How to Make Lasagna Soup That Isn’t Watery
I’m not one to complain about someone else’s deliciousness, but the lasagna soup craze on TikTok really tested me. This is my nightmare version of watery lasagna in a bowl. I prefer real lasagna with a light sauce and a balance of cheese and noodles. While I understand that this dish is a soup and would benefit from a red sauce broth, there is a good chance that the food will be bland, bland, or too sour. Here are some tips for making the best lasagna soup that won’t taste like a can of tomato sauce.
Doctor, this. Strongly.
At first, I thought lasagna soup was a quick way to make dinner: just boil broken lasagna noodles in reduced tomato sauce and add cheese—no chopping, peeling, or frying required. Sure, it will be a quick dinner, but it will also be terrible. Watered down tomato sauce tastes bad. In fact, you should treat tomato sauce like a soup stock, which means adding other ingredients such as aromatics and seasonings. Sorry, but you will need a cutting board and a knife.
Add aromatics. Heat some oil in a pan and add chopped onion and garlic (or finely diced mirepoix ), then add salt and cook until translucent.
Add seasonings. This is especially important if you’re making stock soup from scratch, but even if you use a jarred flavored sauce like tomato basil, roasted garlic, or arrabbiata, your stock will still need a little extra excitement. Once the broth comes to a boil, raid your spice cabinet. Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, MSG or red pepper flakes.
Add herbs. A great way to add complexity to a monotonous soup is to add herbs. Use fresh, dried or both. A little goes a long way, so you don’t want to muddy the broth with too many leaves. Add dried herbs to the broth as it cooks to give it time to hydrate and add flavor to the broth. Add chopped fresh herbs to the bowl just before serving, while they are still bright and piquant.
Replace the cheese
I don’t expect this dish to have too many fans, but the drizzle of ricotta cheese I see garnishing lasagna soup all over the internet doesn’t sit well with me. The broth with tomato sauce is clearly sour. When that creamy fresh cheese hits the sour broth, it makes me taste like, well, vomit. Of course, this may be my thing, but substituting the cheese made this soup much better for me. You never know, you might find another combination that you like. While low-moisture shredded mozzarella is a good choice, try grated Parmesan, Swiss cheese, sliced Camembert, or sharp cheddar.
Add sugar
Before finally scooping the lasagna soup batter into the bowl, I tasted it to see if it needed anything else. Despite the added ingredients and flavors, it was still too strong. He needed sugar; just a touch of sweetness to finish off the savory soup.
While the thick, tangy tomato sauce is delicious and balanced over a mound of spaghetti, there is much less pasta, which will soften the sauce when it’s made into a soup. Add a little granulated sugar to make the broth more tasty. Depending on the recipe you’re using, start with a teaspoon of sugar per serving of soup. Taste the soup and decide if you need more. Once you achieve the perfect balance of sour, umami, sweet and salty, the only thing you’re missing is a buttery slice of garlic bread.