This Cheesy Sausage Lasagna Soup has all the flavors and textures of lasagna in soup form! It’s made with Italian sausage, diced tomatoes, fresh basil, melty mozzarella, and herbed ricotta cheese. It’s the best one pot soup recipe out there!   

It’s no secret I love lasagna. I have a Cast Iron Lasagna recipe you must try, and a Crock Pot Lasagna as well. It seemed only right to add a lasagna soup recipe to the mix! I’m trying to think of another form of lasagna I can make…? A lasagna appetizer maybe? I’ll keep brainstorming. I did post my Mexican lasagna recipe, so my love of lasagna isn’t confined to just Italian cuisine. 

A brown bowl filled with Cheesy Sausage Lasagna Soup.

Why This Recipe Works

  • Lasagna soup with Italian sausage. If you’re ever looking to add more flavor to your Italian dishes, try using Italian sausage instead of ground beef! I promise you’ll be glad you did. Italian sausage has a stronger flavor than ground beef and really adds to the Italian flavor of the dish, too. 
  • Made with herbed ricotta. The herbed ricotta I use for garnish is amazing. Even if you don’t traditionally use ricotta in your lasagnas, it gives more of a cheesy nature to the soup and makes it a bit heartier and creamier. Plus, the herbs added to it make it more than just straight ricotta. The herbed ricotta recipe came from my skillet lasagna. I loved it so much, I made it again for this best lasagna soup recipe!
  • Uses small pasta noodles. Using small pasta noodles (like radiatore, penne, bowtie, etc.) instead of using those big lasagna noodles will make this cheese sausage lasagna soup recipe easier to eat in soup form. 
  • One pot meal. If all the reasons listed above aren’t enough to convince you to make this delicious sausage lasagna soup, then Iet me just say one more thing: one pot lasagna soup recipe. Forget the piles of dishes and the layering of lasagna noodles — this easy soup is made in one large pot, making it an easy dish for those busy weeknights. 

But don’t take my word for it! SB Purifico commented: “Sooooo delicious! Everyone had second helpings! (served 6 adults, twice!) Substituted Mild Italian Turkey Sausage, and used Farfalle pasta. Perfect on a chilly weather night, served with crusty Italian bread. Follow the recipe and you won’t be disappointed!”

Ingredient Notes

Sausage lasagna soup ingredients portioned into glass bowls on a light gray background.
Ricotta cheese, parmesan, and dried herbs in a glass bowls on a gray background.
  • Italian Sausage: Casings removed. I love using Italian sausage instead of ground beef because the flavor is stronger. Trust me on this! You’ll want the sausage over ground beef in this soup. 
  • Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes: Use regular diced tomatoes if you don’t want as much spice.
  • Chicken Broth: Always opt for a chicken broth, beef broth or vegetable stock instead of water when making soup. It just adds to the flavor of the dish. 
  • Pasta: Any type of pasta will work just fine just be sure it’s a smaller noodle. I like radiatore (which I didn’t have on hand when taking pictures) because each pasta noodle has little waves in it that remind me of miniature lasagna noodles. 
  • Fresh Basil: Chopped. Using fresh basil will be worth it! Fresh basil penetrates the soup better than dried basil would.
  • Mozzarella: It wouldn’t be your the cheesy sausage lasagna soup without some shredded mozzarella on top!
  • Ricotta: You can find the tubs of ricotta in the dairy section or cheese section of your local grocery store. 
  • Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese: I’d opt for fresh parmesan over the parmesan in the Kraft parmesan shakers or pre shredded. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in cellulose which reduces clumping, therefore keeping the cheese shreds separate. Because of this, it’s harder for the cheese to melt. This is why I like using block cheese I shred myself. 
  • Dried Herbs: You’ll use oregano and basil. Using dried here is OK since it’s just so we can get some of the Italian flavor in the ricotta. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Make the herbed ricotta. Add the ricotta, parmesan, oregano, basil and salt to a small bowl. Stir until combined. Store in the fridge.
  2. Cook the sausage. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook for 5 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the chopped onion and finish cooking until the onions are soft and the meat is cooked through. Drain excess grease.
Four photos showing the making of Cheesy Sausage Lasagna Soup; the top two photos are a glass bowl with herb ricotta mixture in it.
  1. Add spices and tomato paste. Add the red pepper flakes, oregano, garlic and tomato paste to the pot. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes. 
  2. Add tomatoes and chicken broth. Add in the fire roasted diced tomatoes (or regular diced tomatoes if you don’t want the heat) and the chicken broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce and simmer for 30 minutes.
  3. Cook the pasta. Add the pasta to the pot and cook in the soup until al dente.
Four photos showing the making of sausage lasagna soup in a white cast iron pot.
  1. Serve! Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with fresh basil, shredded mozzarella and a large dollop of ricotta with herbs! 
A ladle lifting Cheesy Sausage Lasagna Soup from a white pot.

Recipe Tips

If you foresee having leftovers, I suggest you cook the noodles separately rather than adding them straight into the pot. The pasta noodles will soften over time as they soak up more of the juice from the soup, also meaning the consistency of the soup will be less liquidy. 

You can use spicy Italian sausage or regular Italian sausage. The crushed red pepper flakes will also add some kick. If you want less kick, you can skip the red pepper flakes or cut back on how much you use.

