Lasagna Soup

Pinterest is my new favorite thing, and it has been responsible for quite a bit of experimentation in my kitchen lately.  Most of my experiments have been pretty successful so far, which is encouraging for a girl who rarely found herself in the kitchen before. The subject of this post, and current front runner for Best Pinterest Find to Date, is the amazingly delicious recipe for Lasagna Soup.

The first time I tried this gem of a recipe, it was a blustery Seattle day that called for a good movie, the couch and some tasty comfort food.  This soup was perfect!! I intended for the leftovers to last through the week for lunches and quick dinners, but between Steve and I, it didn't stand a chance making it through that first night.  I highly recommend giving this soup a try the next time you want to warm up on a cold day this winter.  You could even spice it up with whatever you like from your favorite lasagna (mushrooms, zucchini,  other veggies, etc). The "cheesy yum" scooped on top is one of the best parts of the whole thing, so don't forget that.  Enjoy!

Lasagna Soup Recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Here's what my creation looked like. I'll work on my food pics.

Ingredients for the soup:

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1-1/2 lbs. Italian 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
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 c. chicken stock
• 8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta
• 1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Ingredients for the "cheesy yum":

• 8 oz. ricotta
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• pinch of freshly ground pepper

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. 

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. 

Right before serving, stir into the soup mixture the basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black 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. Eat it up, YUM!!!!

Source: Adapted from 300 Sensational Soups by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds, as seen in the February-April 2011 edition of At Home with Kowalski's magazine from Kowalski’s Markets.