It's finally starting to feel like fall in the DC area, which means it's soup season! I love making soup because it's fast, easy, inexpensive, and makes so many good leftovers. We've been making a version of this creamy turkey lasagna soup for a couple of years, but I usually just throw a bunch of stuff into a pot and adjust as I go, so I didn't have a recipe...until now!
This soup comes together in about half an hour and only requires one pot, so there's hardly any cleanup. The flavors are similar to real lasagna, but I swapped the traditional ground beef or ground pork for ground turkey, used elbow macaroni instead of lasagna noodles, and reduced the amount of cheese a bit. It's a (slightly) healthier alternative to regular lasagna, but just as warm and comforting as the real deal.
Here's what you'll need for this turkey lasagna soup (and how much it'll cost).
- Whole Milk Ricotta ($1.74). You don't have to use the whole milk version, but it does make this soup better. When it comes to swapping out ingredients to make something healthier, I like to choose my battles. This isn't one I want to fight.
- Shredded Mozzarella ($1.98)
- Lean Ground Turkey ($4.26). We used 93%, but feel free to use whatever fat content you have access to. You might just have to sop up more (or less) grease after it's cooked. If you'd rather use ground beef or pork, that's fine too.
- White Onion ($1.02)
- Garlic ($0.45)
- Chicken Broth ($1.33)
- Marinara or Pasta Sauce ($4.58). You can use whatever pasta sauce you have on hand, but I've linked our favorite.
- Elbow Macaroni ($0.82). You can use whatever small pasta you have on hand. You could even use lasagna noodles--just break them into small pieces. If you're gluten-free, feel free to use your favorite gluten-free pasta.
- Oil, salt, black pepper, dried basil, dried oregano, crushed red pepper, and bay leaves
Excluding the oil and spices, this lasagna soup costs around $16 to make for the first time, or about $4 per serving.
You'll have leftover ricotta, shredded mozzarella, onion, pasta sauce, and pasta.
Here's how you could use the leftover ingredients...
- Use the leftover pasta to make our Copycat Kraft Mac and Cheese.
- Use the leftover ricotta to make our Hot Honey and Peach Ricotta Toast.
- Use the leftover pasta sauce and mozzarella to make a pizza! We love Trader Joe's pizza dough (the gluten-free is great!) and frozen Caulipower crusts.
Here's how we make it. This soup is so easy.
A simple ricotta and cheese mixture is what makes this soup so creamy and comforting. Combine ricotta, shredded mozzarella, salt, and black pepper and set aside. You'll stir this into your soup later.
Heat oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and cook for a couple of minutes, until they are fragrant, then add the ground turkey, breaking it up as it cooks. Add garlic and seasonings and continue cooking until the turkey is cooked through. If you're using 93% lean turkey there probably won't be much grease left in the pot, but if there is, sop it up with a paper towel.
Then add chicken broth, water, marinara, and bay leaves to the pot and turn the heat up to high, allowing the soup to come to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat back to medium, and let simmer for 5-10 minutes (this lets the flavors combine a bit more). Taste the broth and add more salt if necessary, then add uncooked pasta to the pot and cook until pasta is cooked through.
Depending on what kind of pasta you use, this soup might be quite thick. We like it that way, but if you'd like it to be a bit thinner, add more broth or water. Once it's your desired consistency, add the ricotta mixture and stir until the cheese is melted and everything is combined. If you'd like, reserve a dollop of the ricotta mixture for the top. Remove the bay leaves, then serve!
One-Pot Creamy Turkey Lasagna Soup
This turkey lasagna soup comes together in about half an hour and only requires one pot, so there's hardly any cleanup. The flavors are similar to real lasagna, but I swapped the traditional ground beef or ground pork for ground turkey, used elbow macaroni instead of lasagna noodles, and reduced the amount of cheese a bit. It's a (slightly) healthier alternative to regular lasagna, but just as warm and comforting as the real deal.
4
servings5
minutes25
minutes472
kcal30
minutesIngredients
- For the ricotta mixture:
1 cup whole milk ricotta
½ cup shredded mozzarella
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
- For the soup:
1 tablespoon oil
½ white onion, chopped
16 ounces lean ground turkey
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
32 ounces chicken broth
2 cups water
1 cup pasta sauce
2 bay leaves
8 ounces pasta
Directions
- Combine the ricotta mixture ingredients and set aside.
- Add onions and cook for two minutes, or until fragrant.
- Add ground turkey, garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper to the pot, breaking it up the turkey as it cooks. Continue cooking until turkey is cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Sop up any remaining grease with a paper towel.
- Add chicken broth, water, marinara, and bay leaves to the pot and turn the heat up to high, allowing the soup to come to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat back to medium, and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Taste the broth and add more salt if necessary, then add uncooked pasta to the pot and cook until pasta is cooked through.
- Add the ricotta mixture and stir until the cheese is melted and everything is combined. If you'd like, reserve a dollop of the ricotta mixture for the top. Remove the bay leaves, then serve!
Notes
- Depending on what kind of pasta you use, this soup might be quite thick. We like it that way, but if you'd like it to be thinner, add more broth or water.
Kathryn E. says
One of the best things I've made all year! This soup warmed my soul!!