Lasagna Soup

Lasagna Soup

Lasagna soup turns the familiar pasta, tomato sauce, seasoned meat, and creamy cheese into a one-pot meal. Cooking broken noodles directly in the broth adds body, but adding them near the end keeps them from becoming overly soft. A spoonful of ricotta finishes each bowl.

Equipment and timing

• Large Dutch oven or soup pot
• Wooden spoon
• Ladle
• Instant-read thermometer

Yield: 6 servings
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 35 minutes
Heat: medium-high, then gentle simmer

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 8 lasagna noodles, broken into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 3/4 cup ricotta
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Method

1. Heat oil in the pot over medium-high. Add turkey and onion and cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the turkey reaches 165°F/74°C and the onion softens, 7 to 9 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, oregano, basil, and pepper flakes; stir for 1 minute.
2. Add crushed tomatoes, broth, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add broken noodles and simmer uncovered according to their package timing, usually 10 to 13 minutes, stirring frequently so pieces do not stick together.
4. When the pasta is just tender, stir in spinach until wilted. Taste and adjust salt. Combine ricotta and Parmesan in a small bowl.
5. Ladle soup into bowls and top each with the ricotta mixture. Serve promptly.

Consistency and troubleshooting

The pasta continues absorbing broth after cooking. The soup should look slightly looser than desired when removed from the heat. If it becomes thick, stir in hot broth or water. Stir from the bottom often after adding noodles because flat pasta pieces tend to settle and stick.

Tomato paste should cook briefly before liquid is added; this removes its raw taste. Do not use a plate or utensil that held raw turkey for cooked food. Verify temperature in several crumbles before adding broth. Keep the soup at a simmer rather than a violent boil to preserve the noodles’ shape.

Substitutions and storage

Ground beef may replace turkey and should reach 160°F/71°C. Use mafaldine or another ruffled pasta instead of broken lasagna, adjusting cooking time from the package. Kale can replace spinach if simmered for several minutes. Cottage cheese blended smooth can stand in for ricotta.

Refrigerate within 2 hours and use within 4 days. Reheat to 165°F/74°C, adding broth as necessary. For make-ahead soup, cook pasta separately and store it apart from the broth. Freeze the meat-and-tomato base without pasta or cheese for up to 3 months.