Keto Lasagna Soup (Easy One-Pot Recipe)

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This easy keto lasagna soup recipe combines Italian sausage, tomatoes and Italian herbs with a creamy ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan topping. There’s no pasta in the recipe, so it has the familiar meat, tomato and cheese elements of lasagna, just in a lower-carb soup format.

Low carb lasagna soup is a great dish during fall and winter, when a bowl of hot soup makes a satisfying meal. The Italian sausage gives the broth plenty of seasoning, and the cheese mixture is added separately so everyone can spoon as much as they like over their serving.

Everything cooks in one pot on the stovetop and there’s no pasta to boil or layers to assemble. You only need a separate bowl for mixing the cheese topping.

Why This Keto Lasagna Soup is Worth Making

• No pasta required: The meat, tomato broth and three-cheese topping give the soup a distinct lasagna feel without using wheat noodles.
• One-pot cooking: The sausage, aromatics and broth all cook in the same pot. Minimal washing up is always good!
• Cheese added by serving: Keeping the cheese mixture separate lets everyone decide how much to add. (If you’re like me, you’ll want lots!)
• Good for leftovers: There’s no pasta to swell and absorb the broth in the refrigerator.
• Easy to adjust: Mild or hot Italian sausage can control the heat without changing the method.

Ingredient Notes

• Italian sausage: Use bulk sausage or remove the casings before cooking. Mild sausage gives the soup a gentler flavor, while hot Italian sausage adds some chili heat. Check the label for added sugar or fillers if you follow a strict keto diet.
• Beef broth: Low-sodium broth is a good choice because sausage and Parmesan can be quite high in salt.
• Diced tomatoes: I like to add the tomatoes with their juices. They give the broth more body than tomato sauce alone.
• Tomato sauce: This means the pourable canned tomato sauce sold in the US. Passata is the closest British equivalent. British tomato puree (known as tomato concentrate in the US) is too concentrated for a direct substitution.
• Onion and garlic: These cook with the sausage before the liquid goes into the pot. I used regular yellow onion and garlic, although I also tried smoked garlic paste and that was oretty good.
• Italian seasoning and bay leaves: Italian seasoning flavors both the soup and cheese topping. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
• Ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan: Mix these together for the topping rather than stirring them into the whole soup. Each spoonful melts a little when it touches the hot broth.

How to Make Low Carb Lasagna Soup

Brown the Italian sausage first, then drain off the excess grease. Cook the onion and garlic with the sausage before adding the beef broth, tomatoes and seasonings. Let the soup simmer uncovered while you combine the three cheeses in a separate bowl.

Discard the bay leaves before serving. Ladle the soup into bowls and add the cheese topping while the soup’s hot so the cheese melts a bit.

How No Noodle Lasagna Soup Differs from Regular Lasagna Soup

Regular lasagna soup normally includes broken lasagna sheets or another pasta shape. This recipe leaves the pasta out completely. Italian sausage and the ricotta mixture make it filling, while the tomato and beef broth add liquid to keep it soup-like.

Leaving out the noodles also changes how the leftovers behave. Cooked pasta continues absorbing liquid as it sits, which can leave ordinary lasagna soup noticeably thicker the following day. Thislasagna soup without noodles keeps far more of its broth so you won’t have that issue.

Is This Lasagna Soup Keto?

The core ingredients can fit a keto or low-carb eating plan, although the exact carb count depends on the sausage, broth and tomato products you buy. Some brands add sugar or starch, so check the labels if you track carbs closely.

Gluten-free and low carb don’t mean the same thing, of course. Gluten-free pasta can contain plenty of carbs, so adding it would no longer make this a noodle-free keto lasagna soup.

Is This No Noodle Lasagna Soup Gluten-Free?

The recipe contains no wheat-based noodles or flour. Check the labels on the Italian sausage, beef broth and seasoning blend because those products can contain gluten or be exposed to it during production.

Noodle Substitutes and Variations

If you miss having noodle-like pieces in the soup, add drained hearts of palm lasagna sheets or wide zucchini ribbons near the end. Hearts of palm products such as Palmini are made from hearts of palm and although the texture isn’t like regular pasta, the flavor is pretty good and the texture adds a little something to the soup (I usually have these in the pantry!)

