This lasagna soup gives you the tomato, beef, and cheese flavor of a baked lasagna without the layering, and it comes together in one pot on a weeknight. The trick is treating the noodles like pasta for soup rather than pasta for a casserole, so the broth stays loose instead of tightening into a starchy paste by the second bowl.

I tested the noodles three ways before settling on this method: dry noodles simmered in the pot, no-boil sheets, and noodles cooked in a separate pot. The dry noodles win for flavor and cleanup as long as you pull them while they still have a bite and keep extra broth on hand for the finish.

Ingredients

• 1 pound (450 g) ground beef, 80/20
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 jar (24 oz / 680 g) marinara sauce
• 1 can (28 oz / 800 g) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus up to 2 cups more
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 12 regular lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• ½ cup grated Parmesan
• ½ cup ricotta
• ¼ cup torn fresh basil

Instructions

1. Brown the beef and onion: Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the ground beef and diced onion. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking the beef into small pieces, until the meat is browned and the onion is soft. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for 30 seconds, just until the garlic smells sweet.
2. Bloom the tomato paste: Push the beef to one side, add the tomato paste to the cleared spot, and cook it for about 1 minute until it darkens to a brick red color. Stir it into the beef along with the oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper. This short step removes the raw, tinny taste that makes some tomato soups fall flat.
3. Build the broth: Pour in the marinara, diced tomatoes with their juice, and 6 cups of chicken broth, then add the bay leaf. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes so the tomatoes soften and the broth tastes like something before the noodles go in.
4. Cook the noodles in the pot: Stir in the broken lasagna noodles and keep the pot at a steady simmer. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes so the pieces do not stick together or settle on the bottom, until the noodles are tender but still have a slight bite. Start checking at 10 minutes, because thin noodles can go from firm to mushy quickly.
5. Finish with cream and cheese: Remove the bay leaf, lower the heat, and stir in the heavy cream. Add the extra broth a splash at a time until the soup looks loose enough to ladle, since the noodles will keep drinking it. Turn off the heat and stir in the Parmesan and half the mozzarella until they melt into the broth.
6. Serve with ricotta: Ladle the soup into bowls and add a spoonful of ricotta to each one, followed by the remaining mozzarella and a pinch of torn basil. Serve right away while the cheese is still soft, with bread on the side for the last of the broth.

What I tried and skipped

• No-boil lasagna sheets soaked unevenly in the hot broth, turning chalky in the middle while the edges went soft, and they released more starch than regular noodles. They work in a baked pan where the oven heat is even, but a simmering pot exposes the difference.
• Cooking the noodles fully in a separate pot gave the most reliable texture, but the soup lost the starch that gives it body and I had a second pot to wash. If you want the cleanest noodles and do not mind the extra pan, that method still works.
• Breaking the noodles smaller than 2 inches made them disappear into the broth within minutes, so I keep the pieces closer to 2 inches for a texture you can actually chew. A clean break with your hands is enough, and you do not need a knife.
• Adding all 8 cups of broth at the start made the soup taste thin before the noodles had a chance to absorb anything, so I now hold back 2 cups and add them at the end. The noodles take up roughly 2 cups as they cook, and the extra broth is what keeps the pot from turning into a casserole.
• Stirring constantly broke the sheets into a paste, while stirring every 3 minutes keeps them separate without turning the broth cloudy. A wooden spoon dragged along the bottom is enough to stop sticking without crushing the pasta.
• Using pre-shredded mozzarella left a grainy film on top, so I grate a block fresh and stir it in off the heat where it melts smoothly. The anti-caking starch on bagged cheese is what causes that texture, not the cheese itself.

What to serve with lasagna soup

• Warm garlic bread is the obvious choice because it soaks up the tomato broth and turns the bowl into a full meal. Tear it into pieces rather than slicing thin rounds, so each piece has a soft center to dip.
• A crisp green salad with a sharp vinaigrette cuts through the beef and cheese, and it takes less time than the soup needs to simmer. Keep the dressing light so the soup does not feel heavy by the end of the bowl.
• For a lighter plate, keep the bowls smaller and add a side of roasted broccoli or green beans instead of bread. The vegetables also give you something to mop with if you are skipping the carbs.
• If you want the flavors of a baked dinner, serve chicken parmesan on the side for a crowd, though the soup already covers the lasagna craving on its own.
• A spoonful of ricotta on top is not optional for me, because it cools the hot broth and gives each bite the creamy layer you expect from the center of a lasagna.
• If you have broccoli cheddar soup fans at the table, keep the bowls small and let people add their own cheese at the end, since this pot is richer than a vegetable soup.

