{Recipe} One Pot Lasagna Soup

It's been "cold" here lately (don't ask what cold is in LA) & I've been wanting to make some feel good hearty dishes without the super heavy-ness of comfort food since we just came back from a week of stuffing our faces with our families in Michigan. I've never made soup before, but my sister has been talking about this dish for a LONG time, so I finally decided to give it a shot. It. Is. Awesome.  I love pasta & all things Italian, so it's no surprise I would be drawn to this recipe.  It literally tasted like a warm, rich Italian party. Yes, a warm, rich, Italian party. You get all the awesome flavors of lasagna without feeling like you just ate a brick. (A brick?? Ok, I couldn't come up with any other great analogy.)  It was fairly easy to make & lasted for three nights which was great. Less cooking for me! It was fairly easy to make & only required one pot which I know my dishwasher J appreciated. I will absolutely absolutely absolutely make this again.  I did modify the recipe just a bit because I felt the meat/soup ratio & noodle/soup ratio were just a bit off.  You can find the original recipe at A Farm Girl's Dabbles. 

Serves: 6-8

Cook Time Acc to Me: 1 hour 45 mins

How Difficult? Not too bad!

For the Soup:

2 tsp Olive Oil

1 lb Italian Sausage (omit for vegetarian option!) I used already ground mild sausage

3 c. chopped yellow onions (2 large yellow onions)

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (orig. recipe called for 1/2, but was a bit spicy for me)

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 28 oz diced tomatoes (I used basil/oregano flavored)

6 c. chicken stock

8 oz. Fusilli pasta

1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves

salt & pepper to taste

For the "Cheesy Yum" dollop at the bottom of the bowl

8 oz low fat Ricotta cheese

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of pepper

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into smaller pieces as it browns. Brown completely. 10-15 mins.

Add onions & cook until softened, about 5-6 mins.

Stir in garlic, oregano & red pepper flakes & cook for 1 min.

Add in tomato paste & mix thoroughly.  Cook for 3-4 mins or until paste turns a rusty brown color

Add diced tomatoes & chicken stock. Stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat & simmer for 30 mins.

Add in uncooked pasta & cook until noodles are al dente. Took mine about 15 mins.

Right before serving, stir in basil

Right before serving, combine Ricotta, Parm, salt & pepper for the cheesy yum

Scoop a dollop of the cheesy yum & place at the bottom of each bowl. Cover with soup & let sit a few mins so the cheese melts a bit.

Enjoy!