Kitchen notes · a little help before you start

Vegetable Lasagna Soup

Name: Vegetable Lasagna Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 7
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp olive oil; 1 each medium yellow onion, (chopped, 1 1/2 cups); 1 1/2 cups diced carrots (about 3 medium); 4 cloves garlic, (minced, 1 1/2 Tbsp); 1 each carton low-sodium vegetable broth; 1/2 cup water; 29 oz diced tomatoes; 16 oz tomato sauce; 1 each medium zucchini, (ends trimmed, chopped); 1 each medium yellow squash, (ends trimmed, chopped); 5 oz button mushrooms, (sliced); 2 tsp dried basil; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1/2 tsp dried thyme; 1/2 tsp rosemary (crushed); 1 tsp sugar; As Needed Salt; As Needed black pepper; 8 each lasagna noodles (7 oz), (broken into bite size pieces, see important note); 3 cups spinach (3 oz), (roughly chopped); 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional); 1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese; 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese; 8 oz ricotta cheese

A spoonful of cheese melting into tomato broth makes this vegetable lasagna soup particularly inviting. Tender noodle pieces curl among the vegetables below those creamy swirls. Start with a spoonful from near the cheese so you can enjoy how it softens into the soup.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 50 min
Original yield: Serves 7
Ingredients: 24 listed

Make it part of your week

Estimating…

SoupsItalianMain coursePrep: 16–30 minutesTotal: 31–60 minutesSoups & stews Pasta

Recipe categories & planning details

Meal type: Main course
Cuisine: Italian
Preparation & total time: Prep: 16–30 minutes · Total: 31–60 minutes
Dish type: Soups · Soups & stews · Pasta

A few quick notes

1. Stir the noodles as they cook

Broken lasagna noodles can settle and catch on the bottom of the pot. Give the soup a stir now and then as it simmers, nudging loose any pieces that want to stick.

2. Cook the pasta separately if needed

If the soup won't all be served right away, boil the noodles separately and add them to bowls. Leave out the water and a little broth from the soup so the texture stays right.

3. Keep the spinach for the end

The spinach only needs a quick wilt after the noodles are tender. Stirring it in at the end keeps it from turning limp while the pasta and vegetables finish.

Get to know the ingredients

Lasagna noodles

Break the noodles into bite-size pieces before they go in. They cook right in the soup when you're serving it straight away, but they'll keep soaking up liquid if the pot sits around.

Zucchini, squash and mushrooms

These go into the pot before the simmer, so they have time to soften along with the pasta. If you cook the noodles separately, keep the soup's simmer time the same for these vegetables.

Cheese mixture

Stir the mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta together while the soup simmers, with just a light seasoning of salt. It gets spooned onto each serving rather than boiled into the pot.

The last little job

Ladle the soup while it's warm, then add spoonfuls of the cheese mixture to each bowl. A light swirl is enough. It'll melt quickly, and the parsley can go on top if you want it.

A little more help as you go

Watch the soup as it rests

This soup thickens as the noodles sit in it. After a short rest, the pasta can pull in enough liquid to make the pot feel more like stew, so serve promptly if the noodles cooked in the soup.

Season in two places

The soup gets salt and pepper after the tomatoes, vegetables and herbs go in. The cheese mixture also gets a little salt, so taste and season gently rather than going heavy all at once.

A few questions you might have

Can I cook the lasagna noodles right in the soup?

Yes, if you're serving it right away. Add the broken noodles after the soup comes to a boil, then simmer until tender, stirring occasionally so they don't stick.

Why would I cook the noodles in a separate pot?

Do that if the whole pot won't be eaten right away. The noodles keep soaking up broth as they sit, which can make them soggy and leave the soup much thicker.

Do I change the vegetable simmer time if the noodles are separate?

No. Keep the soup simmering for the same amount of time so the zucchini, yellow squash and mushrooms soften properly, even when the pasta is cooking in another pot.

Does the cheese mixture go into the pot?

No, spoon it onto individual servings. Swirl it lightly into the hot soup in the bowl so it melts without disappearing into the whole pot.

When should I add the spinach?

Add it after the pasta is tender. It wilts very quickly in the hot soup, so it only needs about 30 seconds to heat through.

Any more cooking tips?

If you won't be serving all of this soup right away I highly recommend cooking the lasagna noodles separately. Just omit the 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of the broth. Boil the noodles in a separate pot in salted water, then add them to each individual serving. Also, leave the simmer time for the soup the same so the zucchini, squash and mushrooms soften. I recommend doing this because I've made this soup twice and after it's rested for more than 20 minutes it starts to become more like a stew and the noodles just soak up all the liquid and become soggy. It works great to cook the noodles in the soup if you are serving it right away though.

Storage & reheating safety

For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.

These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures

Recipe source: cookingclassy.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.

Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.

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