Lasagna Soup

I found this recipe in Family Fun magazine, in an article featuring soups from 300 Sensational Soups. It sounds like a great cookbook: one of the other recipes was tomato soup with wee grilled cheese croutons floating about.

This soup is great! Unfortunately, I took a picture of the leftovers, so the pasta had absorbed a lot of the broth and made it more stew-like. The pasta is cooked in the broth, which makes it incredibly flavorful. The soup tastes just like lasagna with a lighter profile and a lot less prep time. Best of all, both boys loved it!

Lasagna Soup

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage (bulk or with casings removed) I used 20 oz turkey Italian sausage
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
6 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
8 ounces fusilli pasta (or rotini or penne)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
8 ounces ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella

Instructions

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and sauté, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is no longer pink, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain any excess fat from the pot. Add the onions and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and sauté until the paste turns a rusty brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the broth, and the bay leaves and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Add the pasta, then increase the heat to medium-high and boil the soup until the pasta is tender to the bite, following the time recommendations on the pasta package. Discard the bay leaves, then stir in the basil. If desired, season with salt and black pepper to taste.

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, the Parmesan, the 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and the pinch of pepper. To serve, place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture in each bowl, sprinkle with some of the mozzarella, and ladle the soup on top. Makes about 13 cups. We didn't get 13 cups out of the recipe because so much broth soaked into the pasta/evaporated, but it does make a large amount.

Nutritional Information:
Per serving (1 cup):
Calories 264
Total Fat 11 g (17% DV)
Saturated Fat 5g (26% DV)
Cholesterol 38 mg (13% DV)
Sodium 1162 mg (48% DV)
Total Carbohydrate 22 g (7% DV)
Fiber 1g (6% DV)
Sugars 5g
Protein 19 g (39% DV)
Vitamin C 14 mg (23% DV)
Calcium 259 mg (26% DV)