High Fiber Lasagna Soup

5 from 2 reviews

You would never know there’s an entire can of beans blended right into the broth of this soup. Cannellini beans add plant-based protein and fiber, but do not impact the flavor of this recipe at all. The beans thicken the soup for a silky, naturally creamy broth that tastes luscious.

Prep Time5

Cook Time12

Total Time17

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: bean recipe, high fiber, high protein, lasagna soup, soup recipe

Servings: servings

Author: The Modern Nonna

Equipment

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ tablespoon dried oregano
pinch of red chili flakes optional
1 ¾ cups Italian Tomato Sauce or canned crushed tomatoes
small handful fresh basil leaves or 1 teaspoon dried basil, plus more fresh basil leaves for garnish
one 15-ounce can cannellini beans drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cups)
4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
2 Parmigiano Reggiano rinds (optional)
6 ounces (170 g) oven-ready lasagna noodles each noodle broken into eights (about ⅔ of a 9-ounce box)
2 cups baby spinach roughly chopped (about 1 BIG handful), optional
1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano Reggiano
6 tablespoons whole milk ricotta cheese
6 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions

Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until light brown, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute. Add the dried oregano and chili flakes (if using) and cook for another minute. Turn off the heat. Add the tomato sauce, fresh basil, beans, broth, and salt and pepper to taste.
Using an immersion blender, blend until a completely smooth broth forms. Alternatively, transfer the contents of the pot to a blender and process until smooth. If using a blender, return the blended broth to the pot and place over medium-high heat.
Once the broth reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium, keeping at a steady simmer. Add the Parmigiano Reggiano rinds (if using), to infuse the soup with flavor. Add the broken lasagna noodles. Stir the noodles constantly for the first 3 minutes of cooking, to prevent them from sticking together. After 3 minutes, cover the pot and let cook, stirring occasionally to keep the noodles from sticking. The noodles take about 6 to 8 minutes total until cooked.

Make sure you are using “oven-ready” lasagna noodles, which cook faster than traditional lasagna noodles. If using traditional noodles, you may need to cook them for up to 12 minutes. After about 6 minutes of cooking time, taste a tiny section of noodles every few minutes to test for doneness.

Turn off the heat. Add the spinach (if using) and 1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano Reggiano, and stir for 1 minute, until the spinach wilts. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.
Ladle the soup into bowls and add 1 tablespoon ricotta to each bowl. Stir the ricotta into the warm soup or leave it as a scooped garnish. Garnish each bowl with 1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh basil leaves and serve.

Video

Notes

Noodles: Make sure you are using “oven-ready” lasagna noodles, which cook faster than traditional lasagna noodles take. If using traditional noodles, you may need to cook them for up to 12 minutes. After about 6 minutes of cooking time, taste a tiny section of noodles every few minutes to test for doneness.

Vegan: Make this vegan by using a creamy, scoopable vegan cheese in place of the ricotta, and a grated, salty vegan cheese in place of the Parm.

Beans: You can use chickpeas or butter beans instead of cannellini.

Reheating: The soup will thicken a lot as it cools. When reheating the soup, add ½ to 1 cup water to loosen the broth.

Meat protein: If you want to add meat, add about ½ pound ground pork, ground beef, or mild or hot Italian sausages (casings removed) along with the garlic. Cook, using a wooden spoon to break the meat into small pieces, until no pink remains, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the garlicky meat to a plate, then resume making the soup per the recipe instructions. Add the cooked meat back to the soup along with the spinach.

Veggies: You can add all kinds of veggies to this soup. Cubed zucchini, strips of bell pepper, or sliced mushrooms are all great. Give the veggies about 5 minutes of cooking time, along with the lasagna noodles.

Freezing: The soup reheats well but will not freeze well. The noodles will take on a gummy texture.

Nutrition