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30-Minute Lasagna Soup

30-minute lasagna soup with broken lasagna noodles simmered in a vibrant tomato broth, finished with a quick ricotta-mozzarella-parmesan dollop. Lean on high-heat browning and a short boil for tender noodles without the long bake.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Italian sausage
  • 1 lb Italian sausage
Onion
  • 1 onion, diced
Garlic
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
Marinara sauce
  • 1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce
Chicken broth
  • 4 cup chicken broth
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Red pepper flakes
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
Lasagna noodles
  • 8 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
Ricotta
  • 1 cup ricotta
Mozzarella
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Parmesan
  • 2 tbsp parmesan
Fresh basil
  • 1 fresh basil for garnish
Salt and pepper
  • 0.25 tsp salt and pepper

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Cook the sausage and aromatics
  1. Brown the Italian sausage in a large pot over high heat until cooked through, then drain the fat. Keep it at a vigorous sizzle so the sausage browns rather than steams (visual cue: no pink and a deep caramel color).
  2. Add the diced onion to the same pot and cook for 3 minutes. Stir and scrape the browned bits (visual cue: onion softens and turns glossy).
  3. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir constantly to avoid burning (visual cue: fragrant, lightly golden).
Simmer the soup with lasagna noodles
  1. Pour in the marinara sauce and chicken broth, then add Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Stir until the broth turns evenly red (visual cue: consistent tomato-red color).
  2. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then add the broken lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are submerged so they cook evenly (visual cue: bubbling resumes right around the noodles).
  3. Boil for 10-12 minutes until the noodles are just tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Keep the boil steady (visual cue: noodles bend easily but still hold shape).
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust gradually and stir to distribute (visual cue: flavor looks balanced, with no need for additional tomato sharpness).
Finish and serve
  1. Mix the ricotta, shredded mozzarella, and parmesan together quickly for the cheese dollop. Stir until thick and scoopable (visual cue: cohesive, cheesy mound texture).
  2. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a large spoonful of the cheese mixture, then garnish with fresh basil. Serve immediately (visual cue: cheese dollop sits on top and begins to soften at the edges).

Notes

Pro tip: stir often once the noodles go in—broken noodles can stick fast—so keep a steady boil and a few gentle stirs. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat on the stove with a splash of broth as needed. Freezing is not recommended because noodles may turn soft. If you want it lighter, use turkey Italian sausage while keeping the same cheese dollop for the classic lasagna flavor.