White Lasagna Soup

White lasagna soup turns creamy white lasagna into a rich, cheesy soup loaded with sausage, chicken, spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, and broken lasagna noodles. The broth gets its flavor from melted cheeses and a little nutmeg, giving it all the flavor of white lasagna without the layering.

White Lasagna Soup with Ricotta, Spinach, and Sausage

I wanted this white lasagna soup to take everything good about a bubbling white lasagna and turn it into a rich, creamy soup with broken lasagna noodles, sausage, shredded chicken, spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan melted right into the broth. A little nutmeg gives the soup that unmistakable white lasagna flavor while the noodles and melted cheeses make it feel somewhere between a bowl of soup and a baked pasta dinner.

As someone Eastern European, I feel like you’re basically born holding a soup spoon. We do not care what month it is. Soup is year-round food. Summer just means some of the soups are cold instead of hot. Even now, heading into summer, Oregon somehow still manages to feel technically warm while also making you want melted cheese and a giant bowl of something steaming by dinner.

I’ve never really followed seasonal food logic anyway. When I lived in Southern California, I drove a convertible and the top was always down. If it was hot, the air conditioning was blasting. If it was cold, the heater was blasting. If I want soup in July, I’ll blast the air conditioning at home. Same logic applies to soup. If I want white lasagna soup in May, I’m making white lasagna soup in May. Life is short. Hand me the ricotta. And preferably a chunk of bread for the extra broth left behind.

I also tend to prefer white sauces over red almost every time. My white pizza sauce, a quick fettuccine Alfredo, creamy pan sauces, all of it. Not because I dislike tomato sauces, but because there’s something about garlic, black pepper, melted cheese, and a little nutmeg folded into a creamy sauce that feels comforting in a way red sauces never fully pull off for me.

This is the kind of soup that feels far more involved than it really is. The cheeses melt into the broth, the lasagna noodles soften right in the pot, and somehow dinner ends up tasting like the best parts of white lasagna without having to layer a single thing.

What Makes This Different

• I flavored the broth with ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, cream, sausage, garlic, and a small amount of nutmeg instead of a tomato-based sauce, which gives the soup the same flavor profile as white lasagna without having to make a layered casserole.
• Ricotta changes the texture of the soup differently than cream cheese or a thickened Alfredo-style base. Instead of turning the broth dense, the ricotta softens into the soup and gives it the flavor of white lasagna filling once everything melts together.
• The uneven pieces of broken lasagna noodles give the soup the same layered pasta texture you get from baked lasagna once they soften in the broth. Smaller pasta shapes will work, but they turn the soup closer to creamy chicken noodle soup instead of lasagna.
• A small amount of nutmeg is one of the flavors I associate with white lasagna. It’s subtle, but it keeps the soup from tasting like a generic cream soup.
• I found using both sausage and shredded chicken keeps the soup balanced. The sausage adds richness while the chicken keeps the soup from feeling overly heavy once all the cheeses melt in.
• The cheeses get stirred in at the very end over low heat so the broth stays smooth and creamy instead of thickening up or becoming grainy.

Ingredients

• Ground sausage – The sausage gives the broth a rich, savory flavor that keeps the soup from tasting dull once all the dairy goes in. Letting some of it brown properly instead of constantly stirring it makes a big difference in the final flavor.
• Onion – Softens into the broth and gives the soup that slow-cooked lasagna flavor without needing a long simmer.
• Butter and flour – This small roux lightly thickens the broth so the cheeses melt in smoothly instead of separating or floating around independently.
• Garlic – White lasagna without garlic feels incorrect.
• Italian seasoning – Gives the soup that distinctive baked-lasagna flavor.
• Garlic powder and onion powder – These fill in the background flavor of the broth and make it taste fuller once the cream and cheeses go in.
• Salt and black pepper – The cheeses and sausage already bring salt, which is why low-sodium chicken stock helps keep the broth balanced. Black pepper matters more in white sauces than you realize.
• Nutmeg – Enough to give the broth a classic white lasagna flavor. You shouldn’t immediately think “nutmeg” when you taste the soup.
• Low-sodium chicken stock – Adds enough body to support all the cheese without turning the soup overly heavy or salty once everything cooks together.
• Lasagna noodles – Broken lasagna noodles make the soup feel much closer to lasagna than smaller pasta shapes do. The uneven pieces also catch more of the ricotta-rich broth.
• Shredded chicken – Keeps the soup hearty without making it feel overwhelmingly rich once the sausage, cream, and cheeses all melt together.
• Baby spinach – Adds freshness and breaks up some of the richness without turning the soup into “healthy soup,” which I appreciate.
• Heavy cream – Gives the broth its silky texture and helps the cheeses melt together smoothly.
• Ricotta cheese – Ricotta is what gives the soup its lasagna identity. It softens into the broth and tastes much more like lasagna filling than cream cheese or Alfredo-style soups.
• Mozzarella cheese – Melts into the soup and gives it that stretchy baked-lasagna quality once everything comes together.
• Parmesan cheese – Adds salt, nuttiness, and depth to the broth while helping the soup taste more like a baked pasta dish instead of plain cream soup.

