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Paula Deen Lasagna Soup

Paula Deen lasagna soup is a butter-rich tomato broth with Italian sausage, ground beef, and tender broken lasagna noodles. It finishes with a very generous ricotta-mozzarella-Parmesan topping that melts into the soup for a hearty, spoonable texture.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Southern American
Calories: 650

Ingredients
  

Italian sausage
  • 1 lb Italian sausage
Ground beef
  • 1 lb ground beef
Onion and garlic base
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 garlic, minced
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
Tomato broth
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 4 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried basil
Lasagna noodles
  • 8 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
Cheese topping
  • 2 cup whole milk ricotta
  • 2 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 0.5 cup parmesan
  • 1 fresh basil
Seasoning
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the meats
  1. Brown both meats together in a large pot with butter, then drain excess fat.
  2. Keep the pot at medium-high heat so the sausage and beef brown, not steam.
Sauté aromatics
  1. Sauté the onion in the meat mixture for 4 minutes, stirring until softened with browned bits on the bottom.
  2. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring until fragrant.
Build the soup base
  1. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning, and basil, then bring the mixture to a boil.
  2. Once boiling, scrape up any browned flavor from the bottom so it blends into the broth.
Cook the noodles
  1. Add the broken lasagna noodles and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally until tender.
  2. Season generously with salt and pepper once the noodles are nearly done.
Make the cheese topping
  1. Mix the whole milk ricotta, shredded mozzarella, parmesan, and fresh basil together into one generous cheese mixture.
  2. Taste the mixture after mixing and keep it well-seasoned so it stands out against the tomato broth.
Serve
  1. Ladle the soup into bowls.
  2. Top each bowl with a very large, heaping spoonful of the cheese mixture so it melts into the hot soup.

Notes

Pro tip: for the best texture, simmer only until the broken noodles are tender (10-12 minutes) so they don’t turn mushy. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days; reheat gently until hot. Freezing is not recommended because noodles can soften further after thawing. If you want a lighter option, use part-skim ricotta and reduced-fat mozzarella while keeping the same topping method.