If you are someone who always checks the menu at an Italian restaurant to see if they have lasagna listed as an entrée, boy have I got a soup for you!
I’ve wanted to try my hand at making lasagna soup for a while now and finally got around to it. Now, I’m kicking myself for not making it sooner because it is sooo delizioso. One spoonful had me making “Mmm” sounds. It truly tastes like you are eating a very special version of lasagna as the flavor is spot on. Hubby Roger thought the same, and we hardly spoke to one another as we ate the soup because we didn’t want to waste time talking between spoonfuls, lol.
The soup itself is deliciously savory with its soffritto base (although there is no celery), garlic, tomatoes, chicken broth, herbs, and your choice of either ground beef or Italian sausage. What knocks it out of the park is the cheese topping which is a mixture of ricotta, Italian blend cheese, and Romano. The recipe I worked with called for mozzarella rather than the 5-cheese Italian blend I used. I’ve never been a fan of mozzarella as it’s just too chewy for me. There’s a little mozzarella in the Italian blend but it’s balanced by the other cheeses. I also swapped the Parmesan for Romano cheese as I grew up on Romano and prefer its stronger flavor.
Anyway, hubby and I finished the leftover soup last night, and we were both sad that it was all gone. I have just enough ricotta left over to make more topping for another big pot of this frantastic lasagna soup. And, boy, am I happy that I had the foresight to buy two boxes of mafalda pasta. I love the wavy sides which mimic regular-sized lasagna pasta. Whole Foods sells the DeCecco brand which is called Mafalde Corte Pasta and is precut, so you don’t have to break any long pieces up. If you can’t find this pasta, bowties or rotini pasta would work just fine.
Three guesses as to what’s on next week’s menu, and the last two don’t count!
Lasagna Soup
Ingredients for the Soup
- 1 lb. ground Italian sausage or ground beef (I used sweet Italian sausage)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/2 cup diced carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
- 2 large cloves garlic, finely minced
- 3 cans (15 oz. each) crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- 6 to 8 cups chicken broth (depends on how thick or brothy you prefer your soup—I used 6 cups)
- 8 to 12 ounces (3 to 4 cups) mafalda (mini), bowtie, or rotini pasta, cooked separately*
- Romano cheese for sprinkling on top when serving
*I always cook any pasta for soup separately and add it to the individual soup bowls. That way it stays al dente rather than get overcooked and soft in the soup pot. I store any leftover pasta in a Tupperware bowl and stir a little olive oil into it so that the pasta doesn’t stick together.
Ingredients for Cheese Topping
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Directions
For the cheese topping, stir together all the ingredients together until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
In a 6-quart pot over medium heat, cook the sausage or ground beef, onions, carrots and garlic until the meat is no longer pink (break the meat into small pieces as it cooks). Drain any excess grease if needed.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, bay leaf, salt, pepper, 6 cups broth and pasta. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the pasta is tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Add additional broth, if needed, to thin.
Serve the soup in bowls with spoonsful of the cheese topping and additional Romano cheese if desired (yes, please!) on top.
Source: A recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
