Easy Lasagna Soup – Recipe Diaries (2024)

FAQs

How to thicken up soupy lasagna? ›

A soupy consistency in your lasagna can make it bland and impossible to slice and serve. If your recipe keeps turning out watery, try thickening your sauce with cornstarch. Cornstarch won't affect the sauce's flavor, and is a much more effective thickener than flour.

Watery tomatoes aren't the only culprit for soupy lasagna: Oils from cheese and meat and water from lasagna noodles and vegetables can affect your lasagna's consistency. Draining excess fat from ground beef or sausage before adding it to tomato sauce is imperative to maintain a thick sauce.

Cornstarch: Make a slurry of half water, half cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Cornstarch is a powerful thickener, so start by whisking in no more than 1 tablespoon of the mixture per 2 cups of simmering sauce; stir and simmer for 2 minutes, check the thickness, and repeat with more slurry as needed.

How can I keep lasagna from being a mushy mess? The best way is to keep your ingredients dry. Cook your pasta sauce long enough to boil out most of the moisture so the sauce is thick.

Pour off as much of the liquid as you can into a small saucepan, and boil it down. When it's reduced, pour it back over the lasagne and stick the whole dish back in the oven for 20 mins, maybe with some extra cheese grated on top.

Yes it's tempting to cut into the lasagna right when you pull it from the oven, but let it rest on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes. This will help firm up all the layers and make it much easier to slice a square. And of course you can make it a day ahead or in the morning then reheat.

Most people use low-moisture mozzarella in lasagna, and I am no exception. Fresh mozzarella tastes phenomenal in lasagna; however, the extra moisture will make the lasagna a bit watery. Sometimes I'll use bagged, shredded mozz in the layers but then will splurge for the good stuff on top.

mistake number 4: overcooking it

When it comes to baking your lasagna, timing is everything. It's important to resist the urge to leave it in the oven for too long, as this can cause it to dry out. Instead, aim to slightly undercook it and then let it rest for about thirty minutes before digging in.

One quick idea ( and maybe obvious so I'm just including it here) is to make more layers. You might be surprised as to what one layer can do. Five layers (rather than four) in a pan will make a more compact and solid lasagna.

However, since ketchup is sweeter and has a different taste than tomato paste, as well as a different consistency, it isn't our first choice for a substitute. Still, ketchup can be used in a 1:1 ratio when substituting for tomato paste.

What is a substitute for tomato puree in lasagna? ›

If you need 1 cup of tomato puree, then use ½ cup of tomato paste mixed with ½ cup of water as a replacement.

(Do notice that I put the noodles criss cross – perpendicular from the layer below – it helps it to hold together when you serve it). So, the noodles directly on the cheese means there won't be enough for a top layer of noodles.

In an oven preheated to 375 degrees F, this homemade lasagna should be perfectly baked in about 50 minutes (30-40 minutes covered, 5-10 minutes uncovered).

Spread a thin layer of sauce at the bottom. Top with a layer of noodles, followed by half the ricotta, half your desired fillings, and more sauce. Repeat with another layer of noodles, the remaining ricotta, remaining fillings, and more sauce.

If you need to, make a mixture of 1 tablespoon each of all-purpose flour and butter (also called a beurre manié) and add this to the pasta sauce to help thicken it if you don't have time to let the sauce reduce and thicken on its own.

There are several ways to thicken ricotta filling. One is to place the filling in a fine strainer over a bowl and allow excess liquid to drain off. Another way is to line the strainer with cheesecloth. Yet another way is to add a thickener such as cornstarch or arrowroot starch.

If you are finding the lasagne sheets too soft then you may want to try reducing the amount of liquid in the meat sauce slightly. You can either reduce the amout of beef stock or broth used, or simmer the sauce after cooking in the oven to reduce it.