Storage

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The noodles keep absorbing broth as it sits, so reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of chicken broth and stir until the soup loosens again. For longer storage, freeze only the base without the noodles or cream for up to 3 months, then cook fresh noodles when you reheat it.

FAQ

Why did my lasagna soup turn thick and starchy?

The noodles kept absorbing broth after they were cooked, and starch from the pasta thickened what was left. Cook the noodles just to al dente, hold back 2 cups of broth to add at the end, and store leftover soup with the noodles in a separate container if you can. Reheating with a splash of broth brings it back to a soupy texture.

Can you freeze lasagna soup?

You can freeze the base, but leave out the noodles and the cream. Ladle the cooled base into containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, reheat on the stovetop, then cook fresh lasagna noodles and stir in the cream so the pasta does not turn to mush.

Can I use a different pasta instead of lasagna noodles?

Penne, rotini, and bowtie pasta all work, and they are easier to eat with a spoon. Use about 10 ounces of dry pasta and start checking for doneness 2 minutes earlier than the package says, because the pasta keeps cooking in the hot broth after you take the pot off the heat.

Do I have to use ground beef?

Italian sausage gives the soup more seasoning and a little heat, and ground turkey or chicken works if you add an extra tablespoon of olive oil while browning. Taste the broth before adding the salt, since sausage and some marinara brands are already salty.

Can I make lasagna soup in a slow cooker?

Brown the beef, onion, and garlic on the stovetop first, because a slow cooker will not give them the same color. Add the browned meat, marinara, tomatoes, broth, and seasonings to the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours. Stir in the broken noodles for the last 30 to 40 minutes on high, then add the cream and cheese once the pot is off the heat so the dairy does not separate.

This candied yams recipe keeps the sweet potatoes in thick chunks and candies them on the stovetop, so the glaze turns glossy instead of watery. I serve them with spatchcock turkey and green bean casserole, where the sweetness cuts through the gravy and the butter.

Thin slices fall apart before the syrup has time to reduce, which is why the chunks here stay about an inch and a half thick. A short parboil sets the outside of each piece, so they hold their shape while the brown sugar, orange juice, and butter cook down around them.

Ingredients

• 3 lb (1.4 kg) orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, often sold as yams, peeled and cut into 1½-inch chunks
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Cut the potatoes evenly: Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into chunks about 1½ inches across, keeping the pieces as close to the same size as you can. Rinse them under cold water to wash off the surface starch, which otherwise thickens the glaze into a paste.
2. Parboil briefly: Drop the chunks into a pot of well-salted boiling water and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until a knife slides in with a little resistance left at the center. Drain them in a colander, then leave them to steam dry for 2 minutes so no water clings to the surface.
3. Build the glaze: Melt the butter in a wide 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add both sugars, the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and orange juice, then stir just until the sugar dissolves and the liquid simmers, about 2 minutes. Stop stirring once it bubbles so the sugar does not crystallize.
4. Simmer the potatoes: Add the drained sweet potatoes and spoon the glaze over them until every piece is coated. Cover the skillet and cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, turning the chunks once halfway, until they are tender all the way through.
5. Reduce to a glaze: Uncover the skillet, raise the heat to medium, and cook for 5 to 8 minutes while spooning the syrup over the potatoes. Pull it off the heat when the glaze coats the back of a spoon and the potatoes look shiny, since it thickens further as it cools.
6. Finish and rest: Turn off the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let the skillet sit for 5 minutes so the glaze clings instead of running off. Taste one chunk and add a pinch of salt if the sweetness is flat, then serve warm from the pan.

Variations

• Canned shortcut: use two 29-ounce cans of yams in syrup, drained, and reserve ½ cup of the syrup in place of the orange juice. Skip the parboil and simmer them for 10 minutes before reducing the glaze, since the canned pieces are already tender.
• Marshmallow topping: glaze the potatoes as written, tip them into a baking dish, scatter mini marshmallows over the top, and broil 1 to 2 minutes until the marshmallows blister. Watch the dish the whole time, because sugar scorches fast under a broiler.
• Maple and bourbon: swap 2 tablespoons of the orange juice for maple syrup and stir 1 tablespoon of bourbon in with the vanilla. The alcohol cooks off in seconds and leaves a warmer finish that works well with ham.
• Fresh ginger and orange zest: add a tablespoon of grated fresh ginger with the dry spices and a strip of orange zest to the glaze. Lift the zest out before serving so nobody gets a bitter mouthful.
• Apple cider instead of orange juice gives a rounder glaze with less citrus bite, and it browns a little faster, so start checking the pan at the 4-minute mark.
• A half teaspoon of cayenne with the spices adds a warm edge without making the dish spicy, which is how a lot of soul food versions balance the sugar.
• If you want the baked version with a pecan crumble on top, my sweet potato casserole is the one to make. These yams stay on the stovetop and leave the oven free for the bird.
• Serve them next to creamy mashed potatoes and something sharp, like cranberry sauce, so the plate does not turn into sugar on sugar.
• Doubling the batch for a holiday crowd works better in two skillets than in one deep pot. A deep pot traps steam, and the potatoes end up pale and soft instead of glazed.

