One Pot Lasagna Soup

ONE POT LASAGNA SOUP

I am a lover of all food, from Vietnamese to Mexican to Middle Eastern, but Italian food is most definitely my favorite. I’m pretty sure I could survive on cheese, pasta, and wine. My husband and I went to Italy on our honeymoon and it was by far the best eating I have ever done in my life. Everything is so fresh, the herbs and the pasta and the produce. I ate my way around the country and definitely came back a few pounds heavier. I dream of going back there someday. But for now, I have to occasionally summon my inner Italian and make a pasta dish to tide me over.

I really love lasagna but it’s a bit labor intensive. This dish, lasagna soup, is one of my favorite things to make and to eat. It’s a great dish to make to take to friends who are in need of a home cooked meal. Today I’m making it to take to a friend who has a new baby. It’s comforting and has all the flavors of lasagna without all the work. I make a lot of Italian dishes and this is one of my absolute favorites. I began making a version of this in 2014 and it used jarred tomato sauce and not a lot of spices and I felt the consistency was off and the flavor was lacking, but the concept was awesome. So a bunch of tweaks and about 40 batches later, here is my finalized recipe for one of my favorite dishes, one pot lasagna soup. No, you are not hallucinating… this entire dish comes together in one stockpot. No separate skillet for the meat or precooking the pasta! The depth of flavor really is exceptional. Also this dish is really customizable, I often add baby spinach or mini pepperonis to it to give it a little something extra.

First you will brown your sausage and onion in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. I add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pot and give it a swirl before I dump the meat and onion in so that it doesn’t stick. If you’re using beef, you can probably skip the oil since the beef will produce more fatty juice as it cooks than Italian sausage does. When the meat is almost cooked through and crumbly, about 5 minutes, add the minced garlic. 

Stir to mix the garlic through and allow to cook until meat is no longer pink and garlic is fragrant, about an additional minute. Next you’ll add the fire roasted diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, red wine*, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, a bay leaf, and the uncooked pasta. Stir to combine. I used rotini in this batch but really any bite size pasta would work. I’ve made lasagna soup with penne, bowties, and shells and they all turned out awesome. *If you don’t want to open red wine to cook with, you can substitute the wine with an additional cup of chicken broth. 

Don’t be intimidated by this long list of ingredients. You are just going to dump and go and let the magic happen as the flavors marry and pasta cooks. Bring soup to a boil and then cover and reduce heat to low and allow to simmer until pasta is done, stirring intermittently, about 25-30 minutes.

When the pasta is cooked, remove the bay leaf. Next add the heavy cream, 1/2 cup of Parmesan, and 1/2 cup of ricotta. Stir to mix through. Allow to remain on heat for another minute or two so cheeses melt and voila!

Serve warm with a scoop of ricotta cheese and a sprinkling of shredded mozzarella. My husband also puts crushed red pepper and another sprinkling of Parmesan on his. So top with whatever tickles your fancy but please don’t skip the ricotta!

The next time you are looking for an easy meal with very little clean up that will WOW all who eat it, make this one pot lasagna soup. It’s so good!

INGREDIENTS

• One pound ground Italian sausage, casings removed. You can use beef as well or a combo.
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 14.5 oz cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 14.5 oz can of tomato sauce
• 6 cups chicken broth or stock
• 1 cup dry red wine (can sub for an additional cup of chicken broth if preferred)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp each: basil and oregano
• 1 tsp each: salt and pepper
• 2 tsp each: sugar and balsamic vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 3.5 cups uncooked rotini pasta (any bite sized pasta will suffice)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, plus more for topping individual bowls
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping individual bowls
• Shredded mozzarella for topping individual bowls

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven add the olive oil and give the pan a swirl to coat bottom. Over medium high heat cook the sausage and onion until sausage is crumbly and almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, stir to mix through, and cook an additional minute or so until meat is no longer pink and is all the way cooked through.
2. Add the fire roasted diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, wine, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, sugar, bay leaf, and uncooked pasta. Stir to mix ingredients. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover soup. Simmer until pasta is cooked through, stirring intermittently, about 25-30 minutes.
3. Remove the bay leaf. Add the heavy cream, Parmesan, and ricotta. Stir to mix cream and cheeses throughout soup and leave on heat for an additional minute or two so cheeses melt.
4. Serve warm. Top with scoop of ricotta, generous sprinkle of shredded mozzarella, and Parmesan. If you want to add a little heat, top with crushed red pepper. This dish stays good in the fridge in an airtight container for one week.