The Easy Lasagna Soup You’ll Want on Repeat

Like the original , this recipe has all the basic components of a —chicken (of course!), cheese, spinach, lasagna noodles—but instead of layering them into a casserole, I throw them into a soup pot. It’s just as satisfying and comforting, but easier and quicker to make on a weeknight.

One-Pot Wonder

I love a good one-pot recipe because it feels easier for my brain to handle on weeknights and means fewer pots to clean. With this particular recipe, cooking everything in single stock pot has two more advantages:

1. More Chicken Flavor! Because the chicken gets poached right in the soup broth, all of its chicken-y goodness stays right in the soup where it belongs. 
2. Extra Creamy Soup! The noodles also get cooked directly in the soup, which turns the broth starchy and silky. Once you stir in the Parmesan cheese and the whole milk, this gives you a creamy, satisfying soup without the need for a or any other thickeners.

Note that the noodles will continue to absorb liquid and soften as the soup cools, though I find that lasagna noodles are hearty enough that they still have a chewy bite even when reheated the next day. However, if this bothers you, cook the noodles separately and scoop out two cups of the starchy pasta cooking water to use instead of the water when making the soup.

Mushrooms in My Lasagna?

To me, a soup like this should be a hearty meal-in-a-bowl affair, and I felt like this one needed something more than the standard chicken lasagna ingredients to round it out. Mushrooms were the answer. They add substance and complement the rich flavors in the soup without changing its basic nature.

You can skip the mushrooms if you’re a chicken lasagna purist, but I recommend giving them a try! 

Swaps and Substitutions

I have found this soup to be endlessly adaptable to a wide range of ingredients in my pantry. Try any of these:

• Swap the lasagna noodles for any other shaped pasta, particularly those that have plenty of nooks and crannies for the creamy broth like rotini or farfalle.
• Swap the spinach for any other hearty green.
• Add a half cup of chopped sundried tomatoes for color and extra flavor.
• If you are in possession of a Parmesan rind, chop it into pieces and add to the soup for more Parmesan flavor.
• If you really want to take things over the top, add 4 ounces of cream cheese or sour cream.
• For a dairy-free version, substitute coconut milk for the whole milk and use a non-dairy cheese (or skip the cheese altogether—it’s still good!).
• This takes us even further away from this recipe’s “chicken lasagna” origin, but for a vegetarian version, adding a can or two of drained chickpeas instead of the chicken would be delicious and just as filling.

Chicken Soups for the Soul