Why the glaze turns watery or grainy

• Wet potatoes water down the syrup: drain them well and let the steam escape for a couple of minutes before they go into the pan.
• A crowded skillet steams instead of glazing, so use the widest pan you own and cook in two batches if yours is small.
• Stirring the sugar before it dissolves makes the glaze grainy. Let the liquid come to a simmer first, then leave it alone.
• A hard boil breaks the chunks apart. Keep it at a gentle simmer and turn the pieces with a spatula rather than a spoon.
• If the glaze tastes syrupy sweet, add salt and a squeeze of orange juice. Both pull the sugar back without changing the texture.
• When the chunks are still firm but the glaze is already thick, add ¼ cup of water, cover the pan, and cook 5 more minutes before reducing again.
• A dark, bitter edge means the sugar caught on the side of the pan. Lower the heat and scrape only the pale caramel back into the skillet.
• A spoonful of molasses with the brown sugar gives a deeper color and a faint licorice note, but cut the granulated sugar by a tablespoon to compensate.
• The glaze sets as it cools, so pull the pan off the heat while it still looks slightly loose.

Storage

Keep leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat them gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of orange juice or water, because a microwave turns the chunks rubbery at the edges. I do not recommend freezing candied yams, since the sweet potatoes go soft and release water when they thaw.

FAQ

Are candied yams the same as sweet potatoes?

In an American grocery store, the vegetable labeled yams is almost always an orange-fleshed sweet potato, and that is what this recipe uses. True yams are starchy, white-fleshed roots from another plant entirely, and they will not candy the same way.

Can I make candied yams with canned yams?

You can use canned yams here. Two 29-ounce cans of yams in syrup, drained, replace the fresh potatoes. Skip the parboil, use the reserved syrup instead of orange juice, and shorten the covered simmer to about 10 minutes so the pieces do not fall apart.

Can I make candied yams ahead of time?

You can cook them up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate them covered. Reheat in a covered skillet over low heat with a spoonful of water or orange juice, and add the vanilla fresh at the end so the flavor stays bright.

Can you freeze candied yams?

I would skip the freezer for these. The sweet potatoes absorb the glaze and turn mushy once thawed, and the texture does not come back after reheating. Make them fresh or hold them in the fridge instead.

How do I add marshmallows to candied yams?

Glaze the potatoes on the stovetop first, then move them to a baking dish and cover the top with mini marshmallows. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes until they brown and puff, and stay at the oven door because they go from golden to burnt in under a minute.

This smothered chicken recipe starts with skin-on thighs seared hard in a cast iron skillet, then buried under slow-caramelized onions and a gravy built from the pan drippings. The chicken finishes in the sauce, so it stays juicy while the gravy thickens around it. Spoon it over creamy mashed potatoes or split a piece of buttermilk cornbread and drag it through the onions.

The gravy is where most versions fall apart. A flour dredge that never gets cooked, onions rushed over high heat, and too much thickener turn a good pan of chicken into a pasty mess. I keep the coating light, cook the roux until it smells nutty, and give the onions the full twenty minutes they need. That order is the whole recipe.

