For more than a century, Americans have adapted dishes with Italian roots like fettuccine Alfredo, chicken Parmesan and spaghetti with meatballs. Lasagna soup is the latest, a recipe that aims to take the work out of making the pasta casserole by mixing its components into a one-pot soup.
For its current moment in the spotlight, it can thank a Lego train. Last year, a TikTok account tried to determine how many sheets of lasagna it would take to stop the toy locomotive (24, as it turns out). Danny Freeman, who posts as @dannylovespasta on social media, responded with a video from his kitchen in Beacon, N.Y. He tossed broken lasagna into a soup of marinara and ground beef and stirred it together.
A few days later, the singer SZA made a request: “RECIPE PLEASE KING,” and Mr. Freeman posted it. With more than 21 million views, Mr. Freeman’s version has become the foundation for dozens of online recreations and adaptations, including vegetarian and white-bean-and -pesto soups.
“It feels like you’re eating a home-cooked meal that your grandmother spent all day doing, but it’s something you throw together for your family,” said Mr. Freeman, the author of the 2023 cookbook “Danny Loves Pasta,” who began posting recipes online during the pandemic. He now makes lasagna soup at home at least once every two weeks during the winter. “It feels new and fresh,” he said, “even though it’s been around for a long time.”
