The Everyday Chef: Savory Lasagna Soup
Andrew Dole, RDN, CEC
Everyday Chef, Fruits & Veggies—More Matters
Some days you just want a soup and salad, but need a savory dish to satisfy. This version of lasagna soup uses a low-sodium tomato juice combined with chicken stock to create a full flavored broth.
A few things I really like about this meal are:
- The freezability! Make a large batch then freeze some for later.
- It makes a savory full flavored broth without hours of work, using tomato juice.
- It satisfies the lasagna fix without the lasagna calories!
Use your favorite Italian sausage – mild, medium or hot. For meat type, I prefer chicken or turkey to keep the calories down.
Lasagna Soup
Serves 8-10
122 Calories per serving
Ingredients
3 pc – Lasagna Noodles
2 tbsp – Shallot, Raw, Finely Chopped
2 links – Chicken Sausage, Italian Links Removed from Casing
(or sub 8 oz ground)
1/2 medium – Green Pepper, Bell, Small, Diced
0.25 tsp – Crushed Red Pepper
7 leaves – Basil, Fresh
1 tbsp – Oregano, Fresh
48 oz – Unsalted Cooking Stock, Chicken
14 oz – Diced Tomatoes, Fire Roasted
16 fl oz – Tomato Juice, Low-Sodium
8 tbsp – Part Skim Ricotta Cheese
Directions
1. In a large 6 qt pot, heat 1 tsp canola oil over med/high heat.
2. Add sausage meat and brown. Break into chunks. Cook only 50% of the way.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add shallot, red pepper flake, bell pepper, three basil leaves (torn), oregano, and sausage. Continue to cook for 3-5 minutes until herbs and spices are fragrant.
4. Add diced tomatoes with juice, scraping bottom of pan to deglaze.
5. Add stock and tomato juice.
6. Bring to simmer, cover with lid, and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste for salt (remember the tomato juice, sausage, and canned tomatoes have salt in them). If needed add 1/4 tsp of salt.
7. For pasta, bring large pot of water to boil. Salt water. Break lasagna noodles into 4 or 5 pieces and cook until 50% done. Drain noodles, run under cool water to stop cooking, then lightly oil so they don’t stick, and reserve chilled.
Note: You can cook the noodles in the soup. Just add an additional 8oz of stock. I parcook them separately so I can add them when reheating. This way they do not get overly mushy and finish cooking when I reheat batches. This is a great idea for making the soup base for freezing.
8. Add noodles to simmering soup 5 minutes before serving.
9. Garnish with 1 tbsp of ricotta cheese, torn basil leaves, and a pinch of crushed red pepper.
Nutrient Analysis
Calories: 122, Protein: 11 g, Carbs: 13 g
Total Fat: 3 g, Sat Fat: 2 g, Sodium: 319mg, Fiber: 1.6 g
Photo Credit: Andrew Dole
