Oh, you know those nights when you just crave the absolute comfort of lasagna, but the thought of layering all that cheese and heavy sauce makes you feel a little sluggish? I totally get it! That’s why I’ve spent time figuring out how to get all the big, savory flavors of that Italian classic into an easy, lighter dish. Seriously, turning lasagna into soup makes it feel comforting without being overwhelming. This Low Fat Lasagna Soup is my go-to solution for busy evenings. It’s ready in about 30 minutes, trust me on this—it’s a lifesaver when you need Healthy Easy Dinner Ideas on the table fast. I’m Grace Williams, and I’m excited to share this recipe that brings the best of both worlds to your bowl!
Why This Low Fat Lasagna Soup Makes Healthy Weeknight Dinners Simple
Listen, weeknights are chaos, right? We deserve that gooey, cheesy comfort food feeling without crashing afterward. This recipe is honestly the best trick I’ve found for quick meals that still feel special. It hits all those notes you want when you’re looking for Healthy Weeknight Dinners.
The best part about this Low Fat Lasagna Soup is how quickly it comes together. You put everything in one pot, and boom—dinner magic happens. We skip the heavy layering and use lean meat, keeping things light but satisfying. If you need some inspiration for faster meals overall, check out some of my other easy dinner recipes.
- It’s unbelievably fast: Total time is only 30 minutes, so it beats delivery!
- It uses lean protein like ground chicken, which keeps the fat down while still being satisfying.
- You get all the flavor of baked lasagna without hours of effort or heavy cream.
It’s a genuine win-win for busy families who want to stick to sensible eating guidelines, like keeping saturated fats lower, as the American Heart Association recommends here.
Gathering Ingredients for Your Low Fat Lasagna Soup
Now that you know how fast this comes together, let’s look at what you need! Don’t let a long grocery list scare you off; most of this stuff is probably already sitting in your pantry. When we’re keeping things light, choosing the right base ingredients really matters for the flavor and texture.
You are going to need:
- Ground chicken or turkey (1 lb). I always grab the leanest option because we’re skipping the heavy fat we usually see in lasagna.
- Olive oil (1 tbsp). Just a little bit to get things started in the pot.
- Small onion, finely diced (1). Dicing it small ensures it melts right into the broth.
- Cloves garlic, minced (3). Don’t skimp on the garlic; it’s crucial for delicious flavor!
- Chicken broth (4 cups). This is where we save calories compared to a long-simmered meat sauce!
- Crushed tomatoes (1 can, 14 oz). You want crushed, not diced, for that smooth soup texture.
- Lasagna noodles, broken into small, bite-sized pieces (1 cup). Break them by hand right over the bowl—it’s oddly therapeutic!
- Italian seasoning (1/2 tsp). Our main spice player here.
- Part-skim ricotta cheese (1/2 cup). This is strictly for topping at the end for that creamy finish.
Ingredient Notes and Substitution Tips
To really keep this soup on the lighter side, my biggest suggestion is using ground poultry. If you absolutely must use ground beef, go for 93% lean or higher. Also, check your broth! If you can find low-sodium chicken broth, that’s a huge win, as it lets you control the saltiness better. Remember, fat plays a role in flavor, but there are so many healthy fats out there, like the one in olive oil, that we love. Harvard Health has a great overview on understanding good fats, which helps when making these swaps.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Easy Dinner Recipes For Family
Okay, this is where the magic happens, and honestly, if you can follow a recipe that takes 10 minutes of chopping and 20 minutes of simmering, you can make this! This process is designed to be foolproof, which is why it’s one of my favorite easy family dinner recipes.
Let’s walk through it together so you see just how simple it is to get dinner done fast.
Browning the Meat and Aromatics
First things first, you need a good, sturdy pot. Put that on medium-high heat and let it warm up for a minute or two before you add the olive oil. My expert tip here—and this is key when you’re trying not to use too much oil—is to let the pot get hot first! When the oil shimmers just slightly, add your ground chicken or turkey. You want that meat to brown nicely, breaking it up with your spoon as it cooks. Once it’s nice and browned up, toss in your diced onion and minced garlic. Stir them into the meat mixture and sauté them for just a couple of minutes until you can really smell that garlic waking up.
Simmering the Low Fat Lasagna Soup Base
Now we layer the flavors! Pour in your four cups of chicken broth and the can of crushed tomatoes. Don’t forget to sprinkle in that Italian seasoning right now. Give everything a really good stir so those seasonings distribute evenly. Once you’ve got everything combined, toss in those broken lasagna noodle pieces. Turn the heat up until the whole thing just starts to boil—a nice, rolling boil is what we want for a minute.
Then, you immediately turn the heat down to medium-low so it’s just a gentle simmer. Cover the pot (or leave it slightly cracked) and let this cook for 15 to 18 minutes. This is the waiting game, but it’s passive waiting! This time allows those noodles to soak up all that tomato-y, savory broth and become perfectly tender.
Tips for Perfect Low Fat Lasagna Soup Texture
Getting the right texture in any soup that involves pasta is an art, especially when you’re making Low Fat Lasagna Soup. We don’t want a soupy casserole, but we also don’t want hard noodles or mushy ones, right? The key here is managing those lasagna noodles after the simmer time is done. Since they absorb liquid like crazy, they can turn this delicious soup into a dense brick if you leave it sitting too long.