Not a big sausage fan? You can use half Italian sausage half ground beef and you’ll still get some of those delicious flavors from the sausage. 

This delicious lasagna soup yields a lot of servings, easily feeding 8 to 10 people. So use a big pot.

Don’t skip the grease-draining step. You won’t want grease floating around in your bowl of soup.

Serve this steaming hot bowl of lasagna soup with mozzarella cheese and a dollop of the ricotta atop! You’ll dig in and get that deliciously melty cheese and it’s oh so delicious!  

Serve with these garlic rosemary rolls. You can make it without the rosemary if you’d like so it’s just a garlic bread roll.  

Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing

To make ahead of time, you can cook the sausage and the onion and then freeze that in a ziplock bag to thaw and use later. 

Store any leftovers of the sausage lasagna soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The soup will lose its soupy-ness over time due to the pasta continually soaking up the liquid.

If you want to freeze lasagna soup, freeze without any of the noodles. Pasta doesn’t freeze well. The noodles will go mushy once frozen and thawed. To freeze the noodle-less lasagna soup, store in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. Remove and let thaw in the fridge overnight. Transfer to a pot and warm. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Serve with herbed ricotta and cheese. 

Overhead photo of sausage lasagna soup recipe in a brown bowl topped with ricotta and basil.

Recipe FAQs 

What is lasagna soup?

Lasagna soup is different from lasagna because instead of layering the elements you’re just putting them in one pot and adding more liquid (chicken, vegetable or beef stock) to make it a soup.

What kind of pasta do you use in lasagna soup?

You can really use whatever pasta noodle you’d like! I think it’s fun to use a noodle that looks a bit like lasagna noodles, but in smaller form. Radiatore is my favorite because it has a wavy look that reminds me of traditional lasagna noodles, but you can use mafalda pasta, fusilli, campanelle, bowtie, etc.

Can I cook noodles directly in soup?

You sure can! However, keep in mind that if you have leftovers, the noodles in the soup will get softer and softer as they soak up the liquid from the soup, also resulting in a thicker consistency soup on the second day. If you cook the noodles separately, add them to each individual serving of soup and store in a separate container. 

What meat do you use in lasagna soup?

I love using Italian sausage because the flavor is sharper so it doesn’t get lost in the rest of the soup. However, you can definitely still use ground beef or ground turkey in this dish. Just note that the flavor will be different. You can add additional salt and Italian seasoning to the soup if using the plain ground beef or ground turkey option. 

How do you store lasagna soup?

Store the noodles in a separate container if you don’t want the noodles to become soft or the soup to become less liquidy. It will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. 

Can you freeze lasagna soup?

Yes! If you are freezing this soup, I would definitely recommend cooking the pasta noodles separately so you can store any noodles in the fridge and the soup in the freezer. Then you can also just cook noodles on the day you thaw the soup. Freeze the soup in a zip top bag for up to 3 months. 

What goes with lasagna soup?

Some great sides with this soup are Baked Sweet Potato, Strawberry Spinach Salad, Roasted Broccoli, and Garlic Roasted Carrots.

A spoon scooping up cheesy Lasagna Soup from a bowl.

Must-Try Soup Recipes

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Lasagna Soup with ricotta in a brown bowl.
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4.67 from 3 votes

Lasagna Soup

This Lasagna Soup has all the flavors of lasagna, in soup form! It’s topped with melty mozzarella, herbed ricotta, and fresh basil. Friends, this is ONE POT lasagna soup.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 10 servings

Ingredients
 

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 2 lbs Italian sausage - casings removed
  • 3 cups chopped onions - about 1 large yellow onion
  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic cloves - minced
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 14.5 oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 12 oz radiatore pasta - or any other pasta will work just fine
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • fresh herbs - parsley, oregano, basil… for topping
  • 3 cups shredded mozzarella - for topping

Herbed Ricotta

  • 8 oz ricotta
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried basil

Instructions
 

  • Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sausage. Crumble the sausage and cook for 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook until the onions are softened and translucent and the sausage is cooked and no longer pink, about 8-10 minutes. Drain excess fat and grease. 
  • Add the garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste to the sausage. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the tomato paste turns a rusty color. 
  • Add the fire roasted diced tomatoes and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. 
  • Add the pasta to the pot and cook until al dente. *
  • Ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with fresh basil, shredded mozzarella, and herbed ricotta

Herbed Ricotta

  • Combine the ricotta, parmesan, salt, oregano, and basil in a small bowl. Stir to combine. 

Notes

*Even cook the pasta slightly under al dente. 
If you foresee having leftovers, I suggest cooking the pasta on the side and then adding the pasta to individual bowls. The pasta will soften as it sits in the lasagna soup. 
**Note, this becomes less soupy as it sits, due to the pasta soaking up the juices. 

Nutrition

Calories: 641kcal (32%)Carbohydrates: 34g (11%)Protein: 30g (60%)Fat: 41g (63%)Saturated Fat: 17g (85%)Cholesterol: 110mg (37%)Sodium: 1756mg (73%)Potassium: 626mg (18%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 3g (3%)Vitamin A: 450IU (9%)Vitamin C: 19.6mg (24%)Calcium: 331mg (33%)Iron: 2.6mg (14%)
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
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