Lasagna Soup (Instant Pot & Stove Top)

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All the cozy, cheesy comfort of classic lasagna — with zero layering, zero baking dish, and zero fuss. This Instant Pot lasagna soup is a vegetarian one-pot dinner that tastes like you spent all Sunday on it, but it’s on the table in 25 minutes.

I”m the first to admit my classic lasagna never turns out quite right (soggy middle, crispy edges — why is there no in-between?!). So I started finding the easy way out: my Mexican Lasagna Roll Ups, my Eggplant Parm, and now this soup. It has everything you love about lasagna — tender noodles, rich tomato sauce, creamy ricotta, salty pecorino — spooned up like a hug in a bowl.

Make it in your Instant Pot, on the stovetop, or even in the slow cooker. Vegetarian as written, endlessly customizable, and the leftovers are somehow even better.

Why You’ll Love This Lasagna Soup

One pot, 25 minutes — weeknight dinner, solved
Vegetarian with easy protein add-ins if you want them
All the lasagna flavor — ricotta, pecorino romano, marinara, tender broken noodles
3 ways to make it — Instant Pot, stovetop, or slow cooker
Great leftovers — the flavors deepen overnight (just add a splash of broth when reheating)

Ingredients You’ll Need

Lasagna sheets — regular (not no-boil), broken into bite-size pieces. No-boil noodles turn mushy in soup, so stick with classic here.
Marinara or arrabbiata sauce — Rao’s marinara or arrabbiata are my favorites for their balanced flavor. Use whatever you love; a good jarred sauce does the heavy lifting.
Ricotta cheese — the creamy lasagna signature. Stir it in at the end plus an extra dollop on top.
Pecorino romano or parmesan — salty, sharp, and essential. Pecorino is my pick.
Zucchini, onion & mushrooms — the veggie base. See swaps below for endless options.
Vegetable broth — 6 cups; the noodles drink up a lot of liquid.
Heavy cream — optional but delicious. Skip it or halve the cheeses for a lighter version.
Tomato paste, garlic, Italian seasoning, red chili flakes — the flavor backbone. Cook the tomato paste until it darkens — that one step adds so much depth.

Full measurements in the recipe card below.

How to Make Lasagna Soup (Instant Pot)

Sauté the veggies. Using sauté mode, cook onion, zucchini, salt, and chili flakes in oil for 3–4 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook 1 minute more.
Bloom the tomato paste. Stir in tomato paste and Italian seasoning; cook 2–3 minutes until the paste darkens in color.
Pressure cook. Add broth plus 1 cup water, stir in the broken lasagna sheets. Pressure cook on HIGH for 3 minutes, then quick release.
Make it creamy. Stir in the pasta sauce, cream, ricotta, pecorino, and parsley. Taste and adjust salt — it varies a lot by brand of sauce and broth.
Serve. Ladle into bowls with an extra dollop of ricotta, a pinch of chili flakes, and garlic bread on the side.

Stovetop and slow cooker instructions are in the recipe card.

Tips for the Best Lasagna Soup

Break the noodles small. Bite-size pieces (about 2 inches) are much easier to eat than long shards.
Salt at the end. Between the broth, sauce, and cheeses, this soup barely needs added salt. Taste first, then adjust.
Don’t skip darkening the tomato paste. It takes 2 minutes and adds a caramelized depth you can’t get otherwise.
Expect it to thicken. The noodles keep absorbing broth as it sits — totally normal. Add a splash of broth or water when reheating.
Rao’s really is worth it here. With so few ingredients, the sauce quality shines through.

Easy Variations & Swaps

Add protein: Brown turkey or sausage with the onions, or stir in frozen cooked meatballs at the end.

Swap the veggies: Green bell peppers for mushrooms, a whole carton of spinach, or carrots + celery with the onions. Even a bag of frozen mixed vegetables works.

Boost fiber: A can or two of rinsed white beans, or big handfuls of spinach and kale. You can also blend some of the pasta sauce with cooked red lentils.

Boost protein: ½ cup cottage cheese blended with some of the pasta sauce will make it creamy and add protein! Or homemade/frozen meatballs.

Make it lighter: Skip the cream entirely and halve or omit the cheeses.

Make it broth-ier: Add extra broth — the soup thickens as the noodles soak. No broth? Water works; just adjust the salt.

Can I Make Lasagna Soup on the Stovetop?

Yes! Use a Dutch oven or large (6 qt minimum) pot over medium heat. Sauté the veggies 6–8 minutes, add garlic, tomato paste, seasoning, salt, and chili flakes; cook 2–3 minutes. Add broth, sauce, and uncooked broken noodles; simmer with the lid partially on for 8–10 minutes until al dente. Stir in ricotta, cream, parsley, and pecorino. Done.

Slow cooker: Sauté the veggies first (or skip it in a pinch), then add everything except the dairy to the crockpot. Cook on low 4–5 hours or high 2–3, adding the noodles in the last 30 minutes. Stir in the cheeses and cream at the end.

How to Store, Freeze & Reheat

Fridge: Store in an airtight container up to 4 days. The noodles will absorb liquid — add a splash of broth when reheating.
Freezer: Freeze up to 3 months, ideally before adding the noodles (cook and add fresh noodles when serving). If already combined, it still freezes fine — expect softer noodles.
Reheat: Warm on the stove over medium heat, adding broth or water to loosen it up. Microwave works too — stir halfway.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is lasagna soup vegetarian?
As written, yes! It’s completely meatless. Add turkey, sausage, or meatballs if you want protein.

