This White Lasagna Soup is your favorite pasta bake in soup form! It’s rich, creamy, and packed with tender chicken, pasta, spinach, sundried tomatoes, and topped with three kinds of cheese!
If you love Italian-inspired soups like this one, be sure to check out my Lasagna Soup Recipe, Chicken Tortellini Soup, and Italian Sausage Soup!
If you love a pan of cheesy White Chicken Lasagna but do not love all the layering, this White Lasagna Soup is such a fun shortcut. You still get creamy broth, tender chicken, pasta, and all the cheese, just in a big cozy bowl instead of a baking dish.
The chicken breast simmers right in a garlicky, Italian-seasoned broth with sun-dried tomatoes, then we stir in pasta, spinach, and a quick half-and-half slurry to make it velvety.
Every bowl gets a scoop of ricotta plus Parmesan and mozzarella on top, so it really does feel like lasagna, just with a spoon.
Serve it with crusty No Knead Bread on the side and let everyone build their own cheesy bowl!
What people are saying
“I’ve made this just as the recipe states for several dinners with family and friends. Everyone always loves this and asks for the recipe!! I serve with sourdough and irish butter. Thank you for sharing!!” Taly
Ingredients for this creamy White Lasagna Soup:
- Onion and garlic: You can swap with onion powder and garlic powder, but fresh always has the best flavor!
- Chicken broth: I always use low-sodium chicken broth. Regular chicken broth will work, but you may want to lessen the amount of salt you add with the other seasonings.
- Chicken breast: You can also add leftover Shredded Chicken or Crockpot Shredded Chicken and stir it in at the end if you have some on hand!
- Pasta: Any small pasta shape will work, but I used Mafalda Corta, which are like fun mini lasagna noodles! However, you can use other small pasta shapes like rotini, fusilli, bow-tie, or even regular lasagna noodles broken into smaller pieces!
- Half-and-half or cream: The higher the fat content of the cream you use, the richer the soup will be!
- Spinach: I use fresh spinach, so it cooks super quickly. Frozen spinach will work, but you may want to add it a little earlier so it has time to warm through. You can also thaw and squeeze out before adding.
- Ricotta, Parmesan, shredded mozzarella: If you are missing one, just use what you have! Ricotta gives it more of a lasagna vibe but the soup is still delicious with only mozzarella and Parmesan.
How to make White Lasagna Chicken Soup:
This White Lasagna Soup takes just 10 minutes to prep and is ready in 40 minutes! Don’t forget to check the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
- Cook onions in butter and add herbs and seasonings.
- Add the broth, then the uncooked chicken breasts.
- Cook and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it with two forks.
- Cook the pasta in a separate pot.
- Add the shredded chicken, cooked pasta, cream, and spinach to the soup.
How do you store leftover Lasagna Chicken Soup?
Leftover soup will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To reheat, warm in the microwave or heat on low on the stove until heated through. I recommend storing the pasta and the soup separately so the noodles don’t get soggy!
Can you freeze White Lasagna Soup?
You can, but you should do so before you add the pasta and cream.
To freeze this soup, assemble the soup up until the chicken is cooked. Remove and shred the chicken and add it back in with the spinach (you can also reserve this until serving if you prefer).
Instead of adding the pasta and cream/cornstarch slurry, let the soup cool to room temperature, then store it in an airtight container in the freezer for 2-3 months. When you’re ready to serve, thaw overnight in the fridge, warm on the stove, then add in the cream slurry and freshly cooked pasta.
Serving suggestions:
Once the pasta is added, this soup is best served right away! I love to serve it with a side of homemade bread like Garlic Bread, Breadsticks, or Garlic Herb Dinner Rolls.
You can also round the meal out with a simple salad or a scoop of Roasted Vegetables.
White Lasagna Soup
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, (finely chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic, (finely minced)
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts , (about 1 lb)
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, (chopped)
- 2 cups dry, short pasta or broken lasagna noodles
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup fresh spinach, (roughly chopped)
- Ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, and shredded mozzarella cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring, until just starting to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the broth. Add the uncooked chicken and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (a meat thermometer inserted into the chicken reaches 165°F).
- Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- Remove the chicken from the soup and shred with two forks.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the half-and-half and cornstarch. Stir into the soup and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Stir the shredded chicken, cooked pasta, and spinach into the pot and heat through.
- Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Serve with cheese, as desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Tag @thereciperebelVariations and Substitutions
- Add more veggies. Boost the nutrition of this soup by cooking more veggies with the onion. Try chopped carrots, celery, red pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, etc.
- Make it gluten-free. Swap the regular noodles for gluten-free noodles to make this soup a gluten-free meal. Be sure to verify that all of the other ingredients you’re using are certified gluten-free as well.
- Make it vegetarian. You don’t need the chicken for this White Lasagna Soup to be absolutely delicious! Make a vegetarian version by omitting the chicken and using veggie broth instead of chicken broth!
- Use another meat. This soup works great with turkey as well! If you want to add other types of meat with the chicken, toss in a handful of cooked and cubed ham or crumbled bacon.
- Add heat. If you love spice, use more red pepper flakes or add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper!
Sherrille Gooch says
Delicious flavor for our first cold weather day! Warning: do not add the uncooked pasta without doubling the liquid. Next time, I’ll follow the directions. 😁
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks for the feedback Sherrille!
Melissa says
I made a dairy free version of this mixing in a couple tablespoons of d.f. cream cheese, 1/3 c. d.f. parmesan, 1/3 c. d.f. mozzarella shreds & a tsp of nutritional yeast when I mixed the shredded chicken and spinach in. I also used a can of full fat coconut milk instead of the cream. It was very good! I even had seconds…..which doesn’t happen often!
