Description
This creamy and comforting White Lasagna Soup with Chicken combines tender chicken breasts, sautéed vegetables, cream cheese, and Parmesan to create a cozy soup that captures all the flavors of classic white lasagna. Perfect for a warm meal, it includes spinach for added greens and broken lasagna noodles for satisfying heartiness.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Base
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 2 medium carrots (peeled and diced)
- 1 cup celery stalks (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 2 medium chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
Dairy and Cheese
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 oz cream cheese (softened)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
Greens and Pasta
- 3 oz baby spinach
- 6 oz lasagna noodles (broken)
Instructions
- Sauté Vegetables: In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add diced onion, peeled and diced carrots, and chopped celery. Sauté for about 4 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant.
- Season and Thicken: Sprinkle in Italian seasoning, dried basil, salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg. Whisk in the all-purpose flour until fully combined with the vegetables.
- Add Liquids and Chicken: Pour in chicken broth and water, stirring well. Bring to a boil, then add the boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for 15 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Shred Chicken: Remove the cooked chicken breasts from the pot and allow to cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces using forks or your hands.
- Cook Pasta: In a separate pot, cook the broken lasagna noodles according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Finish Soup Base: Return soup base to a simmer. Stir in whole milk and softened cream cheese. Cook while stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until the cream cheese melts completely into the soup.
- Add Cheese, Greens, and Chicken: Mix in grated Parmesan cheese, baby spinach, and shredded chicken. Cook for an additional 3 minutes until the cheese melts, the spinach wilts slightly, and the chicken is reheated through. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve: Remove soup from heat. Ladle soup into bowls and add cooked lasagna noodles just before serving to retain their texture. Garnish with fresh herbs and extra shaved Parmesan if desired. Enjoy your comforting white lasagna soup with chicken!
Notes
- For a green variation, substitute baby spinach with kale if preferred.
- Add extra lasagna noodles if you desire a pasta-heavier soup; simply cook a few more noodles and add to each bowl accordingly.
- Use whole milk for creaminess, but 2% milk can be used for a lighter version, though soup will be less rich.
- Shredding the chicken finely helps distribute the protein evenly throughout the soup.
- Serve immediately after adding noodles to prevent them from becoming overly soft or mushy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 417 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 1309 mg
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 96 mg