My trick is serving it right away, but if you have leftovers, be prepared for the texture change. If you’re storing leftovers, leave a little extra broth in the bowl when you decide on serving sizes. You might even want to cook the noodles a minute or two less than the recipe calls for, knowing they’ll keep softening once you turn the heat off.
For a deeper dive into how pasta cooks outside of boiling water, I wrote down some general rules for cooking pasta in sauces that might help you understand the science a bit better!
Making This Low Fat Lasagna Soup a Kid Friendly Dinners Staple
I swear my kids turn their noses up at anything remotely healthy sometimes, but they absolutely devour this stuff! Trying to make something healthy that still feels like a big win for Kid Friendly Dinners is tough, but this soup passes the test every time.
When I make this Low Fat Lasagna Soup for them, I always pull out half the broth and noodles before I add the Italian seasoning. Then, I add just a pinch for the kids’ batch and let it simmer until those noodles are super soft—no one likes a chewy noodle slice!
Another trick is to serve their bowls with a tiny dollop of ricotta mixed with a splash of milk to make it super creamy up top. That little bit of extra richness usually gets them asking for seconds!
Serving Suggestions for Quick And Easy Dinner Recipes
We’ve made our incredibly easy soup, so let’s not mess up the ending by spending another hour making a complicated side dish! Since this is built to be one of those perfect Quick And Easy Dinner Recipes, the pairings have to match that low-effort vibe.
First and foremost, you have to remember that ricotta cheese we set aside. That’s your finishing touch! Spoon a generous dollop right onto the center of each bowl just before serving—it melts slightly into the hot broth and acts like a lighter, fresher stand-in for all that heavy mozzarella cheese you’d normally layer in. It truly brightens up the whole dish.
For something crunchy on the side, I keep it dead simple. Forget baking garlic bread; just grab some crusty Italian bread and toast it lightly. You can rub a cut clove of raw garlic over the toast for instant flavor—super minimal effort! If you’re feeling slightly more ambitious (but still lazy!), throw a bag of pre-washed salad mix with a store-bought vinaigrette on the table. Easy peasy!
If you ever want to use ricotta in a fun, slightly fancier way (maybe for lunch the next day?), you should seriously check out my ricotta pizza recipe. It’s surprisingly simple but looks fancy!
Storing and Reheating Your Low Fat Lasagna Soup
Okay, one tiny drawback to any soup with noodles like our Low Fat Lasagna Soup: leftovers! The lasagna pieces are going to keep soaking up that delicious tomato broth even once they are chilling in the fridge. So, if you’re prepping this for lunch the next day, be ready for a thicker consistency.
When you store leftovers, use an airtight container, but expect it to set up almost like a thick stew. When you reheat it, you’ll definitely need to stir in an extra splash or two of chicken broth or water. I usually add a bit more seasoning when I reheat, too, just to wake up those flavors!
For more tips on using up soups later in the week, check out how I handle leftovers in my stuffed pepper soup post. Keeping food fresh is important for healthy eating, as the World Health Organization always reminds us!
Frequently Asked Questions About Healthy Easy Dinner Ideas
I know when you’re trying to keep dinners light, you sometimes have questions bubbling up about adapting recipes! It’s smart to be curious about swaps, especially when looking for the best Healthy Meal Ideas for your family. Here are a few things people always ask me about making this soup work even better for their routine.
If you’re looking for more ways to streamline your healthy cooking routine in general, I have tons of ideas on meal prep snacks that keep you on track!
Can I make this recipe vegetarian?
You totally can! If you want an awesome vegetarian alternative, just skip the ground chicken/turkey entirely. Instead, start by slowly cooking those onions and garlic in the olive oil until they are really soft. Then, I suggest adding a cup of finely chopped mushrooms or even some crumbled plant-based Italian sausage substitute when you’d normally add the meat. The key is to let those veggies get some good color so they develop a deep flavor foundation before you add your broth and tomatoes. It still makes for a fantastic low-fat dinner!
What is the best way to keep this soup from being too oily?
That’s such an important question when we are focusing on Cheap Dinners For A Family, because we want to use what we have, but smartly! The absolute best thing you can do is buy the leanest ground meat available, like 98% lean turkey or chicken. If you use slightly fattier meat, the way I always tell people to handle it is to let it brown completely, and then, very carefully, tilt your pot and use a large spoon to skim off any excess grease that pools on top before you add your liquids.
Honestly, since we’re already using just a tiny amount of olive oil to start, if you stick to lean poultry, you shouldn’t have any major oil issues at all!
Final Thoughts on Making Low Fat Lasagna Soup
I’m so glad we went through this process together! Making a weeknight favorite lighter shouldn’t feel like a sacrifice, and this Low Fat Lasagna Soup proves that. It’s cozy, it’s fast, and it feeds the soul without weighing you down. I hope this becomes a staple when you need something simple and nourishing. If you’re looking for other quick healthy eats, feel free to browse my healthy and easy snack ideas!
By Grace Williams, contributor at Recipes by Betty.
Low Fat Lasagna Soup
Equipment
- Pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken or turkey
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup broken lasagna noodles
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
For Serving
- 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese for topping
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pot. Cook ground meat until browned.
- Add onion and garlic. Sauté until soft.
- Stir in broth, tomatoes, seasoning, and noodles.
- Simmer 15 to 18 minutes until noodles are tender.
- Serve with a spoon of ricotta on top.