Lasagna soup with bow tie pasta gives you all the comfort of a bubbling pan of lasagna without the layering, waiting, or knife work. The broth turns rich and tomato-forward, the sausage brings enough savoriness to carry the whole pot, and the farfalle catches little pockets of cheese in every bite. It eats like a real meal, not a thin soup pretending to be dinner.
The trick here is building the flavor in stages. Browning the sausage first gives you the base, then the tomato paste gets a full minute or two in the pot so it loses that raw edge and deepens the broth. Farfalle works nicely because it holds its shape, but it does keep soaking up liquid as it sits, so the soup needs a little extra broth at the end if you’re not serving right away.
Below, I’ve included the one part that matters most for texture, plus a few ways to adjust the bowl if you want it a little lighter, a little richer, or better for leftovers.
The pasta stayed tender without getting mushy, and the ricotta-mozzarella topping melted into the broth in the best way. I had to add a splash of broth the next day, but it tasted even better after sitting overnight.
Save this lasagna soup with bow tie pasta for nights when you want a rich, cheesy bowl without layering noodles.
The Broth Needs a Little More Backbone Than You’d Expect
Lasagna soup can turn flat fast if the tomato base never gets enough depth. The sausage needs a real brown on it, not just a gray cook-through, because that browned fond is what keeps the broth from tasting like canned tomatoes and water. Tomato paste matters here too. Let it cook with the onion and garlic long enough to darken slightly and smell sweet instead of sharp.
Bow tie pasta changes the usual lasagna soup rules. It drinks up broth as it sits, and if you add it too early, it can take the whole pot from brothy to stodgy before the first bowl is served. Cook it in the soup until just al dente, then adjust with extra broth if needed right before serving.
- Italian sausage — This is the main seasoning for the pot, so use a good-quality sausage with enough fat to brown well. Mild or hot both work; hot sausage gives the broth a little more edge without needing extra pepper.
- Tomato paste — Don’t skip the cooking time on the paste. That short sauté pulls out a deeper, rounder tomato flavor and keeps the soup from tasting raw.
- Farfalle — Bow ties hold up better than lasagna noodles in soup, but they still soak up liquid. If you expect leftovers, hold back a little broth or plan to add more when reheating.
- Ricotta and mozzarella dollop — This stands in for the cheesy layers in lasagna. Full-fat ricotta gives the creamiest spoonful, but part-skim works if that’s what you have. Stir the cheese mixture right before serving so it stays fluffy instead of stiff.
What Each Ingredient Is Actually Doing in This Recipe
- Primary ingredient (the star) — Quality matters most. Choose the best you can find.
- Cooking medium (oil, butter, or broth) — This carries flavors and prevents dryness.
- Seasonings (salt, pepper, spices, herbs) — Layer flavors so nothing overpowers. Build depth gradually.
- Aromatics (garlic, onion, herbs) — Cook with fat to bloom flavors. Become the foundation.
- Supporting ingredients — Complement the main ingredient without overpowering it.
- Sauce or liquid (if applicable) — Brings flavors together. Balance richness with acid.
- Acid (lemon, vinegar, wine, or other) — Brightens and prevents flat-tasting results.
- Final finish (garnish, glaze, or sauce) — Prevents one-dimensional taste and adds visual appeal.
Build the Pot in the Right Order So the Pasta Stays Tender
Brown the sausage first
Put the sausage in a large pot over medium-high heat and break it up as it cooks. You want actual browning on the meat, not just cooked-through crumbles, because those browned bits are what give the soup its savory backbone. Drain off excess fat if the pot looks greasy, but leave a thin coating behind for the onion and garlic.
Cook the aromatics and paste together
Add the onion and cook until it softens and turns translucent around the edges, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring often so the garlic doesn’t scorch. The paste should look darker and feel a little thicker when it’s ready; if it still smells sharply metallic, it needs another minute.
Simmer the tomato base before the pasta goes in
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, dried basil, and red pepper flakes. Bring the pot to a boil, then let it settle into an active simmer for a minute or two so the flavors start to marry before the pasta goes in. This is the point where the soup should smell rounded and savory, not thin and acidic.
Cook the farfalle just to al dente
Add the bow tie pasta and cook until it’s tender with a little bite left in the center, about 8 to 10 minutes depending on the brand. Stir often so the farfalle doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. If the soup gets thicker than you want while the pasta cooks, add a splash of broth instead of waiting until the end.
Finish with the cheese bowl on top
Mix the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, and basil in a bowl until just combined. Ladle the soup into bowls and add a generous spoonful on top so it softens into the hot broth without disappearing completely. Salt and pepper should go in at the end, after the cheese, because the parmesan adds salt of its own.
How to Adapt This Bowl When You Need a Different Finish
Make it dairy-free
Skip the ricotta-mozzarella topping and serve the soup with a drizzle of good olive oil and extra basil instead. You’ll lose the creamy lasagna-style finish, but the broth and sausage still carry plenty of body.
Use gluten-free pasta
Swap in a sturdy gluten-free short pasta and watch the cooking time closely, because many GF pastas go from firm to soft quickly. Add broth as needed, since some gluten-free shapes break down faster and thicken the soup more than wheat pasta does.
Make it lighter without losing the heart of it
Use turkey Italian sausage and part-skim ricotta to cut some richness while keeping the same overall structure. The broth will taste a little leaner, so don’t skimp on the tomato paste or the final seasoning.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store for up to 4 days. The pasta will keep absorbing broth, so expect a thicker soup the next day.
- Freezer: Freeze the soup without the pasta if you can. Pasta turns soft after thawing, so cook fresh farfalle for the best texture if you plan ahead.
- Reheating: Warm gently on the stove over medium-low heat with a splash of broth or water. Don’t boil it hard or the pasta can turn mushy and the dairy topping can lose its creamy texture.
Questions I Get Asked About This Recipe
Lasagna Soup With Bow Tie Pasta
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Brown Italian sausage in a large pot over medium-high heat, then drain the fat.
- Leave the browned sausage in the pot so it can pick up flavor from the sautéed aromatics.
- Sauté onion for 3 minutes until softened.
- Add garlic and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring until fragrant.
- Add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, dried basil, and red pepper flakes, then bring to a boil.
- Add bow tie pasta and cook 8-10 minutes until al dente.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix ricotta, shredded mozzarella, parmesan, and fresh basil together until evenly combined.
- Serve soup in bowls and top each with a generous spoonful of the cheese dollop.
- If the soup thickens too much, stir in extra broth since bow tie pasta absorbs more liquid than lasagna noodles.
