Lasagna soup with bow tie pasta gives you the best parts of a baked lasagna without the layering, waiting, or cleanup. The broth turns rich and tomato-heavy, the sausage brings depth, and the farfalle catches the sauce in little folds that eat like pasta ribbons. A spoonful of ricotta and mozzarella on top melts into the bowl and gives each bite that creamy, cheesy finish people come back for.
This version works because it builds flavor in the right order. Browning the sausage first gives you the base, then tomato paste cooks long enough to lose its raw edge before the broth goes in. The pasta cooks right in the soup, which keeps the dish fast and gives the broth that starchy, slightly thickened body that makes it feel hearty instead of thin.
Below, you’ll find the exact timing that keeps the farfalle tender without turning mushy, plus the simple adjustment to make if the soup thickens more than you’d like while it sits.
The pasta stayed perfectly tender, and the ricotta-mozzarella topping melted into the soup instead of clumping. I added a splash of broth the next day and it tasted even better.
Save this lasagna soup with bow tie pasta for a fast, cheesy bowl that still tastes like real lasagna.
The Trick to Keeping Bow Tie Pasta From Turning Your Soup Into Stew
Farfalle is sturdy, but it still drinks up liquid as it sits. That is the main difference between this soup and a version made with lasagna noodles: the pasta shape holds onto broth in its folds, which gives you a heartier bowl at first and a thicker one later. If you cook it past al dente, it keeps absorbing broth and turns the soup dense instead of slurpable.
The fix is simple. Pull the soup from the heat when the pasta still has a little bite in the center, then let the residual heat finish it. If the pot looks a little loose at first, that is fine. It will settle quickly once the pasta rests, and you can always add a splash of broth when reheating.
What Each Ingredient Is Actually Doing in This Bowl
- Italian sausage — This gives the soup its backbone. Use sweet or hot depending on how much heat you want, but don’t swap in a leaner ground meat unless you’re willing to build more seasoning into the pot.
- Tomato paste — This is what deepens the broth from tomatoey to rich. Let it cook with the onions and garlic for a minute or two so it loses the metallic taste and takes on a darker, sweeter edge.
- Crushed tomatoes plus diced tomatoes — The crushed tomatoes make the soup thick and silky, while the diced tomatoes leave you with little bursts of texture. If you only have crushed tomatoes, use them, but the soup will be smoother and less chunky.
- Chicken broth — This keeps the soup brothy enough to feel like soup instead of pasta in sauce. A good boxed broth is fine here because the sausage and tomatoes do most of the heavy lifting.
- Farfalle — Bow tie pasta holds up well and gives each bite a little chew. If you want to use regular lasagna noodles instead, break them into rough pieces and shave a couple minutes off the cooking time so they don’t collapse.
- Ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan — This topping is what makes the bowl taste like lasagna. The ricotta gives you creaminess, the mozzarella melts into the broth, and the parmesan sharpens everything at the end.
Building the Soup in the Right Order
Browning the Sausage First
Start with the sausage in a large pot and let it take on actual color before you add anything else. You want browned bits stuck to the bottom, not pale meat steaming in its own fat. If there is a lot of grease left after cooking, drain it off, but leave enough behind to cook the onions and carry the flavor.
Cooking Out the Tomato Paste
Add the onion and let it soften until it smells sweet, then stir in the garlic and tomato paste. The paste needs a minute or two in the hot pan to darken slightly and lose its raw edge. If you rush this part and dump in the broth too soon, the finished soup tastes flatter and less rounded.
Letting the Tomatoes and Broth Simmer Together
Once the tomatoes, broth, seasoning, basil, and red pepper flakes go in, bring the pot to a real boil, then drop it to a steady simmer. That simmer is where the soup pulls itself together. A lazy bubble won’t move the flavors enough, but a hard boil will beat up the tomatoes and cook the liquid down too fast.
Cooking the Pasta to the Last Good Minute
Add the farfalle and cook it until it is just al dente, usually 8 to 10 minutes depending on the brand. Stir often so the pasta doesn’t clump on the bottom of the pot. The second it goes from pleasantly chewy to soft, stop the heat. That’s the difference between a bowl that stays brothy and one that turns thick by the time it reaches the table.
Making the Cheese Dollop
Mix the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, and basil in a bowl while the pasta cooks. Keep it thick and spoonable so it sits on top of each bowl instead of disappearing into the soup immediately. A generous spoonful melts best when the soup is hot but not violently boiling.
Three Ways to Adapt This Without Losing What Makes It Good
Make it a little lighter
Use turkey Italian sausage instead of pork sausage. The soup will still be savory, but the broth will be a little less rich, so a pinch more parmesan on top helps bring the flavor back up.
Gluten-free version
Swap in your favorite gluten-free short pasta and cook it just until tender. Gluten-free pasta tends to soften fast and can break down if it sits too long in the broth, so plan to serve it right away.
Make it creamier
Stir a splash of heavy cream into the pot after the pasta is cooked if you want a richer, silkier broth. Don’t add it earlier, or the extra cooking time can flatten the dairy and mute the tomato flavor.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store for up to 4 days. The pasta will keep absorbing broth, so expect a thicker soup the next day.
- Freezer: It freezes, but the pasta softens after thawing. For the best texture, freeze the soup base without the pasta, then cook fresh farfalle when you’re ready to serve.
- Reheating: Warm it gently over medium-low heat with a splash of broth or water. A hard boil will push the pasta from tender to mushy fast.
Answers to the Questions Worth Asking
Lasagna Soup With Bow Tie Pasta
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Brown the Italian sausage in a large pot over medium-high heat until cooked through, then drain the fat.
- Sauté the onion for 3 minutes, then add the minced garlic and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, dried basil, and red pepper flakes to the pot and bring to a boil.
- Stir in the farfalle (bow tie) pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes until al dente, with a steady simmer.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper, tasting and adjusting as needed.
- Mix the ricotta, shredded mozzarella, and parmesan until combined and spoonable for topping.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, add a generous spoonful of the cheese dollop, and top with fresh basil.
- If the soup thickens after cooking (bow tie pasta absorbs more liquid than lasagna noodles), add extra broth and heat briefly until loosened.