You can replace the Italian sausage with ground beef, ground turkey or a mixture of beef and pork. Plain ground meat isn’t going to have the same seasoning as Italian sausage, so you can taste the soup and adjust the herbs and pepper as needed.

If low carb isn’t required, add broken lasagna sheets or another short pasta shape. You can also use gluten-free noodles. Cooking the pasta separately and adding it to individual bowls prevents it from absorbing broth from the stored soup.

Tips for the Best Results

• Drain the sausage: Removing excess grease keeps the surface of the soup from becoming oily. You can skip the draining if you don’t mind the oil.
• Check bay leaves: Count them as they go into the pot so you know exactly how many to remove. I used three small ones but two larger ones would work too.
• Wait before adding salt: The sausage, broth and Parmesan may add enough seasoning already.
• Keep the cheese separate: Add it to each serving instead of the whole pot if you plan to store or freeze some of the soup or if you already know some people at the table are going to want more than others.
• Add more broth during reheating: A small amount can loosen the soup if it thicks overnight in the refrigerator.

What to Serve with Keto Lasagna Soup

A green salad or roasted vegetables will keep the meal low carb. If you aren’t limiting carbohydrates, serve it with regular bread or gluten-free bread for dipping.

You can find more dinner ideas in my low carb and keto recipes. For a traditional baked option with pasta, try my lasagna with ricotta and Italian sausage or oven-ready Ronzoni lasagna.

How to Store

• Store: Refrigerate the soup in a covered container for 3 to 4 days. Store the cheese topping separately so it doesn’t dissolve into the broth.
• Reheat: Reheat the soup on the stovetop until bubbling and hot throughout, or use the microwave and stir it partway through heating. Reheated leftovers should reach 165°F (74°C).
• Freeze: You can freeze the soup base without the cheese topping for 2 to 3 months. Leave room in the container for the liquid to expand.
• Thaw: Thaw it in the refrigerator, reheat it thoroughly and make a fresh cheese mixture for serving.
• Make ahead: The soup base can be cooked a day or two ahead and refrigerated.

Keto Lasagna Soup FAQs

More Cold-Weather Meals to Try

If you’re in the mood for baked pasta rather than soup, browse these easy recipes for lasagna. Other filling cold-weather dinners include chili with baked potato, corned beef hash with a twist, German rouladen and black bean nacho bake.

Victoria Haneveer

Keto Lasagna Soup (No Noodles)

Italian sausage simmers with tomatoes, beef broth, garlic and Italian herbs, then the low carb lasagna soup is finished with a ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan topping.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings: 6 people

Course: Main Dish, Soup

Cuisine: Italian-American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

 

• 2 pounds (900g) bulk Italian sausage
• 4 cups (950ml) beef broth or beef stock
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 30 ounces (850g) canned diced tomatoes
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 15 ounces (425g) tomato sauce (passata in the UK)

For the Cheese Topping

• 16 ounces (450g) ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 cup (120g) shredded Parmesan
• 1 cup (120g) shredded mozzarella

Equipment

• 6-quart Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot
• Wooden spoon or spatula
• Medium mixing bowl
• Ladle
• Food thermometer

Method

 

1. Add the Italian sausage to a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, breaking it into crumbles, until browned and cooked to 160°F (71°C).
2. Drain off the excess grease.
3. Add the onion to the sausage and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the beef broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, bay leaves, black pepper and Italian seasoning.
6. Let the soup reach a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
7. Combine the ricotta, Italian seasoning, Parmesan and mozzarella in a medium bowl while the soup cooks.
8. Remove and discard both bay leaves.
9. Ladle the soup into 6 bowls and add some of the cheese topping to each serving.

Notes

• Check the Italian sausage, broth and tomato products for added sugar or starch if you follow a strict keto diet.
• Use hot Italian sausage for a spicier soup or mild sausage for less heat.
• Store the soup and cheese topping in separate containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can freeze the soup base without the cheese topping for up to 3 months.

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