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Venison Lasagna Soup

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Venison Lasagna Soup is a perfect way to enjoy all the flavors and comfort of lasagna with less work! This soup will quickly become a family favorite, whether for a weeknight dinner or lazy weekend afternoon supper.

This post and recipe card updated February 29, 2020
overhead shot of 2 white bowls filled with venison lasagna soup, topped with ricotta

I have a serious dislike for winter. Especially the last couple of years, when it will be 60° and gorgeous one day, and then the next day go from 50° to 25° in a couple of hours. Plus rain/sleet/snow/wind. No thank you.

On the flip side, winter weather is a great excuse to enjoy those warm, comforting meals without guilt. Soup is one of my favorites, but until a couple of years ago I had this weird fear that soup was difficult to make. I quickly learned those fears were unfounded, and now have several that I make on a regular basis.

Game meat was another fear of mine. Growing up in Maryland, I didn’t know a single person who ate it. Once I moved to Oklahoma I heard about it, but I certainly wasn’t about to join that crowd.

When I finally tried bison and then venison, I loved them both. And when I eventually gave in and cooked venison, I realized those fears were unfounded as well.

I’m always looking for new ways to prepare venison, and this dreary winter weather is the perfect opportunity for a new soup recipe. So I combined those to create Venison Lasagna Soup

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
  • It has lasagna flavor you love in a warm and comforting soup
  • It’s perfect for a weeknight dinner and great for leftovers
  • You can easily substitute another type of protein
overhead shot of white bowl filled with venison lasagna soup, topped with ricotta

This Venison Lasagna Soup is outstanding! I’ve always loved lasagna, but I’ve never made it myself because it always seems labor-intensive. Venison Lasagna Soup gives you all the flavor and comfort of lasagna in less time, and with less work.

INGREDIENT TIPS FOR VENISON LASAGNA SOUP

I use a Dutch oven, but you could also use a heavy-bottomed pot. The key is to use a pot that’s large and deep enough to hold all the ingredients.

The list of seasonings looks long, but they’re all integral to the flavor. The first time I made Venison Lasagna Soup I didn’t use Onion Powder or Garlic Powder, and I knew something was missing. I added them the next time, and it made such a difference.

I use my Homemade Vegetable Broth because I always have it on hand and it has such a wonderful depth of flavor. If you use store-bought broth, make sure to look for low sodium or no-salt-added. You can use vegetable, chicken or beef broth.

I use store-bought venison, and you can find it in the frozen meat section of many grocery stores. I normally add bacon when I cook venison, to help the flavor and moisture. But you don’t need any bacon in this dish.

Break the lasagna noodles into pieces before cooking. I’ve told myself that I would cook them first and then cut them up. As you can guess, I totally forgot to cut them.

I recently learned to make Homemade Ricotta Cheese, so that’s what I use for the topping. Of course, you can use store-bought, and can choose whole milk or part-skim.

SUBSTITUTIONS FOR VENISON LASAGNA SOUP

If you don’t have venison, not to worry! Use lean beef, ground turkey, or even ground chicken and you’ll still have a gorgeous recipe. You can also substitute meatless options like Beyond Meat or Impossible Meat.

I’ve seen other recipes use store-bought marinara sauce. Sure you could use that in a pinch, but to me, it’s just as easy to use Tomato Paste, Crushed Tomatoes, and Fire Roasted Petite Diced Tomatoes.

To make Venison Lasagna Soup gluten free, use Gluten Free Lasagna Noodles

overhead shot of 2 white bowls filled with venison lasagna soup
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add venison and break it apart into crumbles. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

overhead process shot: venison browning in a Dutch oven

Remove venison and set aside. The venison will only be about 75% cooked.

Add remaining oil and onion. Cook for 4 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Next, add broth, all tomatoes, and all seasonings. Bring to a low boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes

overhead process shot: onion, garlic, broth and all tomatoes simmering in a Dutch oven

While sauce simmers, cook lasagna noodles in a large pot of salted, boiling water for 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.

