Lasagna Soup

Soup in the summer? My thoughts exactly! Well, here's one that will change your mind! We are always on the lookout for something new and different to try. You know that feeling you had when you tried taco soup for the first time? Well, get ready to experience that sensation again. 

When the weather was still cool, I received an email with a Lasagne Soup recipe. I printed it and laid it to the side and somehow managed to not find the time to fix it. I've been wanting to eat some homemade lasagna for the past few weeks and I remembered the soup recipe...which was laying in a stack on the computer. I jumped on my smartphone and did a search and found this one from A Farmgirl's Dabbles; quickly read over the ingredient list and picked up the mild Italian sausage, noodles and fire roasted tomatoes I needed to complete the dish.

When you have an Italian dish cooking in your house and garlic bread in your oven...your family knows they are going to be fed well that night! When they walk in the door and smell this heavenly concoction cooking; they'll be setting the table for you before you even realize it! When they taste it; they'll really go nuts! Seriously, if I heard "man, this stuff is good!" one more time...

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1-1/2 lbs. mild Italian sausage
• 3 cups onion, chopped 
• 4 heavy tsp. minced garlic
• 2 tsp. Sicilian style Italian blend spices
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 14.5-oz. cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 8 oz. Radiatore pasta
• Salt and pepper

TOPPING:

• 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese 

Serve with garlic bread.

**See below for additional cheeses needed for the "bottom of the bowl"!

Slice 1-1/2 lbs. of sausage into small pieces. Place olive oil in the bottom of a large soup pot and heat. Add sausage and let it brown. Stirring frequently. Add chopped onions. Cook until they become transparent. Add garlic and spices and blend well.

Once sausage and onions are cooked, add the tomato paste and work through the mixture.

Stir in fire roasted tomatoes, chicken broth and bay leaves. Bring to a rolling boil and let cook on low for 30 minutes. While this is cooking, cook your pasta per the directions on the box.

BOTTOM OF THE BOWL:

• 8 oz. ricotta cheese
• 1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper

Mix the above ingredients in a small bowl, set aside while noodles are cooking.

Now it's time to fix a bowl of goodness! Place a large spoonful of the cheese mixture in the bottom of the bowl.

Cover cheese with cooked noodles.

Spoon the sausage and soup mixture over the top of the noodles. 

Top with mozzarella cheese. 

Adapted from: A Farmgirl's Dabbles