Cheesy Lasagna Soup

With this recipe, you can have your lasagna and sip it, too. Lasagna is a staple of our dinner tables—the layered pasta casserole is a quick, easy way to feed a crowd (or a hungry family). The best part? Leftovers are practically guaranteed. Our Test Kitchen is reimagining lasagna with this recipe for Lasagna Soup, a new take on the suppertime classic.

This Lasagna Soup comes together in just 25 minutes, and you can bet we'll be making it year-round. Our Test Kitchen describes this dish as "a hearty and comforting bowl of soup, with tender beef and velvety noodles." A few tips on making this easy, one-pot Lasagna Soup: Be sure to allow the beef to drain on paper towels, which removes some of the oil and prevents a layer of fat developing on the surface of the soup. Skip the no-boil pasta for this soup—it will overcook and turn mushy. Regular lasagna noodles with wavy edges will add more texture to the dish. Stop cooking the soup when the pasta is almost al dente; it will continue cooking and absorbing liquid once off the heat.

When composing the final dish, don't skip the dollops of cold, nutmeg-spiked ricotta which melt so very slowly into the hot soup. The shredded mozzarella does the same, adding little pops of creaminess that melt in your mouth. The addition of nutmeg mimics the bechamel you'll find in a classic lasagna, and it really takes the dish over the edge, without overwhelming the flavors of the soup. Enjoy this Lasagna Soup with a slice of garlic bread and a glass of red wine.