This creamy, comforting Chicken Lasagna Soup is packed with tender chicken breasts, sautéed vegetables, cream cheese, and Parmesan. You can make it with either spinach or kale. It has all the flavors of a classic white lasagna—just in cozy, soup form. Serve with bacon cheddar scones and garlic butter dinner rolls.
All the Flavors of White Lasagna—in Soup Form!
- Creamy Base: What makes this soup stand out for me is how rich and creamy it is without feeling too heavy. Adding cream cheese really sets it apart from typical creamy soups—just a small amount goes a long way to make it feel special.
- Packed with Veggies: I also love the way fresh veggies—onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and baby spinach—add flavor, texture, balance out the richness, and give the chicken lasagna soup a fresher, lighter feel. If I’m in the mood for something heartier, I’ll swap out the spinach for kale. I so love using a ton of veggies in many of my soup recipes: sausage white bean soup, restaurant-quality tomato soup, and creamy chicken gnocchi soup.
- Lasagna: I simply break up lasagna noodles and toss them in. It mimics traditional lasagna beautifully, but without all the layering and baking. By the way, you can easily use bow-tie pasta here instead! And, since we're talking pasta soups here, you HAVE to try my sausage tortellini soup.
- Tender, Shredded Chicken: Instead of using pre-cooked chicken, I simmer the chicken breasts right in the broth. It keeps them juicy and makes shredding super easy. In a pinch, you can always use rotisserie chicken (without skin) like I did in this white chicken chili.
- Flavor-wise, I don’t skip the nutmeg. Just a pinch brings that classic white lasagna taste, along with lots of Parmesan.
White Lasagna Soup with Chicken
This creamy, comforting Chicken Lasagna Soup is packed with tender chicken breasts, sautéed vegetables, cream cheese, and Parmesan. You can make it with either spinach or kale. It has all the flavors of a classic white lasagna—just in cozy, soup form.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 1 cup celery stalks chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 2 medium chicken breasts boneless and skinless
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 3 oz baby spinach
- 6 oz lasagna noodles (between 6 to 8 noodles depending on the brand) - uncooked, broken into pieces. You can cook extra 2 or 4 noodles if you want more pasta.
Instructions
- In a large pot or a Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, add onion, carrots and celery. Saute for about 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute or until fragrant.
- Season with Italian seasoning, dried basil, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Whisk in flour until combined.
- Pour in the chicken broth and water. Stir and bring to a boil. Then, add chicken breasts and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover with a lid and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and let it cool slightly. When cooled enough to handle, shred the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces.
- Meanwhile, in a separate pot, cook broken lasagna noodles according to the package instructions until al dente. Note: I used 6 large lasagna noodles, but you can cook a few extra (2–4 more) if you like a pasta-heavy soup. Just add more if you want after tasting.
- Bring the soup base to a simmer again. Add milk and cream cheese. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3-5 minutes or until melted.
- Stir in Parmesan cheese, baby spinach, and shredded chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 3 minutes or until Parmesan cheese is melted, spinach is slightly wilted, and chicken is reheated. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
- Remove the soup from the stove. Add cooked lasagna noodles to each bowl of soup right before serving. Garnish fresh herbs and shaved Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
- Salt: Taste the soup and add more salt, if needed. I recommend adding 1 teaspoon of salt to the soup when the soup is cooking, and then adding salt to your taste to enhance all the flavors. The amount of salt also depends on what kind of chicken broth you use - low sodium or regular.
- Adjust the consistency: Add more chicken broth to make your soup thinner.
- Chicken options: If you want to use shredded rotisserie chicken (without skin) instead of raw chicken breasts, add it when you add the Parmesan cheese and spinach, as it only needs to be heated in the soup.
- To make it spicy: add crushed red pepper flakes, chili powder, or cayenne pepper.
- Cook pasta separately: Cook broken lasagna noodles in a separate pot and add them right before serving to keep them from becoming too soft or mushy.
- Leafy greens options: If you don't like the texture of spinach in soups, you can use kale, it’s chewier and holds the shape better.
Storage & Make-Ahead Instructions
- Store without noodles: I recommend storing leftover White Lasagna soup without noodles as it will become too soft or mushy. That’s why I recommend cooking broken lasagna noodles in a separate pot and adding them right before serving.
- Refrigerating: Place leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. If you store your White Lasagna Soup with cooked lasagna noodles in it, the soup will still be delicious, but the noodles will become softer.
- Freezing: I don't recommend it as it may become grainy after defrosting, but if you try freezing it, let me know how it turns out!
- Make it ahead: You can make this soup a day or two ahead, but stop cooking after step 4. Let the soup cool completely and place it in the fridge. On the day you plan to serve it, continue the preparation process with steps 5, 6, 7, 8.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
White Lasagna Soup with Chicken
Amount per Serving
Calories
417
% Daily Value*
Fat
19
g
29
%
Saturated Fat
10
g
63
%
Trans Fat
0.2
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
5
g
Cholesterol
96
mg
32
%
Sodium
1309
mg
57
%
Potassium
700
mg
20
%
Carbohydrates
34
g
11
%
Fiber
3
g
13
%
Sugar
6
g
7
%
Protein
28
g
56
%
Vitamin A
5395
IU
108
%
Vitamin C
8
mg
10
%
Calcium
229
mg
23
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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How to Make Chicken Lasagna Soup (step-by-step photos)
- Gather all your ingredients. I've laid everything out here (labels included!) to make it easy for you to see what you'll need:
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat, then sauté onion, carrots, and celery for 3–4 minutes until softened.
- Then, add garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant, then season with Italian seasoning, dried basil, salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Whisking in flour to create a light roux.
- Pour in chicken broth and water, stir, and bring it all to a boil.
- Once boiling, add chicken breasts, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes until fully cooked.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and let it cool slightly. While the chicken cools for shredding, cook broken lasagna noodles separately until al dente.
- Bring the soup back to a simmer, stir in milk and cream cheese, and cook for 3–5 minutes until smooth.
- Then, add Parmesan, baby spinach, and the shredded chicken, stirring until the cheese melts, spinach wilts, and the chicken is heated through.
- Off the heat, Iadle the soup into bowls, adding the noodles just before serving. A sprinkle of fresh herbs and shaved Parmesan finishes it off!
Variations and Substitutions
- Veggies. I made the vegetable base with onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Feel free to replace these vegetables with those you have on hand, or add mushrooms, leek, or shallots. Also, you can use kale instead of spinach.
- Chicken breasts. I used raw chicken breasts, but you can also use shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Seasoning. I used a combination of Italian seasoning, dried basil, ground cumin, salt, and pepper. You can also use other dried or fresh herbs, such as oregano, marjoram, thyme, or parsley.
- Lasagna noodles. My White Lasagna Soup is made with lasagna noodles, broken into pieces, but you can use a short cut pasta like bow tie, farfalle, penne, or rigatoni, or mini lasagna noodles.
- Milk. Can be replaced with heavy cream or half-and-half.
More Chicken Soup Recipes
This was so good! I love that it was packed with so many veggies. I actually made it with bow tie pasta as you suggested and it looked amazing.
Bow time pasta is perfect for this recipe - glad it worked well! 🙂