Lighter Lasagna Soup. Yup, lasagna soup. In the summer. Have I lost my mind? I know that some people out there view soup as a cold weather food. For the record, I am not one of those people. I have an unabashed love for soup and would happily eat it every day, all year long. Hot, cold, thick, thin, full of exotic flavors or a simple classic – I’ll take them all. One of my go to soup recipes for any time of the year is an adaptation of Bobby Dean’s Lighter Tastes Like Lasagna Soup. His recipe (which is a lightened up version of his mom’s Lasagna Soup – so yes, technically this is an adaptation of an adaptation) is full of flavor but requires little time to throw together, making it an ideal weeknight meal.
The soup starts with a base of chopped green pepper, onion, and spicy ground turkey. It simmers in a broth of fire roasted tomatoes, chicken broth, and tomato sauce. A quick pinch of red pepper flakes and some basil add beautiful flavor and heat. The soup finishes with some pasta and two kinds of cheese. The soup is definitely hearty enough to serve as a light meal on it’s own, but it’s also delicious rounded out with a simple green salad.
A note about leftovers: While it is perfectly tasty the next day, the pasta will continue to absorb the liquid in the soup so it becomes quite thick after it sits. I actually don’t mind the stew-like leftovers but if you do want to keep the original texture, it is best eaten on the day it is made. If you are looking to freeze the soup, be sure to do so before adding the noodles or cheese. On the day you want to serve the Lighter Lasagna Soup, simply heat, add the noodles, simmer for 6-8 minutes and finish with the cheese and basil per the normal recipe instructions.
Lighter Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound Italian turkey sausage I like spicy, if I can find it
- 32 ounces chicken broth preferably low sodium
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 14 ounce can diced, fire roasted tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 6 ounces dried pasta
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
- 4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese with a little extra for topping!
Instructions
-
In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high.
-
Add the pepper, onion, garlic, and sausage. Saute until the turkey is browned.
-
Using a blender, gently puree the diced tomatoes.
-
Add the tomatoes, sauce, broth, salt, and pepper flakes to the pepper and turkey mixture.
-
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes.
-
Add the noodles and return the soup to a brief boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, until the noodles are al dente and the soup has thickened slightly.
-
Remove from heat and stir in the grated parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and mozzarella.
-
Serve immediately.
This looks better than my current lasagna soup pin. I pinned yours and I’m gonna trash the other.
Thanks! We love soup around here!
This looks so yumy, and I won’t have to feel guilty since it is a light recipe.
Yep, light but satisfying!
This looks so yummy! And a huge plus that I can make this for my food allergy kiddo as long as I skip the cheese! I’m excited to try!
YAY! So glad it works for you! We’re heading onto soup season so soon here in the midwest!
This looks great and as the weather starts to cool (hopefully soon!) I really like making big batches of soup to eat for lunch all week. I love how they’re filling and satisfying without being too heavy. I’ll add this to my rotation!
I can’t wait until soup season…I think we’re about 2-3 weeks away!
sounds great, ill have to give this recipe a try! My husband loves soup on a hot day
That’s hilarious, it’s starting to cool down around here-soon we are going to be all soup, all of the time 🙂 !
You kniw…i have seen lasagna soup recipes before and I thought that sounds so yummy but heavy…nice job making it skinnier!
I’m so excited for “soup season”!
Great solution! Fast, easy and most importantly delicious!