This One-Pot Pesto and Veggie-Packed Lasagna Soup Is a Weeknight Winner
Vegetarian Lasagna Soup
For pure comfort food, it's hard to beat lasagna. The layers of tender noodles and meaty sauce and multiple cheeses hit all the right notes. The only downside? Lasagna can take a while to make—and sometimes you need the noodly goodness ASAP.
For those moments, there's lasagna soup, a streamlined recipe that's been around for years but really took off once TikTokers (like @dannylovespasta) started sharing the shortcut, one-pot recipe. It's as easy as browning meat and onions in a pan, adding jarred marina sauce and some broth, then tossing in some broken-up lasagna noodles and cooking them until tender.
And although the original lasagna soup recipe is delicious, as winter slowly but surely transitions to spring, you might be craving something a little bit lighter—and that's where this vegetarian lasagna soup comes in.
Related: Jessie James Decker's Perfect Lasagna Recipe
What Is Vegetarian Lasagna Soup?
This is a wonderful way to savor the flavors of lasagna, in a lighter way. This soup is packed with mushrooms, greens, nutty pesto and bright sun-dried tomatoes. I skipped the cream and used ricotta cheese as a thickener instead. I added fresh basil and spinach to add some color and give the dish a springy feeling.
Although this recipe is meatless, it's still packed with comfort food flavors. The mushrooms add a meaty texture and both the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes bring a depth of flavor to the soup. The pesto adds a fresh flavor and also a richness from the oil and Parm and the red pepper flakes kick up the heat just the right amount.
For a little extra fun, I made a Basil-Parmesan Crumble to top the soup. It's a simple mix of fresh basil and Parmesan cheese that you blitz in the food processor until it's the texture of coarse sand. It adds a little freshness and fun to the dish. I like it so much I'm definitely keeping the idea in mind for topping other soups (tomato soup would be a good option) and pastas with this great garnish.
The crumble means adding an extra step (and busting out the food processor), so you can skip that component if you must, though I'd strongly recommend keeping it because it's an easy way to add flavor and texture and make the soup feel a little more special.
Related: The Slow-Cooker Lasagna Recipe You'll Crave 24/7
Ragan Wallake Kitchenette
How to Make Vegetarian Lasagna Soup
The soup starts with a mixture of chopped onions, zucchini and mushrooms, plus pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, dried oregano, salt and pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat. Cook all of that down until the vegetables soften, which should take about 8 minutes.
While the veggies cook, make the Basil-Parmesan Crumble in the food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you can make this by chopping the cheese and basil on a cutting board. The texture will be a bit different, but it'll still taste delicious.
Related: Easy, Cheesy Skillet Lasagna
Ragan Wallake Kitchenette
Once the veggie have softened, add vegetable broth and pasta. I used half a bag of Trader Joe's Mafalda Corta Pasta, which look like tiny lasagna noodles, but you could also add 8 ounces of lasagna noodles, coarsely broken up with your hands. Let the noodles cook until they're al dente.
When the noodles are cooked, stir in some ricotta and fresh basil and spinach leaves. Cook, stirring, until the basil and spinach wilt, but are still green. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with shredded mozzarella, more fresh basil, the Basil Parmesan Crumble and a drizzle of olive oil.
Related: Must-Make Cheesy Lasagna Soup
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Vegetarian Lasagna Soup with Basil Parmesan Crumble
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 small white onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 8-ounce package mushrooms (I used cremini)
3 Tbsp store-bought pesto
3 Tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 Tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp black pepper
4 cups vegetable broth
8 ounces lasagna noodles, coarsely broken by hand, or half of a 16-ounce package of Trader Joe's Mafalda Corta Pasta
? cup fresh ricotta cheese
2 handfuls baby spinach
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil, plus leaves for garnish
1. Heat olive oil in a deep pot, add onions, zucchini, mushrooms, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 8 minutes.
2. While the vegetables cook, make the Basil-Parmesan Crumble. Add the Parmesan and basil to a food processor and run until the mixture is well-combined and the texture of course sand.
3. Add the vegetable broth and pasta to the pot with the vegetables. Bring to a boil and cook until the pasta is al dente, 12 to 15 minutes.
4. Add the ricotta cheese, spinach and chopped basil to the pot. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook until the basil and spinach wilt but are still green, about 5 more minutes.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the shredded mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, the Basil Parm Crumble and a drizzle of olive oil.
