Vegetarian Lasagna Soup

At a glance

What stands out: Vegetarian lasagna soup is creamy, comforting, and packed full of vegetables. It’s all made in one pot in less than an hour. If you love Stouffer’s vegetable lasagna, you’ll love this soup!

How long it takes: 50 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: soup pan or Dutch oven
Servings: 10

Straightforward Vegetarian Lasagna Soup

As soon as we shared our lasagna soup recipe with turkey Italian sausage, we knew we needed to create a vegetarian version of lasagna soup, too.

We wanted it to remind us of Stouffer’s vegetarian lasagna which is one of our guilty pleasures. The creamy sauce with the pasta and all those vegetables is just irresistible to us.

We're happy to say that this lasagna soup hits all those notes AND it’s way easier to make than a classic baked lasagna. It’s warm, cozy, and comforting, and the reliable recipe to add to your soup repertoire.

Creamy Lasagna Soup (It’s a standby!)

Loaded with fresh vegetables! This soup recipe is packed full of fresh and flavorful vegetables. Mushrooms! Spinach! Bell peppers! Onions! Zucchini! Summer squash! Carrots! They’re all in there. This soup is NOT loaded with heavy cream, like most creamy soups. It’s made with half & half, and whole wheat noodles (or regular noodles, if you prefer).

One pan! Yup, you can make this entire meal in one pan. That means straightforward clean-up, and we know you all love that idea.

Shorter cooking time. Frozen lasagna takes awhile to bake, about an hour and 15 minutes total. Vegetarian lasagna soup is a faster option. You’ll need about 20 minutes to prep all the vegetables (although we'll show you a few shortcuts), and it should simmer about 30 minutes.

Bonus cheese topping: We think our favorite part of this lasagna is the dollop of cheesy goodness on top! It’s a mixture of parmesan, ricotta, and mozzarella. It’s optional but so rich.

Time-Saving Tips

Buy prepped vegetables. Look for sliced mushrooms that are pre-washed. Buy a bag of shredded or matchstick carrots. Baby spinach is usually pre-washed and doesn’t require chopping.

Prep the veggies ahead. All of the veggies can be washed and chopped a day in advance. Refrigerate them in resealable bags or containers.

Make the cheese topping ahead. The optional cheese topping can be made at least a day or two ahead and refrigerated.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate: Place leftover soup in a covered container and refrigerate for up to three days. Store the cheese topping separately.

Freeze: If you plan on freezing the soup, omit the half & half which tends to separate when frozen. It can be added when you reheat the soup. The cheese topping can be frozen separately from the soup. Defrost both the soup and topping in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.

Reheat: Individual servings can be reheated in the microwave. Reheat larger amounts in a saucepan on the stove. Use gentle heat; try not to boil the soup. If it seems too thick, add a little more water, broth, or half & half. Add topping after reheating.

Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at our Meal Plan #46. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week!

Browse Meal Plans

• Yield: 10
• Prep: 20 minutes
• Cook: 30 minutes
• Total: 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ large large yellow onion, finely diced (about ½ cup)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 16 ounces mushrooms, sliced (see note)
• 1 cup shredded carrots (see note)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 5 ounces baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 4 cups no salt added vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 10 lasagna noodles, whole wheat, broken into pieces (NOT the no-boil kind)
• 1 small zucchini, julienned or shredded
• 1 small summer squash, julienned or shredded
• 1 cup half and half (or heavy cream, if you prefer)

Optional Topping Ingredients:

• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• ½ cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese
• ½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• fresh basil, to garnish

Method

1. In a large pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms release liquid and are lightly browned.
2. Add carrots and garlic. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until garlic is fragrant. Add spinach and dried herbs and cook, stirring, until spinach is wilted.
3. Add broth and water. Bring to a boil, then add pasta, stir. Cook for 9 minutes or as directed on package, stirring frequently so pasta cooks evenly.
4. Once pasta is cooked, add shredded zucchini and summer squash and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, adding more water if soup seems too thick. Remember you’ll be adding more liquid when you add the half and half.
5. Remove from heat and slowly stir in half and half. Check seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as needed. Return to low heat to keep warm. Do not boil.
6. While the soup is cooking, make the cheese topping. In a small bowl, mix together ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella cheese.
7. To serve, top individual bowls of soup with a spoonful of cheese mixture immediately prior to serving. Garnish with fresh basil, if desired.

Notes

Shortcuts: Buy pre-sliced mushrooms and a bag of shredded or matchstick carrots. You can also prep the veggies ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Try different pasta: Substitute regular (not whole wheat) lasagna noodles, if desired, or another type of pasta.

Nutrition information includes the optional cheese topping.