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Paula Deen Lasagna Soup

Paula Deen lasagna soup combines a butter-rich tomato broth with Italian sausage and ground beef, then simmers broken lasagna noodles until tender. Finish with a generous ricotta-mozzarella topping that melts over each bowl for a spoonable, layered feel.
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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: 780
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Meat and soup base
  • 1 lb Italian sausage
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 garlic, minced
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 4 cup chicken broth
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 8 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
  • 0.25 Salt and pepper to taste
Generous cheese topping
  • 2 cup whole milk ricotta
  • 2 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 0.5 cup parmesan Use as listed; measure as 1/2 cup.
  • 0.25 fresh basil For mixing into the cheese and for serving.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the meats and build the base
  1. Brown both the Italian sausage and ground beef together in a large pot with the butter over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks until no longer pink, about 8-10 minutes. Drain excess fat from the pot to keep the soup from getting greasy.
  2. Sauté the diced onion in the meat mixture for 4 minutes, stirring until softened. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste, then cook for 2 minutes to deepen the flavor.
Simmer and cook the noodles
  1. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and dried basil, then bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, keep the pot at a steady simmer.
  2. Add the broken lasagna noodles and simmer for 10-12 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally so the noodles don’t stick. Keep the liquid bubbling gently throughout cooking.
  3. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well so the seasoning distributes evenly across the broth.
Make the cheese topping and serve
  1. Mix the whole milk ricotta, shredded mozzarella, parmesan, and fresh basil together until evenly combined. The mixture should be thick and scoopable for layering on top.
  2. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and top each bowl with a very large, heaping spoonful of the cheese mixture. Let the cheese sit on top for 1 minute so it slightly softens and starts to melt into the broth.

Notes

Pro tip: drain excess fat after browning so the butter-rich broth stays savory rather than oily. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days; reheat gently on the stove until hot. Freezing is not recommended because the noodles can soften too much after thawing. Dietary swap: use part-skim ricotta and reduced-fat mozzarella to lower calories while keeping a creamy topping.