Sometimes you want lasagna without all the work. Sometimes you want a really delicious, filling soup. Sometimes you just have half a box of lasagna noodles in the cupboard and no idea what to do with them. Enter vegan lasagna soup.
This smoky, meaty soup is a filling meal all on its own, or you can take it to the next level with some vegan mozzarella and homemade garlic bread. I love that this recipe is made of cheap pantry staples, making it a great dinner for a busy weeknight.
You’ve probably got most of these ingredients kicking around already — tinned tomatoes, onion, garlic, dried basil, etc. — but there’s one ingredient in here that might be new to you: textured vegetable protein, aka TVP.
Don’t let the strange name fool you, this stuff is essentially tried soy, a by-product of extracting oil from soy beans. It’s a great, inexpensive meat substitute and it’s a nutrient powerhouse, brimming with protein, calcium, iron, fibre, magnesium, potassium — the list goes on!
Here in New Westminster, BC (the Royal City), I’ve found TVP at Goodway’s Specialty Foods (formally Galloway’s) uptown, as well as Walmart, Whole Foods, and loads more grocery chains. Bob’s Redmill seems to be the most common brand kicking around.
It doesn’t really have a distinct flavour, but it does work like a sponge to soak up flavours and liquid. Add it to chilli, pasta sauce, or other soups, or rehydrate it to make taco filling or add to breakfast hash. Is there anything TVP can’t do?
But back to this soup. Before you start cooking, get your mis en place set up (this is a fancy way of saying gather and prep your ingredients). Doing this helps you see if you missed an ingredient and keeps stress low while cooking.
After that, it’s just a layering game. Oil, onions, salt, etc. until your soup is ready to serve! I highly recommend making my vegan mozzarella too, but you can absolutely use store-bought cheese (or cheese-style substitute) if you’re short on time. Toast up some of your favourite bread, too if you have some — your mouth will thank you.
Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp oregano, dried
- 1 tbsp basil, dried
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 cup textured vegetable protein (TVP)
- 6 cups vegan "beef" broth (ex. Better Than Bouillon No Beef Base)
- 8 oven-ready lasagna noodles, broken
Instructions
- Prep all of your ingredients and have them ready to go, including chopping your onion and garlic.
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Once warm, add olive oil.
- Wait a few seconds for the olive oil to heat up (it should run quickly across the bottom of the pot when it's warm) then add the diced onions. Stir the onions to coat with oil and add the sea salt.
- Sautee the onions until translucent, about 3-4 minutes, then add in the oregano, basil, black pepper and smoked paprika and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Don't worry if the spices begin to stick to the pot a bit, the liquid will deglaze the pot.
- Add the minced garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- Add in the canned tomatoes, liquid smoke, soy sauce and maple syrup and stir.
- Add the vegan beef broth and bring to a boil. If using Better Than Bouillon, boil 6 cups of water in a kettle before adding it to the pot with the bouillon paste, to avoid cooling the soup too much.
- Once boiling, stir in the TVP and broken lasagna noodles and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 12 minutes.
- While the soup cooks, prepare vegan mozzarella (if using). Serve soup with a few healthy dollops of cheese and buttered toast (if you like).
