Lasagna Soup

A low FODMAP lasagna soup of ground beef, crushed tomatoes, broth, oregano, basil, and broken gluten-free lasagna noodles, topped with lactose-free ricotta and mozzarella.

Prep 15 min

Cook 40 min

Serves 6

Gluten-free

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon garlic-infused olive oil
• Green tops of 4 scallions (spring onions), sliced (green part only)
• 1 lb (450 g) lean ground beef (or plain ground pork; see tips before using sausage)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can (14.5 oz / 400 g) crushed or diced tomatoes (split across 6 bowls, this keeps each serving to about 1/3 cup, under the roughly 92 g tested serve)
• 6 cups (1.4 L) low FODMAP beef broth or low-FODMAP chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 6 oz (170 g) gluten-free lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces (rice or corn based)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (optional)

For the cheese topping:

• 1/2 cup (120 g) lactose-free ricotta (or regular ricotta capped at about 2 tablespoons per bowl)
• 1/2 cup (60 g) shredded mozzarella (about 10 g per serving)
• 1/4 cup (25 g) grated parmesan

Instructions

Brown the meat and aromatics

1. Warm the garlic-infused oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the scallion green tops and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
2. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until browned and no longer pink. If you check with a thermometer, cook ground meat to 160 F (71 C).
3. Stir in the tomato paste, oregano, dried basil, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute to toast the herbs.

Simmer the soup

1. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to lift any browned bits.
2. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower to a simmer. Season with the salt and black pepper.
3. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes so the flavors combine.

Cook the noodles and finish

1. Add the broken lasagna noodles to the simmering soup. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or per the package directions, until tender. Stir now and then so they do not stick.
2. While the noodles cook, stir together the ricotta and half of the parmesan in a small bowl.
3. Taste the soup and adjust the salt. Ladle into bowls, add a dollop of the ricotta mixture, and top with the mozzarella, remaining parmesan, and fresh basil.

Tips & Substitutions

• Choose the right sausage. Most Italian sausage contains onion and garlic. Swap in plain ground pork seasoned with fennel, oregano, and a pinch of salt, or use a brand you have confirmed is free of onion and garlic.
• Pick corn or rice noodles. Some gluten-free pastas are made from lentil or chickpea flour, which are higher in FODMAPs. Check that your lasagna noodles are rice or corn based.
• Cap the tomato. Canned tomatoes are low in FODMAPs in modest amounts and build up fructose in larger servings. One 400 g can across six bowls keeps each portion within the tested serve.
• Keep dairy in check. Parmesan and mozzarella are naturally low in lactose. If you use regular ricotta, limit it to about 2 tablespoons per bowl, or use lactose-free ricotta for a more generous dollop.
• Make your own broth. Most boxed broths list onion and garlic. Use a homemade or certified low FODMAP broth so the broth does not add onion or garlic.
• Add greens. A handful of chopped spinach or the green tops of a leek stirred in at the end adds color without any bulb onion or garlic. Look up any ingredient in the FODMAP Foods app to see how its rating changes with portion size.

Why This Works

• Garlic flavor without fructans. Garlic's FODMAPs (fructans) dissolve in water, not oil, so strained garlic-infused oil carries garlic flavor without adding garlic fructans.
• Green tops for onion taste. The green part of scallions and leeks is low in fructans while the white bulb is not, so it stands in for onion.
• Portioned tomato. Splitting one can across six servings keeps the fructose from canned tomatoes within tested low-FODMAP amounts.
• Aged and lactose-free dairy. Hard cheeses like parmesan have negligible lactose, and lactose-free ricotta plus a measured amount of mozzarella keep the topping low in lactose at the listed serving.

Storage

Store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The noodles keep absorbing liquid as they sit, so add a splash of broth when reheating on the stove or in the microwave. For make-ahead batches, cook and store the noodles separately, then combine them with the base at serving time. The soup base without noodles freezes well for up to 2 months; thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating.