Lasagna Soup
OOoooh, I love the fall and fall soup season, and this Lasagna Soup is one soup my family wants to eat again and again. In the fall, and pretty much year round! It’s so delicious. Starting with my husband EJ’s spicy homemade Italian sausage, I then add some ground beef. This makes the perfect, hearty base. Not too spicy, but definitely flavorful. So make sure to get yourself some good quality Italian sausage for this recipe. Using pasta ribbons or wide egg noodles mimics lasagne noodles and is our favorite, but feel free to substitute whatever pasta you may have on hand. You could break up fettuccine noodles or even use rotini or medium sized shells.
A big dollop of seasoned Parmesan ricotta and a sprinkle of mozzerella just before serving makes it simply irresistable! And the fact that it doesn’t have to cook on the stove for hours – even though it tastes like it – well, so much the better.
The only thing you need on the side of this Lasagne Soup is a big spoon and some crusty garlic bread! Mangia!
Lasagne Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 pound ground spicy Italian sausage if using links, remove meat from casings
- 1 pound ground beef I use lean ground beef
- 1 large sweet onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped fine
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons oregano can substitute Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon each of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cans petite diced tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups good quality chicken stock such as Kettle and Fire
- 8-12 ounces pasta ribbons or wide egg noodles
- 6-8 ounces ricotta cheese
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or can substitute Italian blend cheeses (Parmesan, Romano, Asiago)
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch black pepper
- shredded mozzerella cheese, dried parsley for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, drizzle olive oil and then add sausage and ground beef. Season the ground beef with garlic salt and black pepper. Brown the meat, breaking up with a wooden spoon. When almost done, add the onion, celery and garlic. Continue cooking a few minutes until onion is translucent and meat is done.
- Add tomato paste, stirring well. Cook for a few minutes to meld the flavors and slightly cook the tomato paste. Add in the oregano, salt and pepper and stir for about a minute.
- Now stir in the diced tomatoes, bay leaf, chicken stock and sugar. Bring to a boil then turn heat down and let simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the soup is cooking, in a seperate large stock pot, bring some salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. When it is done, drain well, rinsing the noodles with cold water to stop the cooking process. Leave noodles in the colander and toss with a little olive oil. Set aside until serving time. It is okay for the noodles to be cool as the hot soup will reheat them nicely at serving time.
- Prepare the seasoned ricotta: In a medium bowl stir together the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and black pepper.
- When ready to serve, place some pasta (I usually put a "hand full" of noodles) in the bottom of each bowl; ladle the hot soup over the top of the noodles. Then drop a generous dollop of the ricotta mixture on top and sprinkle with some additional mozzerella cheese and some dried parsley. Mangia!