Whole30 Lasagna Soup
Posted: 01/03/22
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This creamy lasagna soup is hearty, packed with flavor, and Whole30 and paleo! With cashew cream, easy homemade Italian sausage, and zucchini “noodles,” this is one of my family’s favorite Italian soups.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- Whole30 lasagna soup takes all the tasty flavors you love in a traditional lasagna, and turns it into a dairy free, gluten free, pasta free, Whole30-compliant soup that’s perfect for cool days. You can’t beat that!
- It’s such an easy recipe to throw together at the last minute, which is great if your weekdays are typically pretty busy (to put it nicely). Plus, since it’s a one-pot meal, the clean-up is a breeze!
- As good as this soup is fresh (and believe me, it’s REALLY GOOD fresh) – it might be even better as leftovers. Let any leftover soup cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it up to 5 days. I would store the sliced zucchini separately from the soup then add it when you’re ready to eat. If you want a freezer meal, the same rules apply – but you can freeze the soup up to 3 months!
Key Ingredients
Zucchini – Noodles are a no-go on Whole30 (a moment of silence, please). So how do you make a Whole30 lasagna soup without noodles? Easy! Zucchini! Long, super thin strips of zucchini mimic traditional lasagna sheets, plus they give you an extra helping of veggies.
Cashews – Traditional lasagna includes layers of ricotta, buuuuttttt that’s not Whole30, either. Instead, we’ll get that delicious creaminess from a simple but delicious homemade cashew cream. And no need to soak the cashews in advance if you’re using a high-speed blender!
Chef’s Tips
- For added nutrients, replace the low-sodium chicken broth with a bone broth like my Instant Pot bone broth. Since it’s made from bones, it’s packed full of incredible vitamins and nutrients that your body will love.
- Ground chicken or ground turkey can be used in place of the ground beef. You can also use zucchini noodles instead of long slices of zucchini if you prefer them!
- Be extra sure that your ingredients (especially the tomato products) don’t include any added sugars or other non-Whole30 additives! If you need a refresher on the rules, I’ve got a super convenient reference article here.
More Delicious Whole30 Recipes
- Creamy Whole30 Bacon Mushroom Chicken Thighs with Thyme (Paleo)
- Whole30 Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla-Less Soup (Paleo)
- Whole30 Chicken Burrito Bowls (Keto, Paleo)
- Brussels Sprouts Salad (Whole30, Paleo)
- Whole30 Fried Chicken and Mashed Potato Bowl with Gravy
- Egg Roll in a Bowl Meal Prep (Whole30, Paleo, Keto)
Whole30 Lasagna Soup
This creamy lasagna soup is hearty, packed with flavor, and Whole30 and paleo! With cashew cream, easy homemade Italian sausage, and zucchini "noodles," this is one of my family's favorite Italian soups.
servings
Ingredients
For the Italian Sausage
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
For the Soup
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus more for serving
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 3-4 tablespoons tomato paste 3 for mild flavor, 4 for richer flavor
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 15-ounce can crushed or diced tomatoes
- 1-1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 large zucchini ends trimmed, sliced very thin with knife or vegetable peeler
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil plus thinly sliced leaves for serving
Equipment
- Large pot
- Medium bowl
- high-speed blender
Instructions
- Place large pot over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, and dried oregano to pot. Stir well and crumble ground beef, stirring periodically until ground beef is cooked through. Transfer cooked ground beef to medium bowl and set aside.
- Return pot to heat. Add oil and reduce heat to medium. Add onion and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add garlic and cook 30 to 60 seconds or until garlic is fragrant, stirring frequently.
- Return ground beef to pot and add tomato paste. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until edges bubble and tomato paste has darkened.
- Pour in chicken broth and stir, then add salt and tomatoes. Bring mixture to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
- While mixture simmers, make cashew cream by adding cashews and water to high-speed blender and blending on high speed until completely smooth. After mixture has simmered 10 minutes, pour cashew cream into pot and heat through, approximately 2 minutes.
- Divide slices of zucchini evenly between serving bowls. Stir chopped basil into soup, then portion soup evenly between serving bowls. Drizzle olive oil on top of soup and garnish with additional basil, if desired. Serve warm.
Notes
- Tomato Products: Be sure both the tomato paste and the crushed or diced tomatoes do not contain any added sugars or sugar substitutes.
- Make it Keto: Replace the 1 cup cashews and 1 cup hot water with 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half. Note that this substitution would not be Whole30-compliant. For a keto & Whole30 option, you can try coconut milk instead of the homemade cashew cream.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 362kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 51mg, Sodium: 740mg, Potassium: 715mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 344IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 69mg, Iron: 5mg, Net Carbs: 16g
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Wow!!! This was a winner!!! Soooo good. Thanks for the great recipe. We’ll enjoy it over and over.
Thank you so much for the review! So happy you enjoyed the soup. 🙂
This soup was amazing. I shared it with a number of family members and friends. I was amazed at the thick liquid created from blended the cashews and water. I will be making this again.
Thrilled to hear this! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
This was SO GOOD. I forgot basil and added spinach but WOW.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Love this recipe. It turned out fantastic. I’m not paleo or whole 30 but I am gluten and dairy intolerant. I used a coconut/almond blend milk but it did have a coconut-y flavor. I didn’t mind it but will try cashew milk next time. I also added chick pea pasta. It was delicious. I will be adding this recipe to my rotation.
Yum! So glad you enjoyed it. 🙂