This healthy, easy lasagana soup packs lots of goodness and flavor from ground turkey; rich tomato-based broth with Mediterranean herbs and spices; and a dollop of part-skim ricotta mixture for a creamy finish. The perfect weeknight dinner in one pot!
Options to make this lasagna soup in both the crock pot and pressure cooker included below, so be sure to keep reading!
Of the many tasty Italian classics we’ve adapted here in North America, lasagna takes first place in popularity–for good reason! Layers and layers of noodles, ricotta (or béchamel, if you’re going for the real deal), plus a dreamy ragu nestled in between. All the comfort!
And we’ve created many versions of lasagna, from lasagna roll ups to gluten-free eggplant lasagna to this lasagna soup, a lazier version which has become a favorite in my home.
This lasagna soup is one of those one-pot meals that are the perfect sum of their parts. That’s why I choose to use ingredients like quality organic turkey, whole wheat pasta, and tomato sauce from quality Italian tomatoes. At only 371 calories per serving, this is a great way to enjoy all the comfort of lasagna without the guilt!
And even better, making lasagna as a soup cuts half the work. No need to worry about making and layering each component at a time—not to mention dirtying a sink-full of dishes.
This healthy turkey lasagna soup starts with building a flavor-rich tomato ragu with aromatics, Mediterranean herbs, and quality broth. Whole wheat lasagna noodles give the soup a comforting heartiness. And finished with a little par-skim ricotta because lasagna soup isn’t lasagna soup without a spoonful of creamy, cheesy goodness swirled on top!
Let me walk you through the components of this lasagna soup…
Ingredients for This Easy Lasagna Soup
Making this easy lasagna soup uses almost the same ingredients as the traditional casserole, meaning that it has all the flavor combinations you would expect. But, what really sets this recipe apart are a few key ingredients:
Lean Meat:
I chose ground turkey meat as a leaner protein option with less fat and calories compared to beef or pork. Whenever possible, I like to use white meat turkey breast for this recipe, as it has even less fat and calories than using a blend of ground white and dark.
That said, if you prefer to use another option for meat, ground chicken, beef or pork will work, of course.
Tip: This dish is actually the perfect way to use up leftover meat from your holiday turkey (like my Thanksgiving approved Garlic Herb Roast Turkey Breast) or even from a quick weeknight roast chicken. Just skip over the step for browning the meat and toss it in with the broth and tomato sauce.
Rich, Flavor-Packed Tomato Sauce:
Tomatoes here are essential and they help give the lasagna soup the rich flavor base you expect. For this reason, start with quality tomato sauce that you love that all-natural and salt-free.
Adding flavor to the tomato sauce here are a host of tasty flavor-makers including sauteed onions and garlic, dried oregano, paprika (lots of depth), bay leaf, and fresh herbs including basil and parsley.
Bay leaf may be the surprising addition here. If you’re not familiar, bay leaves are a type of laurel plant. They are herbal and slightly floral with a similar flavor to oregano, and they’re often used in Mediterranean soups and stews to add depth of flavor to the broth. You can find dried bay leaves in your local grocery store’s spice section (they come in packages of 5-7 leaves per package).
Cheese:
In this lasagana soup, we don’t fuss with a bechamel sauce, but we still need a dollop of cheese to enjoy it! Ricotta is the obvious choice here, added at the end to give this lasagna soup a silky, creamy texture. To lighten things up without taking away from the flavor, I used part-skim ricotta. Now, if you don’t like ricotta, you can absolutely substitute it with cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, or even crème fraîche.
Lasagna Noodles:
Using whole wheat noodles,rich in fiber and minerals like magnesium and selenium, is a healthier option here for this lasagna soup. Whole wheat noodles are a heart-healthy alternative that might even make it more satisfying. But you can use regular lasagna noodles or even gluten-free lasagna noodles, if you need to. satisfying!
Important Tip for BEST Lasagna Soup
What sets good soup apart from amazing soup is the flavor of the broth. Creating rich flavor doesn’t always mean spending hours in front of the stove!
All it takes is one quick step: cooking the onions, garlic, and turkey meat first. It’s so simple, but it makes such a big difference.
Sweating the onions and garlic helps to caramelize the natural sugars that add sweetness. And cooking the turkey grounds ahead of time seasons the bottom of the pan. Any of those crispy brown bits on the bottom mean amazing flavor for the broth!
I didn’t do this here, but if you want to add even more flavor to this lasagna soup, you can deglaze the pan with a little bit of cooking wine after browning the turkey. Deglazing is a technique that uses an acidic liquid (like wine or vinegar) to loosen up those bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and “clean” the brown residue. Many cooks prefer not to use wine in their cooking, so this is completely optional. You’ll still have an amazing lasagna soup without it!
Make-Ahead Instructions
If you’re wondering about preparing this lasagna soup ahead of time, here is what you need to do…
1. To make this easy lasagna soup dish ahead of time, follow the recipe directions for making the broth. Do not add the broken noodles. Cool the broth to room temperature and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days.
2. You can cook the noodles to al dante according to the box 1 or 2 days ahead of time, Drizzle with a little bit of oil to prevent sticking and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator
3. When ready, heat the sauce over medium-high heat in a large stock pot, stirring occasionally. Add cooked noodles and top with the cheese mixture and voila! Dinner is served!
Can I make this Lasagna Soup in the Crock Pot or Instant Pot?
