Comfort is the name of the game with this creamy vegan lasagna soup! The rich, savory and tomato-y broth is perfect for soaking up with crusty bread. Tender, wide lasagna noodles mingle with browned bits of veggie sausage and some extra vegetables for good measure. This is a nice recipe to make on a Sunday afternoon for a cozy supper. I have a few tips and tricks for making the most of your leftovers/making it ahead in the recipe itself.
Most lasagna soup recipes feature a dollop of ricotta cheese mixture spooned on top of individual servings at the end. When I was testing this recipe, I did think about making a vegan ricotta mixture with cashews and tofu, but honestly? It felt like a lot of extra effort for what I was suspecting to be a “meh” result.
It seems like the end goal with the ricotta is to stir it into the bowl of soup for a creamy, savory and rich consistency. I knew that a whole food, plant-based alternative would not melt in/perform the same! A different strategy was needed. A miso and spice-spiked cashew cream stirred into the entire pot of soup at the end of simmering gets the job done. This move keeps our veggie lasagna soup vegan, makes it plenty rich, and is a touch more streamlined in my opinion.
I couldn’t resist adding kale and zucchini to this soup along with the fragrant base vegetables. One thing about me? I will always add more vegetables to a recipe. My traditional vegan lasagna takes the same veggie-filled angle. The more the merrier!
If you can find it, Mafalda Corta cut pasta is amazing in this vegan lasagna soup. Essentially tiny lasagna noodles. Broken up regular ones have that charm though. I’ve even made this with the oven-ready ones and it worked great.
Creamy Vegan Lasagna Soup with Veggie Sausage & Kale
Ingredients
Savory Cashew Cream
- ⅓ cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons light miso
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, small dice
- 1 medium carrot, small dice
- 1 stick celery, small dice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- pinch red pepper flakes/chili, optional
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 links (358 grams) veggie sausage, chopped into small pieces (see note)
- 1 medium zucchini, small dice
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 4-5 cups vegetable stock (low/no sodium preferred)
- 170 grams (6 oz) lasagna noodles, broken up
- 2 cups chopped kale
- salt and pepper, to taste (see note)
- chopped fresh basil, for garnish
Equipment
- Blender
Notes
- As the soup sits, the lasagna noodles will just keep absorbing liquid! If you’re making this ahead, boil them separately and toss with a bit of olive oil after draining. Store them separately and heat up with the soup as you need.
- With the miso, and depending on your veggie sausages/marinara, you’ll likely need very little additional salt. I recommend tasting the soup at the very end and going from there.
- I used Field Roast’s Italian Garlic & Fennel veggie sausages in these photos. A “looser,” more meaty-textured veggie sausage is phenomenal in this–Beyond Meat’s Italian links come to mind.
Instructions
Make the savory cashew cream
- Drain the cashews and transfer to an upright blender. To the blender, add the water, miso, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and onion powder. Blend on high until completely smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Make the soup
- Set a large, heavy-bottomed pot (like a Dutch oven) on the stove and set the heat to medium. Once hot, pour in the olive oil.
- Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté until very soft and translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Lower the heat if vegetables are browning too fast.
- Add the garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), and oregano. Stir for about 30 seconds.
- Add the sausage and sauté until starting to brown a tiny bit on the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and sauté another full minute.
- Add the tomato paste and stir, cooking out the raw flavor for a full minute.
- Add the marinara sauce and vegetable stock, starting with 4 cups. Stir. Place a lid on top and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the lasagna noodles. Lower the heat slightly and set a lid on top slightly askew. Pop in to stir the soup here and there. The lasagna noodles should take about 12 minutes to cook.
- Once lasagna noodles are tender, add the savory cashew cream and the chopped kale. Bring the soup back up to a boil and stir until kale is wilted. At this point, add more vegetable stock if you want a looser consistency. Check the soup for seasoning and add salt and pepper at this point if you like.
- Serve the soup hot with chopped fresh basil.
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