Ingredients

• 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 lb)
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, for the roux
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Season and dredge: Pat the thighs completely dry with paper towels, then season both sides with the salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Put the ⅓ cup flour in a shallow dish and dredge each thigh, pressing lightly so the coating sticks, then shake off the excess. Dredge right before searing so the flour doesn’t turn gummy.
2. Sear the skin: Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Lay the thighs in skin side down and sear for 6 to 8 minutes without moving them, until the skin is deep golden and releases from the pan. Flip and cook 3 minutes more, then move the chicken to a plate. It will not be cooked through yet.
3. Caramelize the onions: Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat, lower the heat to medium, and add the butter and sliced onions. Cook for 18 to 22 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping up the browned bits, until the onions are soft, sweet, and the color of dark honey. Add the garlic and thyme in the last minute and stir until fragrant.
4. Build the roux: Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of flour over the onions and stir constantly for 90 seconds, until the raw smell is gone and the mixture looks sandy. Pour in the broth in three additions, whisking smooth after each one, and scrape the bottom of the skillet to lift the fond. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce.
5. Simmer the chicken: Return the thighs skin side up, nestling them into the gravy without submerging the skin. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the thickest part of a thigh reads 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Stir the gravy around the chicken once or twice so it doesn’t catch.
6. Finish and rest: Taste the gravy and adjust the salt, then stir in the cider vinegar off the heat. Let the skillet sit for 5 minutes so the gravy settles around the chicken, and scatter the parsley over the top. Serve straight from the pan with rice, mashed potatoes, or cornbread.

When the gravy goes wrong

• If the gravy turns gluey, there was too much flour for the fat in the pan. Whisk in broth a splash at a time until it coats the back of a spoon instead of clumping around it.
• A raw flour taste means the roux needed another minute. Cook it until it smells like toasted nuts and turns the color of light peanut butter before any liquid goes in.
• Thin gravy is usually just undercooked. Simmer it uncovered for five to eight minutes, and only then reach for a slurry of one teaspoon cornstarch in one tablespoon cold water.
• Dry chicken comes from searing it all the way through. Pull the thighs at 160°F and let the last few degrees happen in the gravy, where they stay moist and take on the onion flavor.
• If the flour coating slides off in the pan, the skin was wet or the oil wasn’t hot enough. Pat the chicken dry, dredge it right before searing, and wait for the oil to shimmer.
• A pale, flat gravy needs the fond and a little acid. Scrape every brown bit into the broth, then finish with cider vinegar and taste for salt right before serving.

Thighs, breasts, and the heat you need

• Bone-in, skin-on thighs are the forgiving choice here. The skin renders into the gravy, and the meat stays juicy through the twenty-minute simmer without any babysitting.
• Boneless thighs work and cut the cooking time by about ten minutes. Sear them three to four minutes per side and check the center earlier than you think you need to.
• Chicken breasts dry out faster, so pound them to an even three-quarter inch and pull them at 160°F before the final simmer. The same gravy method works on smothered pork chops if you want a second dinner from the same skillet.
• If your skillet is crowded, sear the thighs in batches and finish them in a 375°F oven for ten minutes after the gravy comes together. A packed pan steams the skin instead of browning it.
• Doubling the recipe means searing in two batches and building the gravy once. Add the second batch of chicken back only when the gravy is smooth and seasoned.
• A cast iron skillet holds heat better than a nonstick pan, and the fond it builds is the backbone of the gravy. Stainless steel works too, but keep the heat moderate so the flour doesn’t scorch before the broth goes in.

Storage

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days, with the chicken sitting down in the gravy so it doesn’t dry out. Freeze the chicken and gravy together for up to two months and thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of broth, whisking the gravy back together if it separates.

FAQ

Can I make smothered chicken with boneless breasts?

Yes, though the texture is leaner. Pound two large breasts to an even three-quarter inch, season and dredge them the same way, and sear for three to four minutes per side. Pull them at 160°F, build the gravy, then return them for just three to four minutes so they finish cooking without drying out. Keep the skillet at medium heat so the flour doesn’t scorch while the sauce reduces. Bone-in thighs still give the richest gravy because the skin and marrow add body.

Why does my smothered chicken gravy taste like flour?

The roux was undercooked or the dredge flour was never toasted. Flour needs at least ninety seconds in hot fat before liquid goes in, and it should smell nutty rather than raw. If the gravy already tastes flat, simmer it uncovered for five more minutes and add a splash of broth, a teaspoon of Worcestershire, and a pinch of salt. The raw edge fades as the flour cooks out, so taste again before you add more thickener.

Do I need cream for this recipe?

No, you don’t need cream for this one. This is an onion gravy, not a cream gravy, and the body comes from flour, broth, and the rendered chicken fat. Milk or cream makes a richer, whiter sauce, but it also mutes the onions. If you want that style, stir in a quarter cup of whole milk at the very end and keep the heat low so it doesn’t break. Taste before adding salt, since the broth and Worcestershire already carry some.

Can I make smothered chicken ahead of time?

It holds well for a day or two and often tastes better the next day. Cook it completely, cool it uncovered for twenty minutes, then refrigerate it in the gravy. Reheat over low heat with a splash of broth, stirring gently until the sauce loosens. Avoid a hard boil, which can split the gravy and toughen the chicken.