Lasagna soup is for nights when you want all the cozy, familiar flavors of lasagna without committing to the full lasagna experience. This version comes together in about 20 minutes, uses one pot, and delivers that rich, comforting vibe without layers, assembly, or a sink full of dishes. It’s hearty, filling, and feels like real dinner, not a shortcut that tastes like one.
This recipe came directly from my own cooking burnout. When energy is low, I look for ways to get dinner on the table fast using every shortcut available, without sacrificing flavor.
I tested this soup multiple times to make sure it stayed simple but still hit the way lasagna should. Some versions didn’t work, especially when I skipped the cottage cheese. The cottage cheese gave the soup the creamy texture I was looking for without adding any extra steps.Â
To keep this as easy as possible, the pasta cooks right in the pot, we use a jar of marinara, and skip sautéing onions altogether. No blending, no extra pans, no advanced prep. Just a lasagna soup that works on a tired weeknight.
If cozy, one-pot dinners are your thing, there are a few other Cooking Burnout Club favorites you might enjoy too. My tomato gnocchi soup and Italian white bean soup follow the same low-effort, high-comfort approach. And if you’re craving something a little different but just as easy, pizza beans or creamy gnocchi marinara with white beans are both great options to keep in rotation. Same comforting flavors, same minimal energy required.
Key ingredients
You can find a full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, this is just a highlight of some key ingredients:Â
- Marinara sauce – This is where most of the flavor comes from, so use a marinara you actually enjoy. I usually grab whatever I already have on hand, but since the ingredient list is short, the flavor of the sauce really matters here.
- Pasta – You can use any pasta you like, but I love using mafalda pasta because it looks like little lasagna noodles and fits the vibe of this soup perfectly. It gives you that lasagna feel without the work. Use whatever pasta you already have if that’s easier.
- Cottage cheese – I use cottage cheese to give the soup a creamy, comforting texture because it’s what I always have on hand. I prefer 4% cottage cheese since it’s less tangy than fat free cottage cheese. There’s no need to blend it or do anything fancy. If you’d rather use ricotta, that works too.
Step by step
Tips for success
- Don’t overcook the chicken – When cooking the ground chicken, you’re just looking for it to be barely cooked through. It will continue cooking as the soup simmers, so stopping early helps keep it tender.
- No blending required – There’s no need to blend the cottage cheese. It melts right into the soup and creates a creamy texture without extra steps.
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Cook ground chicken in a large pot over medium heat 5-7 minutes until no longer pink.
1 pound ground chicken
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Add tomato paste, italian seasoning, salt and garlic powder. Stir well to combine.
1 tablespoon italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon tomato paste
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Add 1 cup vegetable broth and scrape down the bottom of the pot. Add the rest of the vegetable broth and jar of marinara. Turn up heat and cover. Bring to a boil.
4 cups vegetable broth, 24 ounces marinara sauce
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Add pasta and cook according to directions.
12 oz gluten free pasta
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With 1 minute left, add cottage cheese and frozen spinach. Stir well.
2 cups frozen spinach, 1 cup cottage cheese
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Serve in bowls, sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
½ cup parmesan cheese
- Stir the pasta as it cooks – The pasta cooks in limited liquid, so stirring occasionally prevents sticking.
- Adjust thickness if needed – Add more water or broth if you want a thinner soup.
- Use as little as 8 oz. of pasta for this, especially if you want it to be more like soup.Â
- Leftovers note– This soup is thick, and the pasta will continue to absorb liquid as it sits. When reheating, add a splash of water or broth to loosen it back up. If you know you’ll want leftovers that stay more soup-like, you can cook the pasta separately and add it when reheating, but that does add an extra step.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
