This filling one pot lasagna soup recipe is an easy dinner that is loved by young and old. With all the flavours of classic lasagna: minced beef, pasta, and cheese, this budget friendly family dinner is sure to be one that is asked for again and again!
My family love beef mince recipes: from 15 minute hoisin beef noodles, to versatile savoury mince and super budget friendly Mexican beef mince. This beef soup takes inspiration from my one pot sausage pasta which is so easy with just one pan – less washing up! – and, knowing how much my son loves soup, I thought serving a beef mince soup would make an easy budget family dinner.
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Why we love this recipe
- Budget friendly beef mince recipe. By making a soup you only need 250g / 9oz beef mince to serve 4 people.
- You can use this beef mince soup base for using up leftovers, from leftover pasta to leftover cooked veggies or whatever needs using up in the fridge – mushrooms, capsicum / peppers, tomatoes.
- Family friendly – this minced beef soup is loved by young and old, making it a great midweek meal for busy nights.
- Easy recipe – one the table in under 45 minutes, this one pot meal takes less than 15 minutes to prepare.
- Cooking the pasta in the soup allows it to absorb all those delicious lasagna flavours.
Ingredients notes and substitutions
Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient quantities.
- Minced beef – ground beef. If you find it easier or cheaper to buy 500g packs of beef mince, you can freeze the other half for later, or use it to make beef noodles (the recipe serves 2-3 people).
- Onion – brown onion.
- Stock – beef or vegetable stock.
- Carrots – this budget friendly vegetable adds sweetness and increases the vegetables in the soup. You can use zucchini / courgette if you prefer, or a chopped pepper / capsicum.
- Tomatoes – tinned / canned tomatoes, crushed or use plum tomatoes and break up with a spoon. If you want a smoother soup use a stick blender to blend them before adding to the mince.
- Fettuccine – I haven’t used lasagna noodles in this recipe for 2 reasons: 1. They don’t break as easily as spaghetti or fettuccine, and 2. They are more expensive than regular dried pastas. However if you want to use lasagne sheets then break into rough pieces
- Cheese – grated tasty cheese or cheddar cheese. If you want to add grated fresh parmesan that would be delicious too.
How to make this minced beef soup
(For full, detailed recipe and instructions, please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post.)
- Cook the diced onion in the oil over a medium heat with the lid on, stirring occasionally, until soft.
- Turn the heat up and add the beef mince. Break the mince up with a spoon.
- Cook until the mince has browned, stirring occasionally. This should take around 3 minutes.
- Add the grated carrots, crushed garlic and tomato purée and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the stock / water, tinned crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, dried oregano, black pepper, and salt. Bring to to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer with the lid on until the soup thickens.
- Break the pasta in to quarters and add to the soup. Cook until the pasta is tender.
FAQ
Do you brown mince before boiling?
Searing – or browning – the beef mince before boiling in the liquid adds flavour to the soup. Whilst not absolutely necessary, I recommend you brown the mince to get the most flavour into your soup.
Do you cook pasta before adding to soup?
No you don’t need to cook pasta before adding to the soup, just make sure you don’t overcook the pasta. The best way to avoid this is to wait until the soup is just about cooked and then add the pasta.
Can I use leftover pasta in lasagna soup?
Yes! This is a great recipe for leftover spaghetti or other cooked pasta. Add to the soup 5 minutes before the soup is cooked and reduce the amount of liquid used to make the soup by 240-480ml / 1-2 cups.
My recipe tips
- Stir the soup occasionally when you have added the pasta to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- If you want to batch cook this soup and serve later, you will need to thin it with more stock on reheating as the soup thickens in the fridge or freezer as the pasta absorbs the liquid.
Serving Ideas
- This soup is a meal in itself, however if you have larger appetites or want to stretch the soup out to feed more people then air fryer garlic bread is a quick and easy side or sprinkle over a handful of homemade croutons or Pangrattato, Italian breadcrumbs (both are great recipes to use up stale bread!)
Make Ahead / Storage
Make Ahead Option: You can make the broth / minced beef part of the soup and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months, then bring to a boil, add the broken pasta and simmer for 15-18 minutes until the paste is cooked.
Fridge: Keep in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days. You will need to add a little more water or stock when reheating as the soup will thicken in the fridge.
