I was over at a friends house the other day and we were talking about good recipes (surprise!). She told me about this Lasagna Soup that sounded divine! I can’t think of a meal that I love more than cheesy, homemade, lasagna (with homemade french bread)–yum! So…from the recipe I knew this was going to be good. This soup was MUCH easier to put together than a regular dish of lasagna. There was no layering or boiling of noodles. You simply put everything in a pot and let it simmer until you are ready to eat.
This recipe is also great because it uses some basic items from food storage–pasta, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, spices, and chicken broth.
Here is this delicious recipe–thanks Nikki!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ t. olive oil I didn't use any oil because I found the sausage had enough fat
- 1 lb. bulk Italian sausage or ground beef
- 1 ½ onions finely chopped
- 3 t. garlic minced
- 1 ½ t. oregano
- 1/2 t. pepper
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ t. red pepper flakes
- 1 small can tomato paste
- 3 cans diced tomatoes
- 2-3 cans chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 oz. corkscrew or shell pasta
- 3 t. basil
- 6 oz. ricotta cheese or cottage cheese blended until smooth
- 6 T. parmesan cheese
- 1 ½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a large pot heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the sausage and onions, breaking it up into small pieces, about 5-7 minutes. Drain any excess grease from the pot. Add the garlic, pepper, salt, oregano, and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and saute the paste until the paste turns a rusty brown-about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes with their juices, the broth and the bay leaves, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the pasta, then increase the heat to medium and boil until pasta is tender. Discard the bay leaf, then stir in the basil and season with salt & pepper. In a small bowl combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan. To serve place about 1 ½ T. of the cheese mixture in the bottom of a bowl, sprinkle with some mozzarella cheese and ladle the soup on top. Serves 6.
- **If you are in a hurry, this soup would be great without the ricotta mixture in the bowl. Just add a little more Parmesan and mozzarella cheese on top of the soup and you will be set!