How To Make White Lasagna Soup

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

• Step One (brown the sausage and onions)
  Add the sausage and diced onion to a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Break the sausage apart with a wooden spoon while it cooks until the onion softens and the sausage develops some darker golden edges. Don’t rush this part. Those browned bits are what keep the broth from tasting overly rich once all the cream and cheese go in later.
• Step Two (create the white lasagna flavor)
  Add the butter, flour, garlic, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. Stir everything together for about 2 minutes until the garlic smells good and the flour completely disappears into the sausage mixture. The nutmeg is subtle, but important.
• Step Three (cook the noodles)
  Pour in the chicken stock and bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and add the broken lasagna noodles. Cook until the noodles are just tender, about 8 to 11 minutes. They keep softening in the hot broth afterward, so slightly underdone works better.
• Step Four (make it creamy)
  Reduce the heat to low and stir in the shredded chicken, spinach, heavy cream, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. Keep stirring until the ricotta softens into the broth and the cheeses fully melt. The whole pot starts tasting a lot closer to white lasagna than regular soup.
• Step Five (serve)
  Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if needed. Ladle into bowls and serve with a slice of my crusty roasted garlic rosemary artisan bread, plenty of black pepper, or another spoonful of ricotta over the top if you’re prepared for that level of dairy commitment.

Recipe Tips

• Keep the heat low once the cheeses go into the soup. Boiling the dairy for too long can make the broth thicken instead of staying smooth and creamy.
• The noodles continue absorbing broth as the soup sits, especially overnight. If the leftovers feel thicker the next day, add a splash of chicken stock while reheating to loosen the broth back up.
• Break the lasagna noodles unevenly instead of making perfectly identical pieces. The irregular shapes make the soup feel much closer to a pan of lasagna.
• If you want the soup to hold up longer for leftovers, kale works better than spinach since it stays firmer after reheating.
• Freshly shredded mozzarella melts more smoothly into the broth than pre-shredded cheese because it doesn’t contain the same anti-caking powders.
• Let the sausage get properly browned before adding the broth. Pale sausage changes the final flavor more than you’d think once all the dairy goes in.
• Ricotta melts into the broth more easily if it sits at room temperature for a little while before adding it to the soup.
• White lasagna soup thickens quickly as it cools, which somehow makes the leftovers taste even more like lasagna the next day.

Storage

• This soup thickens considerably in the refrigerator because the noodles continue absorbing liquid overnight. The flavor gets even better by the next day, but you’ll probably need extra chicken stock when reheating to loosen the broth back up.
• Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
• Reheat gently over low heat on the stove instead of blasting it over high heat. Cream-based soups stay much smoother reheated slowly.
• You can freeze the soup, but the texture does change once thawed because of the dairy and noodles. If freezing, it works best before adding the noodles and spinach.
• This is one of those soups that mysteriously disappears before storage advice becomes relevant.

