Lasagna Soup

Sorry I haven't blogged since before Christmas. It has been so crazy around here but never fear I've been cooking like crazy and taking lots of pictures! ;)

Tonight I made lasagna soup. This soup is so delicious, hearty, and filling!! I have only ever been able to eat a single bowl at a time. Even if you didn't know the name of this soup, with your very first bite your first thought would be that you were eating lasagna with your soup spoon.



This fed my family of 4 eaters (2 adults, a teenage boy, and a toddler) with very little leftover and only takes about 45 minutes to make from start to dinner's served.

Ingredients

FOR THE Soup:

• 1lb ground beef
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 tbsp crushed garlic
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 14oz (1 can) crushed tomatoes
• 14 oz (1 can) petite diced tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 8 lasagna noodles, broken into bite size, cooked
• 1 cup reserved pasta water
• 2 tsp thyme
• 2 tsp parsley
• Salt & pepper to taste
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FOR THE cheese garnish:




• 8oz Ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella 
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
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Utensils you'll need:




• Dutch oven/ large soup pot
• Colander 
• Stirring spoon
• Cutting board
• Cutting knife
• Medium Bowl for cheese
• Pot big enough to cook noodles
• Tongs
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Directions

FOR THE Soup:




1. Brown ground beef in soup pot                                
2. Drain grease and leave in colander for now. Don't worry about any grease in the pot. 
3. Sautée diced onion and garlic in any remaining grease in the soup pot until onions are soft. I like a slight crunch for texture so I don't sautée mine but for about 3-5 minutes. If you like the flavor but not the crunch then you will definitely want to cook them a bit longer.
4. Once onions are cooked to desired doneness, add seasonings, chicken broth, tomatoes, and tomato paste. I mistakenly bought all regular diced tomatoes when I last when shopping instead of the petite diced and crushed tomatoes I needed. Simple fix. I opened my cans and poured them into my blender. I blended them on the lowest setting while I counted to three. As you can see they can out at a pretty perfect consistency.                                                                           
5. Bring to boil stirring frequently then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes
6. While soup is simmering start boiling water to cook lasagna noodles per the package instructions. 
7. I broke each lasagna noodle up into about 4 pieces. *side note* I am normally all about the bargain brand but not with your pasta. There is not much difference in price at all, but a definite difference in quality. Your name brand lasagna noodles are heavier/thicker so cook differently. The name brand ones also have ridges which help as a kind of sponge for your gravy/sauce or in this case soup. 
8. Once pasta is cooked, drain 1 cup of the pasta water into a non shatter measuring cup. Don't worry about draining the whole pot. If you drain all the water the noodles will quickly start sticking to each other and will often tear when you try to take them apart. Instead leave the water in and merely take the pot off the heat/burner. Use a pair of tongs and remove each noodle transferring straight to the soup pot. Stir well
9. In separate bowl mix your 3 cheeses with a regular spoon 
10. Taste your soup and add salt and pepper to your taste. Remember to add small amounts at a time. You can always add more but taking away salt is a bit trickier ;) 
11. Serve up your soup while hot adding a dollop of cheese on top. The cheese will melt and add some serious flavor.                                                              

Hope you enjoy this as much as my family does!

































































































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