Recipe: Lasagna Soup

 

                 Image from Culinary in the Country... I found the
                 recipe here to... go there you will love this blog.

We have actually done some cooking since we have been back from our trip and I say "we" because I actually left this recipe and the ingredients for Mac to make this while I was at work.    And can I say... this is a great recipe, you get all the delicious lasagna tastes without all of the time and mess.   Because I don't know about you... whenever I make lasagna I have ricotta everywhere.   Try this, it is quick and delicious and if you are missing the ricotta add a spoon to the top of the soup when you serve it.

One interesting note... Mac has a theory that pasta should NEVER be cooked with soups, he tells me that it makes the soup starchy and nasty... so Mac always cooks his pasta separately.   Which I think is a good idea especially if you are keeping the soup for leftovers...

Lasagna Soup (Adapted from Cuisine at Home by Joe (above) and again by mac... I halved this recipe)

16 ounces hot Italian turkey sausage
2 cups diced onions
1 cup diced carrots
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 cups chicken broth
14 1/2 ounce can fire roasted crushed tomatoes (I used the full amount of tomatoes... plus I added more when I reheated leftovers the next day)
10 ounces tomato sauce
1 cup dry Campanelle pasta (or any curly pasta... I don't think we found Campanelle, I think we used farfalle)
4 ounces diced provolone cheese
1 ounce fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sliced fresh basil

Boil water in a dutch oven.   In a second dutch oven over medium-high, add sausage and cook until browned - crumble the sausage as you go with a wooden spoon. Add the onions and carrots - cook 3 minutes. Mix in the garlic, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper - cook 1 minute. Pour in the broth, crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, meanwhile add the pasta to the boiling water in the other dutch oven cook until pasta is al dente. Simmer soup until the pasta has cooked add pasta to soup or add pasta to the soup as you are serving to keep the pasta from soaking up all the juices. Remove from the heat.

To serve - place 1 ounce of diced provolone in the bottom of 4 bowls. Evenly divide the soup between the 4 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan and basil.