We Tried Panera’s Three Cheese Lasagna Soup & Call Us Garfield

I wanted to try Panera Bread’s Three Cheese Lasagna Soup as much out of horrified fascination than anything else. Though please take note: I’m no lasagna hater. I wore “Garfield” t-shirts well into junior high school, with pride, during Homecoming season. I understand―and deeply respect―the power of lasagna. I just never thought of it as in any way compatible with the “soup” format. If anything, with its thick bechamel, beef, and sauce spackled structure, it is the “un-soup” of foods. Leave lasagna on the counter long enough, it’ll dry into bricks and we can build with it. 

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So I was doubtful that Panera could make anything resembling both soup and lasagna simultaneously and have it resemble anything more than a bowl of microwave cheese fronds and crumbly dry ground beef. Reader: I. Was. So. Wrong. Let’s get into it. 

Panera Bread’s Three Cheese Lasagna Soup

Pros: It’s a very, very lame way to begin with when we’re talking lasagna, but Panera’s Three Cheese Lasagna Soup is shockingly low calorie. That wasn’t at all what I was looking for, or concerned about. But a cup is under 300 calories and a bowl is only 360. (Given their French Ciabatta Dip Sandwich tops 1K calories, that’s kind of amazing.) But what’s even more amazing is that even with that lower calorie count, this is both a rich, delicious but not-too-heavy soup and a distinctive lasagna “moment.” There is a “broth” to it―less than you’d get in a chicken noodle soup, but it’s there. The soup is meaty, but also cheesy and piquant―bright tomato flavors, the loveliest hint of pepper, and a bit of Italian herb (definitely some oregano and garlic) in there. 

The melted cheese does not dominate. And that’d be an easy-seeming win for a “lasagna soup” (just drown us in melted cheese because we do love it). But the melted cheese is, well, meltingly ribboned throughout. It’s delicate, never chewy, and you never, never encounter oily chunks of it. The noodles are also tender but not mushy. 

Cons: The ground meat is great texturally, but was a bit on the lighter side in terms of proportion. On the other hand, that might be what kept this “soup” from becoming a “stew” (which is really what I thought the dish would become). In fact, having a bit less meat and not too much melted cheese makes this an edible, almost light lunch―a small miracle for lasagna turned into soup!

Our Final Verdict

I’d have gone nine, but as often happens, the salt factor is just notched a bit too high (we gotta temper down our sodium, people). You won’t find the heaviness of a nice big slice of lasagna, but you absolutely walk away feeling that comfort food vibe.