Ricotta or cottage cheese — which is better?
Both work, especially if you drain excess liquid off the cottage cheese. I vote ricotta: cottage cheese is tangier and lower in calories, but ricotta is creamier, smoother, and slightly sweet — more like real lasagna.

Can I use no-boil or oven-ready lasagna noodles?
I don’t recommend it. No-boil noodles are designed to absorb liquid while baking and turn mushy in soup. Use regular lasagna sheets broken into pieces.

Why is my lasagna soup so thick?
The noodles keep drinking up broth as the soup sits — that’s normal. Stir in extra broth or water until it’s the consistency you like.

Can I make this dairy-free?
Swap the cream for full-fat coconut milk or cashew cream, use a dairy-free ricotta and parmesan, and check that your sauce has no dairy. Still delicious.

More Cozy Recipes You’ll Love

Mexican Lasagna Roll Ups — when you want actual layers without the stress
Eggplant Parm — an AMAZING recipe if you haven’t tried it
Browse all soups →

My Favorite Pots, Pans & Kitchen Tools

These are the cookware pieces I reach for every single day. They’re durable, reliable, and totally worth the shelf space. Shop my tried-and-true essentials here.

Stainless Steel Kadai Pan – Perfect for everyday cooking
Stainless Steel Saute Pan – My go-to for stir fries, saucy mains and one pan meals.
Stainless Steel Dutch Oven – Great for meal prep – heavy-duty, versatile, and made to last a lifetime.
Cast Iron Griddle – Ideal for rotis, pancakes, quesadillas, and more.
Stainless Steel Kitchen Tweezers – I love using these for plating and handling delicate foods.
Vegetable Chopper – Fast and uniform prep, perfect for the type a’s. Dice veggies in seconds and cut your prep time in half

Is Ricotta Cheese or Cottage Cheese Better in Lasagna Soup?

Both will work just fine – especially if you drain the excess liquid off the cottage cheese or blend it with tomato sauce. But which is better? I vote ricotta! Although cottage cheese is lower in calories, it’s tangy while ricotta is creamy, smooth and slightly sweet.

Lasagna Soup (Instant Pot & Stovetop)

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SERVES: 4 servings

PREP TIME: 15

COOK TIME: 30

TIME: 45

Ingredients

2 tbsp oil

1 zucchini, diced small

1 yellow or white onion, diced small

8 oz mushrooms, chopped small

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp double concentrate tomato paste

2 teaspoons italian seasoning

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup parsley finely chopped

6 cups vegetable broth (48 oz.)

1/2 lb lasagna sheets, broken into bite size pieces (regular, not the no boil)

24 oz. Rao's Arrabbiata Sauce or your favorite pasta sauce

1/3 cup heavy cream (optional, but delicious)

1/4 cup pecorino romano or parmesan cheese

1/2 cup ricotta cheese (you can omit or use less)

Additional Swaps/Ingredients:

In previous versions of this recipe I've used green bell peppers in place of the mushrooms, added in an entire carton of spinach, or cooked the onions with carrots and celery and omitted the mushrooms. There are so many ways to add or swap veggies. Even a bag of frozen mixed vegetables will do!

To add more fiber: a can or two of rinsed and drained white beans or a few large handfuls of spinach and kale.

To add more protein: homemade or frozen meatballs, or a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, or blend 1/2 the jar of pasta sauce

If you want to make this lighter, you can completely omit the cream and cheeses, or reduce the them all by 1/2.

If you like a more broth-y soup you can add more broth, as this will thicken as it sits and the lasagna noodles soak up the liquid. If you don't have broth, add water to your desired consistency but just be sure to adjust the salt in this case.

Directions

Instant Pot Version:

Set your IP to saute mode and add two tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onions, zucchini, salt, chili flakes, and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about one minute.
Addd the tomato paste, italian seasoning, and cook until the tomato paste darkens in color about 2-3 minutes.
Add the broth +1 cup of water, and stir in the broken lasagna sheets. Set the IP to high pressure cook for 3 minutes and then manually release the air.
Add the pasta sauce, cream, ricotta, pecorino, and parsley into the Instant Pot and stir well. Taste and make adjustments if needed.
Ladle into bowls and serve with an extra dollop of ricotta and pinch of chili flakes. Enjoy with garlic bread or on its own!
Salt will vary based on the cheese, sauce and broth you use, so adjust at the end as needed.

STOVE TOP VERSION:

Heat two tbsp of oil in a large dutch oven or 6-8 qt pot (you will need 6qt pot minimum), over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions, zucchini and mushrooms and continue to cook for about 6-8 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, chili flakes, and cook until the garlic is fragrant and the tomato paste starts to turn a darker color, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the broth, pasta sauce , broken lasagna sheets (uncooked) and stir well. Reduce heat to a slow simmer, place a lid partially over the pot to keep everything from splattering, and cook until the lasagna sheets are al dente, about 8-10 minutes.
Add the ricotta, cream, parsley, pecorino romano and stir well. Taste for salt and adjust as needed (this can vary based on your brand of sauce and broth etc)
Ladle into individual bowls and top with more cheese and chili flakes if you like. So good with garlic bread!