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Paula Deen Lasagna Soup

Paula Deen lasagna soup delivers hearty, tomato-butter broth with Italian sausage and broken lasagna noodles, finished with a very generous ricotta and mozzarella topping. This one-pot simmer keeps the noodles tender while the cheese melts into each spoonful for a thick, comforting bite.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Southern American
Calories: 780
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Italian sausage
  • 1 lb Italian sausage
Ground beef
  • 1 lb ground beef
Aromatics
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
Tomato base
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
Seasonings and broth
  • 4 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste
Lasagna noodles
  • 8 noodles lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
Cheese topping
  • 2 cup whole milk ricotta
  • 2 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 0.5 cup parmesan
  • 1 fresh basil

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the meats
  1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown the Italian sausage and ground beef in the unsalted butter, then drain excess fat.
  2. Continue cooking until the meat is browned through with no pink spots, keeping the pot hot for the next step.
Sauté aromatics
  1. In the same pot, sauté the diced onion for 4 minutes.
  2. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring until fragrant.
Build the soup
  1. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and dried basil, then bring the mixture to a boil.
  2. Once boiling, add the broken lasagna noodles and stir so they’re submerged.
Simmer until tender
  1. Simmer the soup for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lasagna noodles are tender.
  2. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste, then taste and adjust.
Make the cheese topping
  1. In a bowl, mix the whole milk ricotta, shredded mozzarella, parmesan, and fresh basil until the topping is evenly combined.
  2. Keep the topping thick and ready so it can mound on top of each bowl.
Serve
  1. Ladle the soup into bowls.
  2. Top with a very large, heaping spoonful of the cheese mixture so it drips into the hot soup.

Notes

Pro tip: drain excess fat after browning to keep the broth rich but not greasy. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stove until hot, stirring to help the cheese melt back in. Freezing is not ideal because the noodles can soften further after thawing. For a lighter option, swap the whole milk ricotta for part-skim ricotta and use reduced-fat mozzarella (texture will be slightly less creamy).