Another winner – this one from Pinterest! This is a fun soup to serve, as you put the “cheesy yum” in the bottom of the bowl, ladle soup over it, and then as you run your spoon through it, the cheese incorporates into the soup…and it tastes just like lasagna!
Wonderful comfort food for the winter months.
This recipe also makes A LOT so keep that in mind. I also made my noodles separately and only added them to the bowls of soup. This allowed our noodles to stay nice and firm, and not soak up all the liquid – especially since we had leftovers and ate this multiple nights!
(Pardon my picture – it’s not the best. Trust me, it’s delicious soup!)
Lasagna Soup
for the soup:
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage (I used sweet turkey sausage)
- 3 c. chopped onions
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 T. tomato paste
- 1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes (I used regular diced because I have them on hand)
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 c. chicken stock
- 8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta (any shape will do; these just look like “lasagna”)
- 1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
for the cheesy yum:
- 8 oz. ricotta
- 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- pinch of freshly ground pepper
- 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
Preparation
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.
Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy and absorb all the soup broth. You may even want to consider cooking the noodles separately, and then adding some to individual bowls before ladling the soup over them. This would be an especially smart move if you are anticipating any leftovers. Right before serving, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.
To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.
