sea salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a low but steady simmer and cover with lid slightly ajar. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add fresh basil.
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If serving right aways add the pasta to the the soup. If making ahead, refrigerate the pasta and soup separately. Add pasta just before serving.
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Combine the parmesan and mozzarella. Set aside. Toast the pine nuts in a small pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until golden, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and set aside.
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Serve the soup steaming hot, in shallow serving bowls. Top each serving with a generous scoop of the cheese mixture. Garnish with toasted pine nuts, fresh chopped parsley leaves and a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.
* I like to use Campanelle or Mafalda. Campanelle a fluted bell-shaped pasta with a ruffly edge resembling lasagna noodles. Malfada is a flat pasta that looks just like miniature lasagna noodles. If Campanelle or Mafalda is not available any small pasta will work.
** If you can't find bulk Italian sausage, just use the kind in the casings but remove the casing before cooking
*** Fire-roasted tomatoes can be found in most larger groceries near the regular diced tomatoes. If you can't find them regular canned diced tomatoes can be substituted.
BRENDA BALL says
This was really good. Only thing I did different was I didn't add the pine nuts. I wasn't sure I was going to like this because I can't stand italian sausage, so I originally thought I probably wouldn't eat any BUT, I loved it in this. This was really tasty and hubby really loved it too. I will definitely make again. Thanks for the wonderful recipe, as usual.
Chris Scheuer says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Brenda! We love that soup!
Ronalynne says
Excellent. Made as written except subbed chicken broth for wine. Otherwise wouldn’t change anything.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your results, Ronalynne! I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
Sandy says
Wonderful recipe! Everything is spot on and so delicious!
Found the Campanella pasta and it was perfect.
Love, love, love your site, photos, text and of course the recipes!
Thank you both for all your hard work and devotion to excellence.
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you, Sandy. I'm so happy you enjoyed it. I appreciate your kind and encouraging words!
Elise says
This was amazing! Most definitely the most delicious soup I have ever eaten.
I couldn't find the fire roasted tomatoes in-store, so roasted fresh tomatoes at home under the grill. It was well worth the extra effort.
Chris Scheuer says
Yum, Elise! Scott says that he might as well be eating the real lasagna, when I make this soup! It's that good!
Dawn says
This soup is amazing! It cured my craving for lasagna without the work making lasagna. My kids told me I could make it every week. Thanks, Chris! ????
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Dawn! So glad you enjoyed it!
Kelly says
Having leftovers of this today for my Valentine's lunch! So warm and comforting. I made mine with dry sherry since I don't usually have red wine around and it turned out wonderful. I won't get to make it too often since the crazy kids don't like wonderful, melty cheese in their soups. I don't know how they can be mine. 😉 But I sure am enjoying it and the hubby too!
Jessica says
I knew the moment the cold weather settled in I had to make this soup so thank you for recommending it! I did a almost 50/50 mix of sweet and hot sausage (a little heavier on the sweet) because I love addition of the extra spice and fennel seed. I was going to look for some noodles with ruffles at the specialty mart I go but I forgot so I actually ended up doing your first suggestion and got a box of lasagna sheets and broke them up and it worked like a charm. I cut back on the garlic too because the kind I get is pretty strong and I didn't want to serve garlic noodle soup with slight tomato flavor. The only thing I couldn't get a hold of was pine nuts because they're a little hard to find on my side and when I do the pocketbook is like nah, don't even think about it, abandon mission. But I did want some some kind of nutty flavor so I ended up using some fresh pesto I got in bulk at the same specialty mart because hey it's got pine nuts right so why not?. Just a tiny spoonful on top of every bowl really added a fresh flavor to the soup. This was a great soup and another one that the whole house enjoyed so thank you so much!
Sandra says
Every delicious morsel in the bowl looks as if it were expertly arranged for the photo. Beautiful!
Maureen says
Scott is much more accommodating than John. After the second try, John would tell me to find a new recipe. I'm so glad you didn't because this soup is out of this world!
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
From looking at the recipe, I can see why Scott could eat this soup several days in a row and not complain. 😀
Vicki Bensinget says
Chris this soup sounds wonderful. I may have to make a batch this week In fact I bet my kids will want to take some containers home with them. Thanks for sharing.