This Low Carb Keto Lasagna Soup with Zucchini Noodles is a hearty and delicious meal that is easy to put together, and everyone will love. Made with ground beef in a rich tomato sauce with ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella and fresh basil. The ideal weeknight comfort food meal for the whole family, that's totally gluten free and keto friendly!
Looking for something that tastes totally luscious and delicious without all the carbs? This Keto Lasagna Soup will be in your weekly recipe rotation in no time. It's totally crave worthy, super simple to make and healthy too! This is the type of meal that both my husband and my little brother ask for over and over again and never grow tired of. It's warm, comforting and hearty, with your favorite lasagna flavors lightened up and in soup form.
So, if you're looking for a super cozy dinner to add into your routine, you don't want to ignore this super yummy and easy to make Keto Lasagna soup. It's ready in under an hour, and all in one pot (or in our case, a Dutch oven). Keep reading to see all the tips, tricks and substitutions you can make for this very easy to make and craveable soup! If you're a pro, feel free to skip to the recipe card.
The Ingredients:
- Olive oil- We used olive oil for this soup to stick with an Italian flavor palate. You can use whatever your favorite cooking oil is, or butter.
- Yellow onion- This soup starts with a base of diced sweet yellow onion.
- Garlic- We will mince up some garlic to use for the base of this soup. Use as much or as little as you want, but just be aware that garlic adds carbs.
- Italian seasoning- Either store bought or homemade! You can keep reading for our homemade Italian Seasoning recipe.
- Red pepper flakes- Totally optional of course, but recommended for added flavor and just a slight bit of spice!
- Grass fed ground beef - You can of course use whatever ground beef you want, but we always prefer the flavor of grass fed ground beef. If you want to use a different meat, we will discuss substitutions later on in the body of the post.
- Tomato paste- This helps us develop a rich tomato flavor in the base of this keto lasagna soup.
- Beef broth - We do recommend using beef broth if possible. You could substitute for chicken broth as well. If you want to add even more protein and nutrients, use bone broth!
- Water- To thin the broth as desired. Add slowly until your broth reaches the desired consistency.
- Crushed tomatoes- Crushed tomatoes are a great base for this tomato broth based soup. You could use diced tomatoes if you prefer.
- Fresh basil- We add fresh sweet Italian basil to the soup, as well as to top it. You really can't beat the flavor. This is technically an optional ingredient if you don't have it or don't care to use it. Alternatively, dried basil will work as well.
- Heavy whipping cream- We use heavy whipping cream to create a creamy richness in this soup. You could substitute for half and half if you prefer.
- Ricotta cheese- We add ricotta to both the soup and on to to garnish it. Cheesy deliciousness!
- Mozzarella cheese- Another essential lasagna ingredient that goes both in the soup, and on top of it.
- Parmesan cheese- The last cheesy element we use in this soup and as a topping. Another essential lasagna ingredient.
- Zucchinis- Zucchini noodles are surprisingly satisfying. We our own, but you can also buy them pre-made as well if you want.
- Kosher Salt – Diamond Kosher Salt is our new favorite salt source. It’s much easier to control (in terms of saltiness) when it comes to various types of salt, compared to different types of salt! Not all salts are created equal, and different types of salt are waaaay saltier than others. We love the diamond crystal shape. The texture is amazing it dissolves really well, and it’s perfect for seasoning food gradually.
- Black Pepper - Season to taste, obviously. We love black pepper!
Is Lasagna Keto?
Traditionally, we'd say regular lasagna is not considered to be keto or low carb friendly. The average lasagna with cheese and meat sauce has around 33g of net carbs, which is quite high for just one serving. In addition, pasta itself doesn't have too many nutritional benefits, so to us, the high carb count does not make sense for us, since all we are really getting is texture and taste. We'd much rather just swap lasagna noodles for zucchini and skip the carbs!
That being said, it's all a matter of preference. Ketosis is a metabolic state, not a food, so some people may be able to eat a serving or two of lasagna and still remain in ketosis (while we do feel this is unlikely). Everyone is a little different, and it takes some trial and error to determine the net carb count that you can personally handle. Also, not all carbs are created equal, and carbs like pasta are starchy, and are usually known to raise blood sugar levels. Do what is best for you if you want to eat lasagna, but we can't promise you will stay in ketosis!
Are Zucchini Noodles Keto and Nutritious?
Yes, zucchinis are absolutely keto friendly and totally nutritious. One medium sized cooked zucchini is only 2 net carbs for the whole thing! Zucchini is also rich in nutrients like Vitamin A (40% of of your daily value for a medium sized zucchini), 16% of your daily Manganese, 14% of your daily Vitamin C, 13% of your daily potassium, and 10% of your daily magnesium. It's also a good source of Vitamin K, Folate, Copper, Phosphorus, Vitamin B6, and Thiamine. You can read more about the micronutrient and nutritional profile of zucchinis here.
Zucchini is also very high in antioxidants like lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene. These antioxidants have a wide variety of health benefits. Yellow zucchinis are said to have slightly more antioxidants than green, but either way, most of the nutrients are found in the skin of the zucchini, so leave it on if you can!
