This easy gluten-free lasagna soup comes together with just a few pantry staples that I always like to have on hand. It's perfect for a busy weeknight meal!
Today I'm coming at you with another pantry staple one-dish wonder: Lasagna Soup! Remember the Baked Chicken Rotini from last week? That creamy, hearty baked noodle dish packed with pesto flavor and filled with great nutrition from broccoli and chickpea pasta? This dish is very similar in that it doctors up some high-quality pantry staples by adding flavor and packing in nutrition with some key ingredients. It also uses chickpea pasta - this time in the form of a lasagna noodle!
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As an RD Ambassador for Banza Pasta, I was thrilled when they sent me a sample of their new chickpea lasagna noodles. I'm a huge fan of pasta made with chickpeas. Not only is it a tasty option for my friends and family members who need gluten-free pasta, but it's also packed with fiber, protein, and is lower in carbs. I find myself subbing it in for wheat pasta frequently, as I get a lot of wheat in my diet already from other items and eating a variety of foods is my primary nutrition goal!
I love this easy soup recipe because it takes a few of my favorite pantry and refrigerator staples and mixes them together to make the most delicious "semi-homemade" meal. It's one that I turn to on busy days that I need to quickly prepare something nourishing and satisfying that will hopefully feed us for a few meals during the week. Let me show you how to make it!
Lasagna soup ingredients
- Italian Chicken Sausage - I always try to keep Italian chicken or turkey sausage stocked in my freezer. It's a great option for a pizza topping or a way to add a bit of flavor to dishes with ground turkey. I will buy it in bulk without the casings when I can find it, but uncooked sausage in the casing will work fine also - just remove the casings with kitchen scissors before browning the sausage.
- Canned Tomatoes - the canned cherry tomatoes from Mutti are a DREAM and super flavorful. I do have trouble finding these, so I stock up on them when I do. Fire-roasted diced tomatoes are great as well and much easier to find.
- Tomato Soup - the Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup from Pacific is my favorite pre-made soup, and I love how it makes a delicious base for adding other ingredients! Trader Joe's sells low-sodium and regular versions of this as well.
- Chicken Stock - I always have either the Kitchen Basics Low Sodium Chicken Stock or the Reduced Sodium Chicken Bone Broth from Walmart in my pantry. If you don't have time to make homemade stock, these have the next best flavor and color, in my opinion.
- Kale - a big dose of dark green leafy veggies is a great way to pack nutrition into soup, and I always seem to have kale on hand because I love to make salads and kale chips during the week. But I think baby spinach, swiss chard, and even collard or turnip greens would be delicious in this!
- Lasagna Noodles - I use Banza's chickpea lasagna noodles for this recipe. A whole-wheat lasagna noodle would also be a hearty and nutritious substitute.
- Cheese - a sprinkling of part-skim mozzarella and Parmesan on top of the soup right before serving adds that element of melty, cheesy lasagna goodness without all of the fat and calories in a regular lasagna!
How to make lasagna soup
- Cook the lasagna noodles - I've recently taken to cooking noodles separately whenever I'm making a soup that calls for pasta. Noodles absorb lots of liquid as they cook, and I found that cooking them in the soup took up too much of the soup liquid and made the pasta gummy. So I boil the pasta separately, then add it in right before serving the soup. If I know I'm going to have a lot of leftovers, I'll add the pasta in portions as I reheat the soup.
- Brown the chicken sausage - this is the first step in making the actual soup, and a step that results in lots of flavor!
- Add tomatoes, soup, and broth - the acid from the tomatoes will break up any brown bits that have formed on the bottom of your pot when the sausage was browned. Once all the liquid is added, you want to bring the mixture to a boil before adding the kale or greens.
- Add the kale and simmer - the simmering time will depend on the greens that you add. 10 minutes is perfect for kale and swiss chard, but you'll need less time for baby spinach and more time for collards or turnip greens.
- Stir in the cooked pasta - let it heat up in the soup for a minute or two before ladling into bowls.
- Serve and top with cheese and basil - this will add color and fresh flavor from the herb!
Possible recipe variations
- Make it vegetarian - since chickpea pasta is already high in fiber and protein, you can easily omit the chicken sausage and still have a super-flavorful and satisfying meal. Maybe throw in a bit of Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes to replace the flavor that the Italian sausage provides. You could also add in some meaty mushrooms for extra nutrition or a handful of dried lentils that will simmer and cook with the greens.
- Make it vegan - omit the chicken sausage and replace the cheese with vegan cheese shreds. Or nix the cheese altogether and perhaps add a swirl of pesto to the top of the soup!
- Make it freezer-friendly - this is a great easy recipe to make a double batch of and freeze for later. Just cook up through the step where you add the soup and broth, chill, and divide into freezer soup containers. You can add fresh greens and pasta when the soup is thawed and reheated.
Similar recipes to enjoy
- 5-Ingredient Italian Bean Stew
- Baked Chicken Rotini
- Turkey Florentine Lasagna
- Pizza Baked Gnocchi
- Roasted Cauliflower Parmesan
Are you ready to make this Lasagna Soup? I’m so excited for you to try this recipe. Once you get the chance to make it, please let me know how it turns out for you! Leave a comment and rate the recipe below. This will help me with the creation of future recipes! I’d also love to feature your creation in my monthly newsletter, so you can upload a photo to Instagram or Twitter with the tag @sweetcayenne5 to be featured!
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Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
- 12-16 ounces bulk Italian chicken sausage or 4 links, casings removed
- 1 (14.5 ounce can) whole cherry tomatoes (or substitute with fire-roasted diced tomatoes)
- 1 (32-ounce carton) Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup (I love the Pacific and Trader Joe’s brands)
- 1 (32-ounce) carton low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 bunch (about 5 cups) kale, washed and chopped with stems removed (or other dark leafy greens like Swiss chard, collards, or turnip greens)
- 8 pieces of chickpea lasagna, cooked for according to package directions 4 minutes and broken into pieces (I love the Banza brand)
- Optional for serving: shredded part-skim mozzarella, shaved Parmesan cheese, freshly-cut Basil
Instructions
- Place a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chicken sausage and saute until brown and cooked through, about 8 minutes.
- Add the can of cherry tomatoes and use a wooden spoon to lightly break them up. Add the tomato soup and chicken stock, using the wooden spoon to scrape up the bottom of the pot. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer.
- Add the kale and reduce heat to a simmer, cooking for 10 minutes or until the kale is tender.
- Stir in the cooked pieces of lasagna to heat through, about 2 minutes.
- Ladle into bowls and serve with sprinkles of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and fresh basil.
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Notes
- Cook through addition of chicken stock. Cool completely before freezing in an airtight container. Thaw in the fridge overnight or run container under hot water to loosen up before adding to a saucepan to thaw and heat completely. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer.
- Add the kale and reduce heat to a simmer, cooking for 10 minutes or until the kale is tender.
- Stir in the cooked pieces of lasagna to heat through, about 2 minutes.
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Christine Gibson says
This is delicious and makes the house smell wonderful. My whole family enjoyed it, including my kids. Definitely a keeper to make again!
Whitney Reist says
Thank you so much for trying the soup, Christine! I'm so glad you all enjoyed it 🙂