Freezer: Freeze for up to 2 months.
Variations
- Dairy free lasagna soup – simple leave out the sprinkling of cheese when serving or use your favourite dairy free cheese.
- Lentils – a tin of cooked brown lentils is a great option if you want to make this into a vegetarian lasagna soup. Or add lentils if wanting to bulk the soup out or use less minced beef.
- Vegetables – I have used budget friendly carrots with the tinned / canned tomatoes, but feel free to add whatever veggie you have to hand, adding ones like chopped capsicum / pepper, zucchini / courgette, mushrooms with the carrot to soften. Others, liked tinned sweetcorn can or frozen spinach be added in the last 5 minutes to heat them through.
- Other pasta – if you don’t have fettucini or other long pasta, use whatever shapes you have in the kitchen – penne, bows, macaroni, they all take around the same time to cook as fettuccine.
- Gluten free – use gluten free pasta and check your stock, if using bought stock, doesn’t contain gluten.
- Creamy lasagna soup – if you want to have a creamier soup, stir though a spoonful of cream cheese just before serving (this is also a great way to use up leftover cream cheese!)
More kid friendly budget dinners
Lasagna Soup
Author: Robyn
This easy lasagna soup recipe with minced beef and pasta is a budget dinner recipe the whole family love, and it's made in one pot!
Equipment
- 1 Large saucepan with lid
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil – or neutral oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 250g (9 oz) beef mince
- 2 carrots, grated
- 2 Cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 Tablespoon tomato puree / tomato paste
- 1.25 litres (5 c) Stock – vegetable or beef.
- 400g (14 oz) Tin of crushed tomatoes
- Splash Worcestershire sauce
- ½ Teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ Teaspoon black pepper
- 150g (5 oz) fettuccini, broken
- 50g (1-2 oz) parmesan cheese / cheddar cheese, grated
- Pinch salt, optional – depends on how salty your stock is
Instructions
- Cook the onion in the oil for 5 minutes on a moderate heat with the lid on, stirring occasionally.
- Turn the heat up and add the beef mince and cook until the mince has browned, breaking it up with a spoon. This should take around 3 minutes.
- Add the grated carrots, crushed garlic and tomato purée and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the stock / water, tinned crushed tomatoes, and add the Worcestershire sauce, dried oregano, and black pepper. Bring to the boil.
- Turn the heat down and simmer with the lid on until the soup has thickened, around 10 minutes.
- Break the pasta in to quarters and add this to the soup. Cook for 15-18 minutes until the pasta is tender.
- Check for seasoning, adding a little salt or more black pepper if needed.
- Serve sprinkled with grated parmesan / cheese
Video
Notes
Minced beef – ground beef. If you find it easier or cheaper to buy 500g packs of beef mince, you can freeze the other half for later, or use it to make beef noodles (the recipe serves 2-3 people).
Onion – brown onion.
Stock – beef or vegetable stock. Or use 1 litre of stock and 250ml water. Use more if going to be reheating the soup as it thickens.
Carrots – this budget friendly vegetable adds sweetness and increases the vegetables in the soup. You can use zucchini / courgette if you prefer, or a chopped pepper / capsicum.
Tomatoes – tinned / canned tomatoes, crushed or use plum tomatoes and break up with a spoon. If you want a smoother soup use a stick blender to blend them before adding to the mince.
Fettuccine – I haven’t used lasagna noodles in this recipe for 2 reasons: 1. They don’t break as easily as spaghetti or fettuccine, and 2. They are more expensive than regular dried pastas. However if you want to use lasagne sheets then break into rough pieces
Cheese – grated tasty cheese or cheddar cheese. If you want to add grated fresh parmesan that would be delicious too.
Salt – I haven’t added any salt to the dish as it is cooking as I find many bought stocks are salty. It’s better to check just before serving and add any salt then, if needed.
Stir the soup occasionally when you have added the pasta to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
If you want to batch cook this soup and serve later, you will need to thin it with more stock on reheating as the soup thickens in the fridge or freezer as the pasta absorbs the liquid.
Nutrition
Calories: 387kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 24gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 1528mgPotassium: 777mgFiber: 5gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 6146IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 165mgIron: 4mg
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