I’m more of a stove-top person when it comes to quick recipes like this one, but you sure can make this lasagna soup in the crockpot or your pressure cooker. Here are instructions for both:
Crock Pot Lasagna Soup:
Follow the directions below by sautéing the onions and garlic and browning the turkey meat. Once everything is cooked through, transfer it to a crock pot along with the chicken broth, water, tomato sauce, bay leaves, oregano, paprika, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste (everything but the pasta noodles.) Cover on low heat for 6 hours.
Uncover and stir in pasta and fresh herbs. Cover again and cook on high heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until tender.
Prepare the cheese topping by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. When ready to serve, add noodles to the bottom of the bowl and top with the lasagna soup. Dollop a generous spoonful of the cheese mixture on top.
Pressure Cooker Lasagna Soup:
For even quicker lasagna soup, brown the onions, garlic, and ground turkey in the pressure cooker on its sauté setting with a little bit of olive oil. Press cancel to shut off the sauté setting. Add the chicken broth, water, tomato sauce, bay leaves, oregano, paprika, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and lock the lid in place and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
While the soup is cooking, prepare the cheese topping mixture.
Release the pressure according to manufacturer’s directions and add the broken pasta and fresh herbs. Cover and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Release pressure again. Pour into bowls and top with the cheese mixture. Enjoy!
Vegetarian Option
For those who are vegetarian, a friend has confirmed that this lasagna soup works well with Italian-seasoned vegan sausages and things like Beyond Meat beef and sausage crumbles. For me, I might even mix up some sauteed veggies like in this vegetarian baked ziti recipe.
Craving More Pasta Recipes?
Simple Mediterranean Olive Oil Pasta
Greek Pastitsio: Baked Pasta Casserole with Bechamel
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Turkey Lasagna Soup
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: serves 6
Description
This healthy, easy lasagana soup packs lots of goodness and flavor from ground turkey; rich tomato-based broth with Mediterranean herbs and spices; and a dollop of part-skim ricotta mixture for a creamy finish. The perfect weeknight dinner in one pot!
Options to make this lasagna soup in both the crock pot and pressure cooker included.
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve Greek EVOO)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
- 2 cups water
- 3 cups all-natural Tomato Sauce, no salt added
- 2 dry bay leaves
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 8 oz broken lasagna noodles or Campanelle pasta, whole wheat or gluten-free if needed
Toppings
- 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 2 to 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 4 tbsp part-skim shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup packed chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup packed, chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot like this one, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add onions and garlic. Cook 4 minutes, stirring regularly, until fragrant.
- Add ground turkey, and cook stirring regularly until browned (or fully cooked through). Season with salt and pepper.
- Add broth, water, Pomi tomato sauce, bay leaves, oregano, paprika, and sugar. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil for 4 minutes, then turn heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 more minutes.
- Uncover, add pasta, and raise the heat and cook according to package until pasta reaches al dante. Stir in parsley and basil.
- Make the ricotta-Parmesan topping. In a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese, Parmesan and 1 tbsp olive oil. Mix
- Transfer lasanga soup to serving bowls. Top each bowl with a sprinkle of mozzarella and the ricotta-Parmesan topping. Enjoy hot.
Notes
- Crockpot Lasagna Soup: Follow the directions above by sautéing the onions and garlic and browning the turkey meat. Transfer it to you crockpot, add the remaining ingredients except the pasta noodles. Cover on low heat for 6 hours. Uncover and stir in pasta and fresh herbs. Cover again and cook on high heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until tender. Prepare the cheese topping and add when lasagna soup is ready.
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup: Use the saute setting on your pressure cooker to cook the onions, garlic and turkey with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. Press cancel to shut off the sauté setting. Add remaining ingredients except the pasta noodles. Cover and lock the lid in place and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.While the soup is cooking, prepare the cheese topping mixture. Release the pressure according to manufacturer’s directions and add the broken pasta noodles and fresh herbs. Cover and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Release pressure again. Pour into bowls and top with the cheese mixture.
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- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2018 and has been recently updated with more information for readers’ benefit. Enjoy!
Coming up with dinners can be a challenge in our house. My daughter is a vegetarian and my son is a carnivore who doesn’t like cheese. I made this for my son last night for dinner, omitting the cheese of course, and he loved it! My daughter said it smelled delicious so I am going to make it for her using beyond meat for dinner tonight! Thank you for another delicious recipe!
Awesome! So glad this was a hit, Jennifer!
I cannot find Pomi tomato sauce. Is there something equivalent to it that I can use?
Hi, Becky. If you can’t find the Pomi brand, you can use whatever tomato sauce is available at your local grocery store.
Comfort in a bowl! I used about 10 oz of GF penne so the soup was incredibly thick. Loved the creaminess from the ricotta & Parmesan topping.
I doubled the meat and it became lasagne bowls. The noodles took longer as a result. I split a third of it into another pot to satisfy some diet restrictions: used strained tomatoes and gf noodles. This was an instant hit and had me signing in the kitchen! Thank you for the fantastico recipe!
Excellent blog you have got here.. It’s hard to find high quality writing like yours these days. I truly appreciate people like you! Take care!!
Awww! Thank you, Victor! I appreciate the kind words!
This was amazing!! I used dried herbs and the taste was fantastic. Thanks for a great recipe!
Another amazing recipe! This is one of my family’s favorites…made it for Christmas for the in-laws and they loved it as well! A definite keeper recipe, thanks again!
I agree! One of our favs, too!