Weeknight Simple Lasagna Soup With Ricotta Topping

Fall has truly made its way to Ohio, as evidenced by the steadily dropping temperatures and multi-colored leaves that are currently plastered to my car, courtesy of an unrelenting drizzle of rain. Days like this cry out for a comforting hot bowl of soup, especially when the scheduled soccer practices carry on as usual, despite the soggy conditions.

Disclosure: Sponsored by Prego®. All opinions are my own.

We have a number of go-to soup recipes, but surprisingly, I’ve yet to share one of my favorites with you — this relatively quick and easy lasagna soup recipe!

I know you’re thinking, “lasagna soup?!” Yeeesssss!!! It has all of the flavor of a slow-baked Sunday dinner lasagna wrapped up in a delicious soup that totally satisfies my weeknight dinner requirement of stove-to-table in 45 minutes or less.

This incredible feat is made possible, in part, by Prego® Traditional Pasta Sauce. It’s the perfect starter for my lasagna soup, eliminating a myriad of seasonings I would need to measure and add otherwise. I do still add in some more Italian seasoning for extra flavor, but that’s simple enough. Right?

Before I add the Prego sauce, though, I start by sautéing some onions and green peppers in olive oil. Then I add some ground hamburger, browning and breaking it up into bite-size pieces as it cooks. Finally I press in a few cloves of garlic, giving it all a quick stir.

Now it’s time for the Prego, along with some unsalted beef stock, petite diced tomatoes and the aforementioned Italian Seasoning.

While this mixture is cooking, I put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the lasagna noodles. I break the noodles up into bite-sized pieces, and cook them according to the package’s directions, reserving a cup of the pasta water before draining them. This water gets stirred into the soup, along with the cooked noodles, for more flavor and a little thickening power.

Finally I adjust the salt and pepper to taste and ladle it out into serving bowls — BIG bowls, mind you — because my kids are seriously crazy for this soup. It’s a good thing this recipe makes a generous amount!

If you’re really in a pinch for time, this lasagna soup is amazing served with a sprinkle of shredded mozzarella cheese. But if you have a few extra minutes, take the time to mix up this creamy ricotta topping that elevates this quick and easy soup to out-of-this-world status. Simply make a mixture of ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, salt and a little fresh chopped parsley – I seriously can’t recommend it enough.

Or if you really want to get a little crazy, top your lasagna soup with both mozzarella and the ricotta topping. I won’t judge — promise!

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Weeknight Lasagna Soup Recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients

For the lasagna soup:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1-lb. ground beef
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 (24-oz.) jar Prego Traditional Pasta Sauce
• 2 (14.5-oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes
• 2 cups unsalted beef stock
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 12-oz. of lasagna noodles, broken into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup of reserved pasta water
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Mozzarella cheese (optional)

For the ricotta topping (optional):

• 1 (15-oz.) container ricotta cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onions and green pepper just until starting to soften. Add ground beef, and cook through, breaking it into small pieces. Press garlic cloves into the meat mixture, and stir them in, cooking just until fragrant, about one minute.
2. Pour the Prego Traditional Pasta Sauce into the meat mixture, along with the petite diced tomatoes, beef stock, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer for 15-20 minutes.
3. While the soup is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add broken lasagna noodles, and cook according to the package directions. When done cooking, reserve one cup of the pasta water before draining.
4. Stir the cooked lasagna noodles and pasta water into the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve topped with mozzarella cheese or ricotta topping (or both). To make the ricotta topping, stir together the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley and salt. Dollop on top of the lasagna soup, as desired.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon.com Services LLC Associates and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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  Mueller Vegetable Chopper/Slicer
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  AIDEA 5-qt. Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
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  OXO Ground Meat Chopper

Have you tried this recipe?

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