Add noodles and reserved water to the soup, and stir to combine

overhead process shot: venison and lasagna noodles added to the Dutch oven

Add ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella in a small bowl and combine well.

Portion soup into bowls, and top with cheese mixture.

close up angeled shot of 2 white bowls filled with venison lasagna soup and topped with ricotta mixture
SERVINGS AND LEFTOVERS

The number of servings really depends on how hungry you are. The complete recipe as written will yield 4 generous servings on its own, or 6 with a side salad.

Leftovers:

  • Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to one week.
  • The lasagna noodles are sturdy enough to hold up as leftovers. But, if you prefer, you can make a fresh batch of noodles
MORE DELICIOUS VENISON RECIPES
MORE DELICIOUS SOUPS
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Venison Lasagna Soup - Karyl's Kulinary Krusade

Venison Lasagna Soup

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Venison Lasagna Soup is a perfect way to enjoy all the flavors and comfort of lasagna with less work! This soup will quickly become a family favorite, whether for a weeknight dinner or lazy weekend afternoon supper

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In large pot, heat 1 Tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add venison and break apart into crumbles. Cook, stirring occasionally, until brown. Remove venison and set aside
  2. Add remaining oil and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes, until slightly soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add broth, all tomatoes, and all seasonings. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
  3. In large pot of boiling, salted water, add lasagna noodles. Cook for 12-15 minutes, or until soft. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. 
  4. Add noodles and reserved pasta water to soup, and stir to combine
  5. Add ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella in a small bowl, and combine well
  6. Portion soup into bowls, and top each bowl with a dollop of cheese mixture. Garnish with parsley

Notes

I use a Dutch oven, but you could also use a heavy-bottomed pot. The key is to use a pot that’s large and deep enough to hold all the ingredients.

I use Homemade Vegetable Broth, but you can use store-bought. And if you do, look for low sodium or no salt added.

SUBSTITUTION IDEAS

  • Use ground beef, turkey or ground chicken instead of venison. You can also use meatless meat options
  • You can use store-bought marinara sauce instead of tomato paste and crushed/diced tomatoes
  • Use gluten-free lasagna noodles to keep the dish gluten-free


SERVINGS & LEFTOVERS

It depends on how hungry you are! The complete recipe as written will yield 4 generous servings on its own, or 6 with a side salad.

Leftovers:

  • Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to one week.
  • The lasagna noodles are sturdy enough to hold up as leftovers. But, if you prefer, you can make a fresh batch of noodles
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 374Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 997mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 31g

Nutrient values are estimates only. Variations may occur due to product availability and food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients, etc

Adapted from Cooking Classy

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Debbye

Sunday 25th of March 2018

I myself, don't eat venison, but have a friend who loves it and will be forwarding this to them ASAP. Your pictures are beautiful.

Karyl

Sunday 1st of April 2018

Thank you so much Debbye! I hope your friend enjoys the soup as much as I do

Heather

Sunday 25th of March 2018

Love this recipe!! We dont have much a winter here in Florida but I do love venison. Also like that you included a very helpful substitution section. Recipe and pictures are both beautiful :)

Karyl

Sunday 1st of April 2018

Thank you so much Heather! I'm jealous you're in Florida, because we can't seem to get away from cold and dreary weather here.

Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen

Sunday 25th of March 2018

It feels like this winter is never gonna end here in New York, but at least it makes soups like this one more enjoyable! I don't cook with venison often, but I do enjoy it - this looks like a fantastic way to use it!

Jessica Pinney

Sunday 25th of March 2018

Um, Y-U-M! This soup looks amazing! I'm going to have to find some venison so I can make it.

Karyl

Sunday 1st of April 2018

Thank you so much Jessica! I found my venison at Sprouts Farmer's Market. If you have a Whole Foods, Wegman's, or Central Market near you, I would check those as well.

Anne Murphy

Sunday 25th of March 2018

The lasagna noodles in soup look fun! And I know what you mean - venison is not readily available in New York City either! A few specialty butcher shops carry it, I gather, but... I have had it, though, when friends cooked it, and it is delicious!

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