Easy Lasagna Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to thicken up soupy lasagna? ›

You can use tin foil for a portion of the baking process, but baking the dish uncovered for at least 70% of the cooking time will help thicken the lasagna. It's also important to let the lasagna cool for at least 20 minutes, allowing for excess water to evaporate and residual oils to coagulate and solidify.

Yes, you can absolutely boil your lasagna noodles – even the oven-ready type. I prefer to par-boil (partially boil) oven-ready dried noodles for lasagna for 3-5 minutes before they become “al dente”. Al dente is an Italian term that literally means 'to the tooth'.

While the exact origin of lasagna soup is unclear, it is believed to have originated in the United States, likely as a creative adaptation of the popular pasta dish. Italy, known for its love of pasta, specifically lasagna, inspired the creation of lasagna soup.

Several factors can contribute to a lasagna recipe turning out excessively wet. These include noodles that haven't been dried enough, watery vegetables or sloppy meat sauce, and the often-overlooked culprit — ricotta cheese.

Cornstarch is cheap and widely available at most grocery stores with the flours and baking products. To use cornstarch as a thickening agent for lasagna sauce, add it in a slurry to the sauce as it simmers. A slurry consists of equal parts cornstarch and cold liquid.

As mentioned before, no-boil sheets don't require pre-cooking, but since they are still a form of dried pasta, they need lots of liquid to avoid drying out.

The primary differences I found between American lasagne and Italian lasagne were: The use of a layer or two of white bechamel (“"besciamella”) sauce imparts a nice creaminess to the lasagne in Italy. The pasta sheets seemed thinner and “fresher” in Italian pasta, very tender and with a “"melt in your mouth” texture.

Origins and history

Lasagna originated in Italy during the Middle Ages.

lasagna, pasta dish of Italian origin, made with broad often ruffled noodles and a tomato or white sauce. Lasagna, in the singular, is a southern Italian variation of what northern Italians call lasagne, in the plural.

What not to do when making lasagna? ›

Milk. It tenderises the meat, to leave you with the most tender ragù.

Have you noticed if you cut your lasagne as soon as it comes out of the oven, it can be sloppy, falls apart easily and the sauce runs to the bottom of the dish? When you have it the next day, the sauce has had time to firm up and create an even richer tomato taste,” she says.

The best way is to keep your ingredients dry. Cook your pasta sauce long enough to boil out most of the moisture so the sauce is thick.

Just like steak, you need to allow the lasagna to rest before slicing into it. Resting or letting it cool for a good 10 to 15 minutes at least allows the heat to dissipate, the ingredients to settle from its bubbling state in the oven, and firms up the cheese that you added on top.

Place ricotta in cheese cloth, cover with seran wrap, and place in fridge to drain overnight. The next morning your ricotta will have much less liquid, restoring it to the right consistency.