White Lasagna Soup with Italian Sausage
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This is the perfect cozy bowl of soup for chilly nights. Filled with a mix of vegetables, Italian sausage, spinach, and creamy ricotta cheese this White Lasagna Soup is sure to become a classic in your kitchen. This is a hassle-free and simple meal that you will absolutely love for its creamy texture and comforting flavors!
What is White Lasagna Soup?
If you are like me, then lasagna is your absolute favorite pasta dish. This is the most delicious soup recipe, transforming the cozy comfort of lasagna into soup form. White lasagna soup is simply lasagna without tomato sauce and instead is made with a white soup base made from chicken stock, cream, and ricotta cheese. It’s absolutely mouthwatering, hearty, and full of fresh greens!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
Super Simple. I often think that the best meals use the simplest of ingredients. With a base of Italian seasonings and flavors, this soup tastes like your favorite lasagna without all of the hassle of building the pasta dish.
Quick Dinner Recipe. You can make this soup in about an hour, making it a great dish for a quick weeknight meal. You can also plan ahead and make this soup in the crockpot!
Creamy and Delicious. What makes white lasagna soup stand out from a classic lasagna soup is its creamy texture. This soup has a lighter base and isn’t overly thick, but still captures all of that creamy texture and flavor!
Gathering Ingredients:
Olive Oil. You can use any neutral cooking oil or even butter for this recipe if you do not have olive oil on hand.
Italian Sausage. I prefer mild Italian sausage, but you can turn up the heat a notch by using a spicy Italian sausage in your soup.
Onion. I suggest using a yellow onion for this recipe, but a white onion can also work.
Garlic.
Salt and Pepper.
Herbs. For this recipe, you can use fresh or dried herbs. I used thyme, parsley, and red pepper flakes.
Chicken Stock. You may use stock or broth for this recipe, and you can also use vegetable stock in its place.
Bay Leaves. I suggest using fresh bay leaves, if possible, but dried bay leaves work just as well.
Lasagna Noodles. Use your favorite brand of lasagna noodles for this soup, or make them from scratch! Here is my recipe for homemade noodles.
Spinach. You will want to use fresh baby spinach.
Heavy Cream. If you want to avoid using heavy cream, you can use half and half or coconut milk.
Ricotta. Any type of ricotta can be used.
Parmesan and Mozzarella.
How to Make White Lasagna Soup:
Step One: In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Italian sausage and brown it, crumbling it in the pan. Then, add the onion and garlic and toss to cook until the onions are nearly translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Season the sausage and vegetables with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper, or to taste. Then, stir in the thyme, parsley, and red pepper flakes.
Step Two: Pour in the chicken stock and stir in the bay leaves. Bring the soup to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot for about 15 to 25 minutes. Adjust the flavor of the soup as necessary.
Step Three: Add the lasagna noodles to the soup and simmer them until they are al dente, usually about 7 to 10 minutes depending on the brand or if they are homemade. Once the noodles are cooked, stir in the spinach and the heavy cream, cooking over low heat for another 1 to 2 minutes or until the spinach is wilted. Remove the pot from heat. You may choose to break up the larger noodles with a spoon as you like, but they will most likely break on their own as you stir!
Step Four: Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses and season with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Step Five: Serve the soup hot with dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture in each person's bowl.
Tips for Making Delicious White Lasagna Soup:
Use Whole Ingredients. This soup is mainly made with whole ingredients, but you can take this up a notch by using whole ingredient lasagna noodles (aka noodles that do not have highly processed ingredients in them) or make your own homemade noodles from scratch!
Simmer Your Soup Longer. The best flavored soups are those that have simmered for a long while. I suggest simmering your soup before adding the noodles for about 15 to 25 minutes to let those flavors develop in a short amount of time. However, you can let this sit for much longer - all day, in fact! You may have to replace some broth the longer you cook the soup as it will slowly evaporate over time, even while covered.
Cook the Noodles Al Dente. The best way to cook noodles in soup is to cook them to al dente, or even slightly undercooked. This will help prevent them from becoming soggy or soaking up too much of the broth.
Serving Suggestions:
This easy White Lasagna Soup is absolutely delicious served with heavy dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture in each bowl! I love eating this cozy and comforting soup recipe with a loaf of crusty homemade bread or a simple no-knead sourdough. For a full meal, add a fresh salad like Three Bean Salad with Olives and Feta Cheese.
Final Thoughts:
Rich, creamy, and full of delicious vegetables and Italian sausage this White Lasagna Soup is the perfect easy meal for winter evenings. Enjoy cozying up at home with a bowl or taking this in your lunch for work on these chilly days. There’s nothing better than enjoying all of the flavors of traditional lasagna in a cozy bowl of soup!
xoxo Kayla
White Lasagna Soup with Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
- 1 lb (454 g) mild or spicy Italian sausage
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 tsp black pepper, divided
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 1/2 tsp dried
- 2 tsp fresh parsley, minced, or 1/2 tsp dried
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 5 cups (1182 ml) chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 2 bay leaves, fresh if possible
- 8 oz (226 g) lasagna noodles
- 2 cups (60 g) baby spinach leaves, stems removed
- 1/2 to 1 cup (120 to 240 ml) heavy cream or half and half
- 1 cup (240 g) ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup (45 g) parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup (45 g) mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Italian sausage and brown it, crumbling it in the pan. Then, add the onion and garlic and toss to cook until the onions are nearly translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Season the sausage and vegetables with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper, or to taste. Then, stir in the thyme, parsley, and red pepper flakes.
- Pour in the chicken stock and stir in the bay leaves. Bring the soup to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot for about 15 to 25 minutes. Adjust the flavor of the soup as necessary.
- Add the lasagna noodles to the soup and simmer them until they are al dente, usually about 7 to 10 minutes depending on the brand or if they are homemade. Once the noodles are cooked, stir in the spinach and the heavy cream, cooking over low heat for another 1 to 2 minutes or until the spinach is wilted. Remove the pot from heat. You may choose to break up the larger noodles with a spoon as you like, but they will most likely break on their own as you stir!
- Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses and season with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Serve the soup hot with dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture in each person's bowl.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
626
