Pinterest Tuesday: Lasagna Soup

So yes, it is Wednesday- but I did make this recipe in Tuesday so we are going to stick with the current naming convention! After the snow we had last weekend I was jonesing for some soup! The issue I most often have with soup is it can be seriously time consuming- so when I found this recipe and realized I could make it on a week night after work and still eat before 10 PM I was sold! I did tweak this recipe a touch just to accommodate some ingredients I already had- so while it was not super authentic- it was very good!!

Lasagna Soup

Ingredients:
2 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage(I used Turkey Keilbasa- as I already had it)
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

Cheese Amazingness:

2 c. shredded mozzarella (I used fresh b/c I had it- but I am sure bag would work fine!)

8 oz. ricotta
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper

Directions:

-Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage(I cut mine up before adding it), 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(I ended up adding an extra half tbsp because I like the extra flavour!) and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown colour.

-Once it was all melded together I transferred it to a large stock pot(I do not consider it a successful cooking venture without making a giant mess in the sink!) Next: Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. 

-In the original recipe you add the pasta in the end and let it cook in the sauce for about 8 minutes- but I had made way more than we could eat and I did not want the noodles getting mushy sitting in the warm soup- so I cooked my noodles separately! 

-While the noodles are cooking combine all of the cheese components and place a dollop in the bottom of each service bowl. 

-Combine all of the ingredients and enjoy! 

I felt like this recipe was a huge success! It felt like a much lighter way to enjoy an Italian FAV! I roasted some asparagus and shaved a little parmigiana and sprinkled a little balsamic on them and it was the perfect side! Since I cooked the noodles separately I just threw the soup in a container in the fridge and we can eat it again so easily later this week by just cooking up some fresh pasta! The whole ordeal did not take more than 45 minutes and the flavours were bold and satisfying! Another pinterest success in my book!