FAQs

• What makes white lasagna soup different from regular lasagna soup?
  White lasagna soup skips the tomato-based sauce and heads into the creamy cheese side of lasagna instead. Ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, cream, garlic, and nutmeg give the broth the flavor of white lasagna filling rather than classic red-sauce lasagna.
• Can I use oven-ready lasagna noodles?
  Yes, although they usually soften a little faster than regular lasagna noodles. Keep an eye on them so they don’t get too mushy in the broth.
• Why does the soup thicken overnight?
  The lasagna noodles continue absorbing broth as the soup sits in the refrigerator. That’s completely normal and part of why the leftovers taste even more like lasagna the next day.
• Can I make white lasagna soup ahead of time?
  Yes. The flavor gets even better after sitting for a few hours or overnight. Just plan on adding extra chicken stock while reheating since the noodles absorb quite a bit of liquid.
• Can I substitute kale for spinach?
  Definitely. Kale holds up better during reheating and gives the soup a slightly heartier texture than spinach.
• Why add ricotta directly into the broth?
  Ricotta gives the soup its white lasagna flavor and texture.
• Why does the soup need nutmeg?
  You shouldn’t immediately taste nutmeg in the soup. It’s there to push the flavor toward classic white lasagna.

From My Kitchen Notes

Observations I can’t ignore.

• White sauces feel less stable than red sauces. They’re richer, more temperamental, and somehow always one degree away from becoming a life decision. I sort of enjoy the roller coaster vibe.
• There are people who civilly sprinkle Parmesan over soup and people who continue until the surface becomes architecturally questionable. I will like you more if you’re more reckless with cheese.
• Ricotta has the energy of somebody insisting they’re soft while silently running the entire operation.
• Lasagna noodles broken by hand somehow taste better than neatly cut ones. I think it’s because frustration is technically seasoning.
• White lasagna soup is what happens when baked pasta stops acting like it has boundaries.
• Some things look casual right up until you realize how long they’ve been simmering.
• The amount of extra ricotta somebody adds to their own bowl tells you almost everything you need to know about how they approach pleasure.
• I like the way soup changes the pacing of a house. Everyone sits longer and conversations stretch out.
• Some recipes reveal themselves slowly enough that by the time you understand them, you’re already attached.
• I’ve noticed there are people who carefully twirl lasagna noodles and those of us who will chase one slippery noodle around the bowl. We both deserve happiness.
• The second bowl usually tells the truth the first one was trying to hide.
• I love the silence that follows after one slurp of this soup. It’s not shyness, it’s the dairy winning.
• The best soups are made by somebody who wanted you to stay longer than you planned.
• Some recipes don’t really improve your life. They just make you significantly less willing to leave the house afterward.
• There are people who leave one serving in the pot for others and people who scrape the bottom while maintaining direct eye contact. Complex moral terrain.
• Some soups improve after sitting overnight. Other things do too.
• Some recipes slowly become part of your life before you realize how often you’re making them.
• Some flavors keep unfolding long after dinner’s officially over.
• Certain people always make their way toward the stove eventually.
• Ricotta softens slowly. Forcing it usually makes the texture worse.
• It takes surprisingly little nutmeg to completely change the direction of a sauce.
• Some things thicken gradually while nobody’s paying attention.
• There’s a difference between somebody stopping by the kitchen and somebody finding reasons to stay there.
• There are meals that taste familiar immediately and others that reveal themselves one spoonful at a time.
• Certain recipes stop being occasional the moment somebody realizes they’d miss them if they disappeared.
• There’s a point where melted cheese, cream, and time stop acting like separate ingredients and become one thing entirely.
• Some things spend so long becoming part of your routine that one day you realize they quietly became part of you instead.
• Some recipes take a long time to say what they were doing the entire time.
• Certain things become impossible to replace once they’ve worked their way into your system.
• There are combinations that shouldn’t feel this comforting together and yet somehow do.

More Comfort Food Worth Staying Home For

• Marry Me Melting Cabbage – creamy Tuscan-inspired cabbage
• Baked Manicotti – ricotta, spinach, marinara, and sharp cheddar
• Ricotta Stuffed Shells – ricotta-filled pasta shells baked in sauce
• Calabrian Chili Rigatoni – creamy tomato sauce with Calabrian chilis
• Creamy Chicken and Rice Poblano Soup – charred poblano, chicken, rice, and creamy broth