Well, it finally feels like Fall around here this weekend – perhaps a little too close to winter. We even saw a few tiny snowflakes appear over the weekend. We have had an unusual climate pattern this year with as much as fourteen inches of precipitation beyond our average. Farmers are chomping at the bit to get into the fields. The ground and crops have been so wet, we can’t seem to catch a break!
While we wait, life continues on and we still have our basic needs to be met everyday: eat, sleep, drink. Household chores such as laundry and cleaning. Daily routines of school and activities. I’ve been switching out our seasonal clothes with warm winter sweaters and heavy coats. The kids are eagerly waiting raking and jumping in leaf piles. As each new day comes, I try to make our meal times simple, and that’s exactly what I love about soups.
Soup is just so comforting, warming me up from a chilly day. Not only that, but it makes meal time so less stressful when I have already made it ahead; or it was yesterday’s leftovers. This Lasagna Soup is flavorful, robust, and delicious. It’s also not nearly as time consuming as making your traditional layered lasagna. Yay! Enjoy with a baguette or garlic breadsticks.
Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
- 2 t. olive oil
- 1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
- 1 c. chopped onions
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 t. dried oregano
- 1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 T. tomato paste
- 2 cans 14.5 oz each fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 c. chicken stock
- 8 oz. fusilli pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 c. fresh basil leaves chopped
- FOR THE CHEESY YUM:
- 8 oz. ricotta
- 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 t. kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- For the soup:
- Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 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 fire roasted 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 fusilli pasta and cook al dente. Do not over cook or pasta will get mushy and absorb all the soup broth. Before serving, remove bay leaves, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and fresh pepper.
- For the Cheesy Yum:
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.
- To Serve: Ladle soup into bowls and top each bowl with a bit of shredded mozzarella and a good dollop of the cheesy yum.
