Lasagna Soup

Source: This site, via Pinterest, with some alterations based on what I had in my cupboards/fridge

Servings:  8

Ingredients:
for the soup:
2 teaspoons olive oil (skipped this because I was using ground beef)
1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage (I had about 3/4 lb ground beef in the fridge - it seemed to be a perfect amount.  Double would be a ton of meat, I think!)
3 cups chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced (I had three, so I used three.)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons tomato paste (I learned that you can freeze your leftover tomato paste (you know how you get a 6 oz can but only need a tablespoon or two in recipes? annoying!) to use for later - I just scooped out 2 tablespoon sized blobs onto some waxed paper and popped it in the freezer till they were frozen solid, then moved the cubes to a ziplock baggie till I'll need it again in the future.)  (Another note: sometimes when I don't have any tomato paste around, I just leave it out and sub a can of tomato sauce instead - no browning - and it turns out fine.)
1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes (I used one 14.5 oz can of Italian stewed tomatoes and one 14.5 oz can of regular stewed tomatoes.)
2 bay leaves (I don't have regular bay leaves, but I had some random crushed ones that I just added a few shakes of)
6 cups chicken stock (I used three 14.5 oz cans chicken broth + 1 can water)
8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta (I broke up 6 big lasagna noodles that I had in an open box and added a handful of rotini or macaroni)
1/2 cups finely chopped fresh basil leaves (I didn't have any fresh basil, so I just added a few shakes of dried)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the cheesy yum:
8 oz. ricotta (I used 1 cup cottage cheese)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage (or ground beef), breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock (and basil, if you're using dried). Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy. Stir in basil (if it's fresh) and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Notes:
Oh my!  Was this ever delicious.  I love lasagna and I love soup and this was the perfect combination of the two.  Holy smokes, it was amazing.  Paired with a slice of homemade French bread (the other loaf from the recipe I made last week), it made a marvelous wintery (it's winter here in Colorado, in case you hadn't heard) meal.  Make it today!