Warning: I should probably be nominated for Wife of the Year with this next confession.
For the last six months or so, I've been dying to make lasagna soup. I saw a recipe on Pinterest (of course), and have had it stuck in my brain ever since. But whenever I suggested it, Mr. T vetoed in favor of some other delicious creation. So a couple weeks ago when the poor man was practically falling over with vicious head cold, I thought: Perfect time to try that soup! I mean, if he can't taste anything, what does it matter what I cook? I told you, Wife of the Year material, right here.
In any case, the soup was a cinch to prepare and it turned out utterly delicious--Flavorful and spicy with the right amount of cheesy goodness. I might even like it better than regular lasagna (although not my sister Emily's!). Even the ill one deemed it edible. I can't wait to make it again when T has all of his taste buds in order.
Adapted from A Farmgirl's Dabbles
N.S.F.D. Ranking: *-** (Depending on whether you use regular sausage or turkey, etc. and how much cheesy goodness is added)
Timing: 10 minutes prep; 15-20 minutes hands-on; 30-minutes simmering
Ingredients:
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 5-6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 2 tsp dried oregano or a handful fresh
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- Red pepper flakes
- 2 T tomato paste
- 28 oz diced tomatoes (fire roasted or Italian)
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 cups chicken or veggie stock
- A bunch of basil, chopped
- 8 oz pasta (such as mafalda, fusilli or campanelle), cooked al dente
- Salt/Pepper
Cheesy Goodness:
- 1 cup (or so) Ricotta
- 1/2 cup (or so) Parmesan
- Black pepper
- Shredded Mozzarella
Directions:
1. Brown sausage over medium heat, breaking up into bite size pieces
2. Add onions and cook for a minute
3. Add garlic, and continue cooking until veggies are soft (5-ish minutes)
4. Add spices (except for salt and garlic) and tomato paste. Stir until well-combined. Cook for a few minutes.
5. Stir in tomatoes, bay leaves and stock. Bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30-ish minutes.
7. While soup simmers, cook noodles and drain.
8. Prepare cheesy topping by combining ricotta, parmesan and black pepper, mixing well. (Use whatever proportions make sense to you. I typically ease up on parmesan.) Do NOT skip the Cheesy Goodness. It's essential.
9. When soup is done, stir in basil and check seasoning. Take care with salt as the cheesy topping will add a ton.
10. To serve, spoon Cheesy Goodness into each bowl, add noodles and pour soup over top. Garnish with shredded mozzarella and extra basil.
Notes:
1. You can get away with any type of crumbly meat--sausage, burger, turkey burger, veggie crumbles. Yours truly used chicken sausage the second time around--half the calories and a third the fat of pork sausage with only a minor sacrifice in taste/texture.
2. Did you know you can freeze tomato paste?? After taking two tablespoons out of the can, I plopped tablespoon-sized blobs onto a parchment covered cookie sheet. I popped the cookie sheet in the freezer and let the blobs firm up before transferring them to a freezer safe bag.
3. The original recipe calls for all fire roasted tomatoes. While I like the smokiness, it verged on almost overpowering for me. Next time, I'll use one can of fire roasted and one can plain or Italian seasoning.
4. If you know you're going to serve the entire batch of soup, you can toss the noodles into the soup pot and save a step. If you anticipate leftovers, cook the noodles separately so they don't absorb the broth and go mushy.
5. I repeat: Do NOT skip the cheesy goodness.
xoxo,
shawna
Other dinner-type posts:
- It's all Greek to me
- Easy and light chicken, potato and leek pot pie
- Recipe round-up
- Sensational stove-top spicy garlic and chicken pasta
- To die for: Pasta with roasted red pepper cream sauceLabels: cheese, Cooking, Dabbles, dinner, easy, Farmgirl, fast, Food and Wine, hearty, lasagna, mozzarella, NSFD, parmesan, pasta, personal, quick, recipe, Recipes, soup, yummy things
