Our lasagna soup combines tender noodles with rich and healthy lentil bolognese, fresh basil, and a dollop of creamy ricotta cheese.
This almost one-pot dish is excellent for a cozy weeknight dinner and for meal prep.
It’s nourishing, deeply satisfying, and suitable for omnivores and vegetarians craving Italian flavors.
What is lasagna soup?
This lentil lasagna soup is inspired by our delicious vegetarian lasagna, cannelloni, and vegetable lasagna.
Instead of making the lasagna in a casserole dish and cooking it in the oven, we serve it in a bowl with the sauce and cheeses as toppings.
First, we make a rich, flavor-packed lentil bolognese. The recipe is easy and has been well-tested by hundreds of our readers.
Then we add vegetable broth to make it soupier and ready to welcome our noodles.
Finally, we add the lasagna sheets, which were previously broken into pieces and boiled in water.
We serve this with a dollop of ricotta, shaved parmesan, fresh scallions, and basil. It’s so satisfying!
The recipe is easy to make—it uses almost one pot—but you’ll need a second saucepan to cook the noodles.
You can even make the lentil sauce in advance and keep it in the fridge or freezer for days.
How to make vegetarian lasagna soup
Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
1. Gather your ingredients
To make lentil lasagna soup, you’ll need dry lasagna sheets. Avoid no-boil sheets as they quickly overcook.
Flavor base: you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, rosemary, and bay leaves.
Sauce: you’ll need tomato puree or passata, dried brown or green lentils, mushrooms, vegetable broth, balsamic vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
Toppings: you’ll need ricotta cheese, shaved parmesan, and basil leaves. Optionally, you can add scallions and shredded mozzarella cheese.
2. Make the lasagna sauce
Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add chopped onion, carrot, celery, and sauté on medium heat for 3 minutes.
Add grated garlic, red pepper flakes, tomato paste, rosemary, bay leaves, and the mushrooms grated with the large holes of a box grater.
Season with salt and pepper and cook on medium-high heat until the mushrooms release all their water and the pot dries.
Stir in rinsed dried lentils, vegetable broth, and tomato puree.
Simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are cooked. Then, discard the bay leaves and add the balsamic vinegar. Taste and adjust for salt.
Now, blend the soup until it reaches a coarse texture.
Add more broth if necessary to achieve a soupy consistency.
Tip: You can blend the soup with an immersion blender directly in the pot or batches with a standing blender.
3. Add the noodles
Break each noodle sheet into 4 or 5 pieces. Cook pieces in salted boiling water until they are very al dente.
We recommend adding a tablespoon of olive oil to the water to prevent the noodles from sticking together.
Drain the noodles and add them to the pot with the lentil sauce. For a soupier dish, add more broth or water.
Tip: The sauce should be enough for eight people, so if you are not making that many portions, you can transfer some of it into an airtight container and store it in the fridge or freezer.
Serve in a bowl topped with a dollop of whole milk ricotta, shaved parmesan, thinly sliced scallions, fresh basil leaves, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Substitutions for lasagna soup
Extra virgin olive oil: Substitute another vegetable oil.
Onion: Substitute 2 shallots for one onion.
Rosemary: Substitute thyme or an Italian herb mix.
Bay leaves: Substitute sage leaves.
Mushrooms: We use brown button mushrooms. Substitute white mushrooms, baby bella, portobello, or any other mushrooms.
Tomato puree: We use Italian tomato puree, also called passata. You can substitute canned crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, or San Marzano tomatoes.
Dried Lentils: You can use brown, green, or French dried lentils.
Balsamic vinegar: You can substitute soy or tamari sauce for balsamic vinegar.
Lasagna sheets: You can substitute any pasta.
Variations
Gluten-free: You can make this recipe gluten-free by swapping gluten-free noodles for regular noodles. The rest of the ingredients contain no gluten.
Vegan: You can easily make this recipe vegan by using lasagna noodles without eggs. You should be able to find them in most supermarkets. They are made with durum wheat semolina flour and are delicious! Also, you’ll need to substitute non-dairy cheeses for the parmesan and ricotta.
Storage
Lasagna soup does not store well once you add the noodles because they will overcook and get mushy.
However, the sauce stores very well and you can make it several days in advance.
That’s why we cook the noodles in a separate pot. This allows you to store the leftover sauce for days.
Refrigerator: Transfer the sauce to an airtight container, let it cool to room temperature, and refrigerate for 5 days.
Freezer: You can freeze the sauce for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or in the microwave before adding the noodles.
Similar recipes
ITALIAN INSPIRED: vegetarian lasagna, cannelloni, vegetable lasagna, pasta alla Norma, mushroom risotto, broccoli pasta, pasta pomodoro, penne arrabbiata, spaghetti aglio olio.
For more Italian ideas, check out our compilation of easy Italian recipes.
LENTIL RECIPES: Moroccan lentil soup, dal, barley soup, mujaddara, lentil stew, lentil curry, lentil soup, lentil pasta.
For more lentil ideas, check out our compilation of easy lentil recipes.
Collections
25+ Lentil Recipes (easy meals)
Collections
30 Easy Italian Recipes
Pasta
Broccoli Pasta
Soups
Lentil Curry
Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
LENTIL SAUCE
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 1 rib celery
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste the thick one that comes in a tube or small can
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 ounces mushrooms grated with the large holes of a box grater
- 7 cups vegetable broth or more if necessary to reach a soupy consistency
- 24 ounces (1 bottle) tomato puree or passata
- 1 cup dried lentils green or brown
- 1 teaspoon salt + black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or 2 tablespoons soy sauce
OTHER INGREDIENTS
- 8 -10 sheets lasagna noodles
- 1 cup parmesan shaved or grated
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta
- 1 handful basil leaves + thinly sliced scallions optional
Instructions
- MAKE THE LENTIL SAUCE: Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large pot. Add 1 onion, 1 rib celery, and 2 carrots, and sauté on medium heat for 3 minutes.Add 3 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, ½ teaspoon rosemary, 2 bay leaves, and 8 ounces mushrooms grated with the large holes of a box grater.Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 2 twists of pepper, and cook on medium-high heat until the mushrooms release all their water and the pot dries.
- Stir in 1 cup dried lentils (rinsed), 7 cups vegetable broth (you can add a few cups at a time), and 24 ounces (1 bottle) tomato puree.Simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are cooked. Then, discard the bay leaves and add 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar. Taste and adjust for salt.Now, blend the soup until it reaches a coarse texture.Add more broth if necessary to achieve a soupy consistency.
- ADD THE NOODLES: Break 8 -10 sheets lasagna noodles into 4 or 5 pieces. Cook pieces in salted boiling water until they are very al dente.We recommend adding a tablespoon of olive oil to the water to prevent the noodles from sticking together.Drain the noodles and add them to the pot with the lentil sauce. For a soupier dish, add more broth or water.
- SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve in a bowl topped with a dollop of whole milk ricotta, shaved parmesan, thinly sliced scallions, fresh basil leaves, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Can celery be omitted as it’s not easily available where i stay?
Hi Neha, yes celery can be omitted from the flavor base, no problem
What is the difference between tomato puree and tomato paste?
Hi Neha, they are slightly different; tomato purรฉe is thinner and liquid, while paste is be made from reduced purรฉe and denser in texture. Both will work in the lasagna soup. I hope this helps ๐
This one was so easy to make. Love the combination of lentils and chewy lasagna sheets. My husband loved it and he didn’t miss the meat at all! Thank you guys for sharing all these creative meatless recipes.
Thank you so much Joanna! We are so happy you guys liked the lentil soup. Thanks for sharing this. Have a wonderful day. Nico