Lasagna Soup

I love soup. Any kind of soup! When I get to try a new recipe for soup, I jump on it!  I have been craving my mom's lasagna for a week now, and this afternoon I got an idea to make lasagna soup.  I have been seeing the recipes on pinterest, but I google searched a recipe that was AHHH-MAZING!!!!

Lasagna Soup

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

for the soup:
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage (I used 2 lbs. of lean turkey sausage)
• 3 c. chopped onions (I just used half an onion)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. dried oregano (I used 1 tsp. oregano and 1 tsp. italian seasoning)
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 T. tomato paste (I used 6 oz. since I had more meat)
• 1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 c. chicken stock
• 8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta (I used fusilli, but it was hard to eat.  In the future I will use lasagna noodles and break them up)
• 1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
for the cheesy yum: (I didn't make this...too many calories)
• 8 oz. ricotta
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• pinch of freshly ground pepper
additional cheesy yum: (I just used a small amount of mozzarella and sprinkled it on top of my bowl of soup)
• 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, 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 and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add 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 pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy and absorb all the soup broth. You may even want to consider cooking the noodles separately, and then adding some to individual bowls before ladling the soup over them. This would be an especially smart move if you are anticipating any leftovers. Right before serving, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese

CALORIES FOR ONE SERVING: 273.4  BOO-YAH!!!!!

I seriously am in love with this recipe!!!  It was so delish! ENJOY!!!!!