Garfield references are one thing, but as pasta dishes go, lasagna just isn’t my favorite. It’s unfailingly dense and reminds simultaneously of Christmas and make-ahead meals associated with grief or childbirth. I have documented Ricotta Issues™ that don’t help. I’m interested in eating it one or two, maximum three times a year.

Lasagna soup is a different story. It’s kind of a pasta, kind of a soup, not really either, but also both. The base is tomato, sausage, and kale, which would never be my picks for real lasagna but that work really well here. It’s a very similar template to my tortellini soup, minus the cream but with a generous addition of grated pecorino that gives a lil extra body and umami to the broth.

Pre-empting what I expect to be the top 3 questions about this lazy lasagna soup, here are some answers:

Q: What’s the name of this micro lasagna noodle you’re using?

A: Reginetti, aka Little Queens. It’s also sold under the name Mafalda. I think I got it in this variety pack. I’ve also seen it at Whole Foods more recently.

Q: I can’t find that at my store. What else could I use?

A: Probably anything, but the most lasagna-like choice would be Mafaldine broken up into pieces (this is the same shape I use for Bolognese), or at worst whole curly lasagna dry noodles smashed up a few times against the counter.

Q: I don’t eat meat and kale is disgusting. Can I still make this without All Recipes-ing it to death?

A: Yep. Sub Beyond or chopped mushrooms for meat and use frozen spinach instead.

I mean it when I say lazy. Normally I’m a purist about things like garlic and onions, but here I used powder because sometimes I don’t care and neither do you. The thunderstorms of spring have arrived and so has lasagna soup night in Los Angeles. Let’s get cozy and not care together.

unphotogenic chic in the way I too can be; kind of a mess if you overthink it, but kinda works if you don’t

RECIPE

Like a deconstructed lasagna only brothier, lazy lasagna soup has all the key elements of classic lasagna—sausage, tomatoes, herbs, cheese, and delightfully curly-edged noodles—but comes together in just under an hour, no layering or hard labor (or ricotta!) required.

Effortful time: 5 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4

YOU NEED

1 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed—I used mild pork; you can use hot pork, any kind of chicken sausage, raw plant-based sausage like Beyond, or sub for 1 lb of chopped mushrooms
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. dried minced onion (or 1 large onion, chopped)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (or 2 cloves minced garlic)
2 tbsp. double concentrated tomato paste, I really like the San Marzano brand
1 tbsp. dried basil
1/4 tbsp. dried oregano
1/2 tbsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. salt
A few twirls of black pepper
1/2 cup white wine
28 oz can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
6 cups vegetable broth; I used the reduced-sodium vegetable Better Than Bouillon
Pinch of chili flakes, optional
8 oz. frozen chopped kale, spinach, or other green of your choosing
8 oz. reginetti, broken mafaldine, or other lasagna-reminiscent pasta
1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese, can sub parm, plus more for serving

MAKE IT

Brown your sausages. In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Brown the de-cased sausages, chopping up with a spatula as you go into a very fine grind.
Add your aromatics. Once browned, add the garlic and onion powder, stir, and let cook for 15 seconds. Add the tomato paste and stir. It’ll start to caramelize. Let this cook 1 minute.
Herb it up. Add the basil, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, and chili flakes and stir well. You should have a very pizza parlor fragrance happening.
Deglaze with white wine. Add the broth and can of tomatoes (true to the recipe’s name, I made my broth in the tomato can).
Simmer it. Partially cover your pot and turn the heat down to low. Simmer 25-30 minutes or until the liquid has reduced a bit and the bright red shock of the tomatoes has mellowed out.
Lasagna-fy it. Add the noodles and kale. Stir well. Leave uncovered and cook for 10-15 minutes more, depending on what your pasta package directions say.
Cheese it and finish it. Stir in the 1/2 cup of cheese until melted and the soup lightens and turns a little more orange. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with more cheese. Ricotta enough!