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Paula Deen Lasagna Soup

Paula Deen lasagna soup is a hearty Southern American bowl with a butter-rich tomato broth, Italian sausage, and ground beef. Broken lasagna noodles simmer until tender, then it’s finished with a very generous ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan topping.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Southern American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Italian sausage
  • 1 lb Italian sausage
Ground beef
  • 1 lb ground beef
Onion
  • 1 onion diced
Garlic
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
Crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
Diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
Chicken broth
  • 4 cup chicken broth
Unsalted butter
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
Tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried basil
Lasagna noodles
  • 8 lasagna noodles broken into pieces
Ricotta cheese topping
  • 2 cup whole milk ricotta
  • 2 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 0.5 cup parmesan grated; 1/2 cup
  • 1 fresh basil for mixing with the cheese topping
Salt and pepper
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the meats
  1. Brown the Italian sausage and ground beef together in a large pot with the unsalted butter, then drain excess fat. Keep the heat high enough to develop browning on the meat.
  2. Sauté the diced onion in the browned meats for 4 minutes. Cook until softened and fragrant.
  3. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste, then cook for 2 minutes. Stir constantly so the garlic toasts without burning.
Build the soup
  1. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and dried basil, then bring the mixture to a boil. Watch for vigorous bubbling across the surface.
  2. Add the broken lasagna noodles and reduce to a simmer, cooking for 10-12 minutes until tender. Stir occasionally so noodles don’t stick.
  3. Season the soup generously with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust at the end for balanced seasoning.
Make the cheese topping and serve
  1. Mix the whole milk ricotta, shredded mozzarella, parmesan, and fresh basil together for the generous cheese topping. Stir until evenly combined.
  2. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a very large, heaping spoonful of the cheese mixture. Let the hot soup begin to melt the cheese on top.

Notes

Pro tip: drain the excess fat after browning so the broth stays rich but not greasy, and stir the soup a couple times while simmering to keep the noodles from sticking. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently until hot. Freezing is not recommended because the pasta and dairy topping can change texture, but you can freeze the soup base without the cheese topping if needed. For a lighter swap, use part-skim ricotta and reduced-fat mozzarella while keeping the same proportions for the topping.