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
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| 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!!!!