The Recipe Rebel says
So happy to hear! Thanks Melissa!
Melissa says
Haven’t tried the recipe yet, but wondering if you’ve ever tested out freezing leftovers. I’m thinking because it’s a creaky soup it might not be as good after feeezing.
Lynette Roth says
I made this today. I followed the first part in a skillet but put it in a skillet after the vegetables were softened. I cooked in a crockpot for 3 hours to cook the chicken in the broth then put it on warm until we were close to ready to eat. Then I added the spinach 3 crisp bacon slices crumbled, heavy cream, Munster and parmesan. Since I follow keto, I did not add pasta nor cornstarch. It was so good. My husband equated it to the gnocchi soup at Olive Garden (without the gnocchi). I will make this again. Thank you.
The Recipe Rebel says
So glad it worked out for you Lynette!
Debbi says
This was a hit with my family! No leftovers. Will add it to my rotation.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Debbi! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Sky says
Hi, I want to make this for my family tomorrow. Would the flavor be lacking without the sun dried tomatoes? I have everything except for those and I’m not a huge fan anyways. Thanks!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Sky! It’s optional so it would be okay to leave them out.
Kristen says
I tried this recipe as written yet doubled it for my large family and used Radiatore pasta because we couldn’t find the mentioned pasta.
Delicious!
Next time I would make a minor change to omit the cornstarch. It made it too thick for our liking but everything else was wonderful. This soup is not lacking flavor! I also appreciate the measurment for salt because I am a terrible judge of salt needed and hate when recipes just say “salt to taste”.
Thank you for this yummy soup recipe!
Kristen says
I didnt meant to give it 4 stars! I can’t figure out how to change it. Sorry!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Kristen! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the feedback!
Tracee says
Hello. Can you use heavy cream instead of half n half?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Tracee! That shouldn’t be a problem! Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
JJP says
Any non-dairy “cream” to make it non dairy? What do you think about oat or almond milk with cornstarch? I know it would not be as creamy…
Lindsay says
JJP, I recently discovered Country Crock makes a dairy free cream! Amazing!! I’ve been using it as a substitute in all recipes that call for cream or half and half! You won’t regret it! We have a son that has to be dairy free/gluten free/and egg free so having companies make products that are allergen friendly is a plus!
The Recipe Rebel says
Yes! I’ve seen this too!
The Recipe Rebel says
You can find something plant based maybe! Or look for the dairy free cream!
Pam says
Can I make this in the crock pot? and how would I cook it in the crock pot!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Pam! You probably could, I just haven’t tested it out myself. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Denise says
Can you substitute cream cheese for ricotta cheese? I absolutely hate Ricotta and would like to substitute with something else. Thank you!
The Recipe Rebel says
That might work Denise! If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Ginger says
May I inquire as to why you wouldn’t cook the pasta in the soup?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Ginger, this is just the way I tested the recipe. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Michelle says
I never cook pasta in the soup because it gets mushy when reheating leftovers.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Michelle! I don’t have that problem when reheating this soup. Hope you give it a try!
Melanie says
Would any cook time be changed of thighs were used instead? I almost always have thighs on hand.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Melanie, I’ve only tested the recipe with chicken breast, but because thighs will cook quicker, I’d start checking the internal temperature at around 8 minutes. Hope you enjoy it!
Kim says
Can you tell me where you bought the Mafalda Corta pasta? Thanks looking forward to making this recipe.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Kim! I bought it from my local grocery store, but I’m in Canada.
Jo-Anne says
Made this delicious soup for dinner tonight! Absolute hit! Took your suggestion on adding additional vegetables (carrots and celery). I also swapped out the spinach for kale. The soup was so hearty and satisfying. Definitely will make again!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jo-Anne! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Helen K Shipley says
haven’t made yet but I agree with subbing to kale, much heartier. spinach gets kind of slimy. and oh my goodness I love this recipe.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hope you enjoy it Helen!
Pat Boxleitner says
This is one of the best soup recipes that I have tried. I thought it was perfect.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Pat! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Anne says
I just made this recipe and my family enjoyed it. Thanks for an easy and tasty recipe that I will definitely make again!
Ian says
Hello Ashley,
This is one of the most beautiful (visually) and addictive recipes that you’ve created. I served it as a main meal and now I have some fans! I can’t thank you enough! I included the French bread pizza as a starter; these two recipes seem to be a perfect complement to each other. Also thank you for the reminder, I did overlook these little treasures.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Ian! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Cheryl Johnson says
Would you be so kind as to include instant pot directions for this dish ? I think it will easily convert.
Thank You
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Cheryl! I’ve only tested this recipe as written, so I don’t have an instant pot version. I do have a white chicken chili for the instant pot that you might enjoy: https://www.thereciperebel.com/instant-pot-white-chicken-chili/
Barbara Lochmondy says
I’m with Cheryl. I’d love to have an instant pot recipe for this for this soup. I’m still not 100% comfortable converting my own recipes yet. Your white chicken lasagna with ham & spinach is a HUGE hit with my family. My 8 year old grandson proclaimed it “the best dinner he’s ever had, even better than breakfast for dinner!” and requested I make it whenever they (he, his brother, and parents) visit. I’m sure the soup will be a hit too.
Thanks.
Barbie
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Barbara! So glad you are enjoying all of the recipes!
Stanley Szczsponik says
How much shredded to replace the 2 breasts? ???cups
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Stanley! I haven’t measured it out myself but doing a quick Google search you are looking at 2-3 cups of shredded chicken, but I can’t say for sure.