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Spicy Lasagna Soup

Spicy lasagna soup with hot Italian sausage, broken lasagna noodles, and a deep red tomato broth simmered until tender. Finished with a cooling ricotta-mozzarella parmesan dollop and a chili oil drizzle for contrast.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Hot Italian sausage
  • 1 lb hot Italian sausage
Onion
  • 1 onion, diced
Garlic
  • 4 clove garlic, minced
Jalapeños
  • 1 jalapeños, minced Use 1-2 for heat level.
Crushed tomatoes
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes
Fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 14 oz diced fire-roasted tomatoes
Chicken broth
  • 4 cup chicken broth
Tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
Red pepper flakes
  • 1.5 tsp red pepper flakes
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
Cayenne
  • 0.5 tsp cayenne
Lasagna noodles
  • 8 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
Cooling cheese dollop
  • 1 cup ricotta
  • 1 cup mozzarella
  • 2 tbsp parmesan
  • 0.25 fresh basil Use a handful, chopped.
Chili oil and seasoning
  • 1 tbsp chili oil for drizzling
  • 0.25 tsp salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the sausage and build the base
  1. Brown hot Italian sausage in a large pot over medium-high heat, breaking it up, until cooked through; drain the fat. Keep the browned bits visible at the bottom of the pot.
  2. Sauté onion for 4 minutes until softened. Stir to prevent sticking and watch for a light golden color.
  3. Add garlic, jalapeños, and tomato paste, then cook for 2 minutes. The paste should darken slightly and smell fragrant.
  4. Stir in red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, and cayenne, cooking for 1 minute. Bubble briefly so the spices bloom.
Simmer and finish
  1. Add crushed tomatoes, diced fire-roasted tomatoes, chicken broth, and Italian seasoning, then bring to a boil. Use steady bubbling across the surface.
  2. Add broken lasagna noodles and simmer for 10-12 minutes until tender. Stir occasionally and look for noodles softened but not mushy.
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Taste for balance and adjust after simmering.
  4. Mix ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, and fresh basil to form the cooling cheese dollop. Spoon a dollop into the bowl to see a thick, scoopable texture.
  5. Serve the soup with a drizzle of chili oil and a cooling ricotta dollop. Finish with a visible chili oil sheen on top.

Notes

Pro tip: Keep the soup at a gentle simmer once the noodles go in and stir more often toward the 10-minute mark to prevent sticking. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of broth if thickened. Freezing is not recommended because noodles can soften too much. For a lower-dairy option, swap part-skim ricotta and part-skim mozzarella for the cheese dollop.