What Is the Best Meat To Use For This Keto Lasagna Soup?
The best meat to use for this lasagna soup is more of a personal preference, but we prefer using ground beef. You could use Italian Sausage if you prefer! If using beef, we tend to use at least 85% lean (or leaner) so that you don't have a ton of extra fat in the broth. We actually don't drain off extra fat when making soups, we like the flavor it adds to our dishes, and plus, fat is great for keto!
High quality sources of fat like beef tallow (aka the fat you render out of your beef) is definitely considered a nutritious fat source, if you're buying high quality grass-fed and organic beef. If you're not, don't worry! It's totally okay to eat, and if you prefer to drain some fat, go right ahead. You could use ground chicken, turkey, or even bison if you want, although these aren't traditional lasagna ingredients. You do you! Whatever protein you choose, we get our meat mostly at Costco, as you can see here on our fave Costco finds list!
What's The Best Way To Re-Heat This Soup?
We prefer to reheat this keto lasagna soup on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Since you have zucchini noodles in the soup, you will want to be gentle when reheating, so that your noodles don't turn to complete mush. You can reheat in the microwave if you want as well, but it would probably be wise to lower the power to medium heat to again, avoid over-cooking the noodles.
Can I Make My Own Zucchini Noodles?
Yes! We always do! We use a spiralizer that comes in handy for lots of different vegetables that we actually purchased at Aldi a few years ago. You can buy one on Amazon for very cheap, and for us, it's a great tool to have, we use it all the time! If you don't want to make your own zucchini noodles, you can often purchase pre-made zucchini noodles from the frozen section of most supermarkets. We've also seen them in the fresh and refrigerated sections at a few stores.
Can I Make My Own Italian Seasoning Blend For This Keto Lasagna Soup?
Yes, it's super easy to make your own Italian Blend. For this recipe the Italian seasoning blend is such a lovely and savory blend of herbs. Of course you can use store-bought, or you can make your own! It’s so easy and cost effective to make your own Italian Seasoning blend at home. The best part is you can always just add a bit more of your favorite herbs to ensure it fits your tastes.
Here’s how we fix ours up:
2 tbsp dried oregano, 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (or 4 tsp) marjoram, 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (or 4 tsp) dried thyme, 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (or 4 tsp) basil, 1 tbsp dried rosemary, 1 tbsp sage
*Makes 24 teaspoons or 4 tablespoons
Hungry For More? Check Out Some More Of Our Favorite Keto Dinner Recipes:
- Loaded Keto 'Potato' Soup with Jalapeño, Bacon and Smoked Sausage
- Creamy Parmesan Chicken Skillet with Butternut Squash
- Jalapeño Popper Chicken Skillet
- Pepperoni Pizza Chicken Skillet
Tools:
Here's How To Make Low Carb Keto Lasagna Soup with Zucchini Noodles:
Start by heating your dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Mince your garlic, set aside. Dice up your onion. Add the olive oil to the pot and then add in the onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add in your garlic, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and toast for about 1 minute until fragrant.
Add in your ground beef and a couple pinches of salt. We will salt the soup in steps because have a lot of different elements that add salt with the various cheeses, the bone broth, etc. We definitely want the meat to be well seasoned, but add salt gradually, as you can always add more, but you can't take it away! After the beef is browned, add in the tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes.
Now add in your chicken broth, water, crushed tomatoes and fresh basil, reserving some basil for topping. Bring the soup to a boil.
After bringing the soup to a boil, reduce to a simmer, then add in heavy cream, ricotta cheese, mozzarella and parmesan. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes stirring frequently. You can adjust the seasonings now if you need to. Just make sure to taste it first so it isn’t too salty!
Finally, add in your zucchini noodles or ribbons and let them simmer for 5 minutes.
Top with more ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella and basil. Serve warm!
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Until Next Time,
Briana & Chamere
📖 Recipe
Low Carb Keto Lasagna Soup With Zucchini Noodles
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 whole onion, diced (about 1 small or medium onion)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1.34 lbs ground beef (85% lean)
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 cups water (or to your desired consistency)
- 14 oz crushed tomatoes
- 2 oz fresh basil
- 4 oz heavy whipping cream
- 1.5 oz ricotta cheese
- 3 oz mozzarella, shredded
- 2 oz parmesan cheese, shredded
- 2 whole zucchinis, sliced into noodles
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
- Garnish with: ricotta, basil, mozzarella, parmesan
Instructions
- Start by heating your dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil to the pot and then add in the onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add in your garlic, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and toast for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add in your ground beef and a couple pinches of salt. After the beef is browned, add in the tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Now add in your beef broth, water, crushed tomatoes and fresh basil, reserving some basil for topping. Bring the soup to a boil.
- After bringing the soup to a boil, reduce to a simmer, then add in heavy cream, ricotta cheese, mozzarella and parmesan. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes stirring frequently. You can adjust the seasonings now if you need to. Just make sure to taste it first so it isn’t too salty!
- Finally, add in your zucchini noodles or ribbons and let them simmer for 5 minutes. Top with more ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella and basil. Serve warm!
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