Lasagna Soup

Today I tried a recipe that my sister sent me... it's called lasagna soup. Yeah, I know, it sounds a little weird. It was actually pretty easy to make (I made sure to prep everything first... that makes it a lot quicker). I used the mozzarella cheese and it was delicious!

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
2 cups onions, chopped
1 cup carrots, diced
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
4+ cups chicken broth
1 can (14 1/2oz.) Italian-style stewed tomatoes, chopped
1 can (10 3/4oz) tomato sauce
1 cup uncooked mafalda pasta (mini lasagna noodles) - penne or fusilli OK
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 cup provolone cheese or fresh mozzarella, diced
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
4 tsp. thinly sliced fresh basil

Brown sausage in a large soup-pot (or saucepan) over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in garlic; sauté 3 minutes.

Add broth, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce, bring to a boil. Drop in pasta and simmer until the pasta is done (about 10 minutes). Stir in spinach and cook until wilted

Place ¼ cup of the diced cheese into each soup bowl and pour soup on top. Garnish with Parmesan and basil shreds.

Lasagna Soup

I made this tonight because Mike is at a meeting - he's not a big fan of chunks of tomatoes or onion. That said, it all cooks down very nicely and I really think he's going to like it. I used more noodles than the recipe called for (a whole box of penne) and so I added a little more chicken broth at the end to make sure I had enough liquid. Delicious!