In the dead of winter, there is absolutely nothing better than a warm bowl of soup. I am one of those people that could eat soup every day, no matter what time of year it is, but soup and winter just go hand in hand for me. Soup is basically the food equivalent of curling up in a blanket on a chilly, winter evening. It’s just comforting.
If you scour Pinterest as often as I do, you have probably run across 101 lasagna soup recipes, and maybe you have even tried one or two out, but most lightened-up versions I have seen lack the most important element of all. What’s that you ask? It’s the creamy texture! While obviously using traditional half & half or heavy cream would be a no-no for lean and clean eating, there is still a way to get that creamy deliciousness that makes lasagna soup so wonderful. In place of heavy cream or half & half, my recipe uses 1/4 cup light coconut milk and 1/4 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk mixed together. You cannot taste the coconut at all, but you still get the same creaminess that you would with using half & half. This method is actually a fantastic way to add creamy texture to any soup without using dairy.
This lightened-up lasagna soup is a complete winner in my home. Ben and I both went back for seconds, maybe even thirds, but who’s counting? While I used gluten free noodles in my recipe to keep it gluten free, I did end up topping it with some freshly grated, aged parmesan cheese that I got from Whole Foods. For one reason or another, I seem to be able to tolerate freshly grated parmesan cheese a whole lot better than I can other varieties. I only used a small amount, but I really feel like it added to the flavor of the dish. This is totally optional, but if you want to add a little, go for the fresh stuff and make it worth it. Otherwise, if you want to keep the recipe completely dairy free, you could top it with a little bit of Daiya Mozzarella shreds.
- 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1.5 cups white mushrooms; sliced
- 1 zucchini; sliced and quartered
- 4 large cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 32 oz vegetable broth (I used no-chicken broth)
- 2 ripe tomatoes; diced
- 1 can or jar (15 oz) organic tomato sauce
- 2 Tbsp. organic tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 (8 oz) package of gluten free lasagna noodles; broken into pieces
- 1/4 cup unsweetened, plain almond milk
- 1/4 cup canned organic light coconut milk
- In a large pot, saute diced onion until translucent. Add in zucchini and mushrooms and cook until tender (about 5 minutes).
- Add in garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add in diced tomatoes and saute for another minute.
- Add in white wine and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- When finished, add in vegetable broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste and seasonings, bringing the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer.
- In a separate large pot, bring water to a rolling boil and cook broken lasagna noodle pieces according to package instructions, leaving them slightly al dente.
- While noodles are cooking, whisk together 1/4 cup almond milk and 1/4 cup light coconut milk. Pour mixture into pot and stir thoroughly.
- When noodles are finished, drain lasagna noodles and add them into the pot.
- Remove pot from heat completely and let soup settle for at least 20 minutes. This allows the flavors to all come together
- Top soup with fresh basil and/or freshly grated aged parmesan cheese (optional)
Mari
March 8, 2014 at 5:54 pm (10 years ago)I’d like to make this for dinner, but only have gf no-boil lasagna noodles on hand. Any suggestions on how to use them in this recipe?thanks
Danielle
March 8, 2014 at 6:37 pm (10 years ago)I would just follow the recipe the same, but boil the noodles a little longer. I would start those about 20 minutes before you start the rest, but it should work just fine. Hope that helps!