You guys know how much I love a good mashup when it comes to food, and I know you are going to LOVE this lasagna soup recipe! I took one of my favorite pastas to make at home — penne alla vodka and used the base for this incredible soup! If you aren’t familiar with lasagna soup it is basically the main components of a baked lasagna in soup form…easier, much quicker, and dare I say, a tad bit healthier than traditional lasagna!
Make this soup perfect for YOU!
This recipe is super versatile. I’ve photographed the main ingredients for you, but feel free to adjust to your taste. If you don’t eat beef use another protein like ground turkey or chicken. Italian sausage (pork, chicken, or turkey) would also work really well! I would even use a combo of (1/2 lb.) Italian sausage with one of the other proteins (1 lb).
If you aren’t a fan of animal proteins substitute for a plant-based protein that you do like and are familiar cooking with. I would replace the meat with a can of white (cannellini or navy) beans and/or chopped mushrooms and spinach.
You can even make this soup dairy free by using coconut milk in place of the heavy cream, and either leave off the ricotta and parmesan topping or use a substitute of your choice–so many great ones out there! Don’t forget to double the olive oil and leave out the butter.
Putting together the soup
You can see how easily this soup comes together. First, saute the onion in a large pot. I like to give the onions a couple minutes to cook by themselves so they aren’t too punchy. Then add your meat (or veggies) and garlic. Once that has cooked add in the vodka. The vodka is key to this soup to get that very unique flavor for the base. The alcohol will cook out! Then add in the tomatoes and broth. Simmer away until everything comes together and finish with heavy cream and fresh basil.
Really, this soup is simple! The flavor is completely reminiscent of penne alla vodka, but with the added bonus of lasagna….perfect for a cozy fall or winter meal. Top this soup with ricotta and parmesan cheeses to really drive that lasagna feel home and fresh parsley for brightness.
Lasagna Soup Alla Vodka
Equipment
- Soup pot or dutch oven
- Cutting board
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs lean ground meat beef, turkey, chicken, sausage
- 1 medium onion diced (approx 1.5 cups)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced (approx 1 tbsp)
- 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup vodka
- 4-5 cups broth vegetable or chicken
- 8 lasagna noodles broken into pieces and cooked according to package instructions
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper or crushed red pepper for more spice
- 15 leaves fresh basil rough chopped or torn
- ricotta cheese, grated parmesan and chopped parsley for serving
Instructions
- Melt butter and heat olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven.
- When hot saute onion for 1-2 minutes to let them sweat then add ground meat and garlic. Cook until meat has browned.
- Add vodka and reduce by half (3-4 minutes).
- Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, and 4 cups of broth. Bring to a boil then simmer covered for 20-25 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, cook lasagna noodles as directed on package.
- Adjust seasoning as necessary then add heavy cream and basil. If soup feels too thick slowly add in more broth until desired consistency is reached.
- Stir in the cooked lasagna noodles.
- Serve with ricotta cheese, grated parmesan and chopped parsley.
Quick Notes…
I do like to cook the lasagna noodles for this soup separately. You can totally put them in the soup while it simmers (the last 6-8 minutes), but you will have to add a little more broth as the soup will be thicker.
If you think you will have leftovers (we definitely did!) then plop those lasagna noodles into each individual bowl when serving and top with the soup base. If you do happen to mix all the lasagna noodles in, not a problem! Just carefully take them out before putting this soup in the fridge so that the noodles don’t continue to soak up that delicious broth overnight.
I know you will love this soup! Remember to tag me in your photos on Instagram and drop me a comment with your thoughts or any questions!
