Lasagna Soup

We don't go to Topeka so that Jill can feed us. But, come to think of it, it is a bonus. On our most recent trip for basketball and tennis, Jill served us a Lasagna Soup. Both Randy and I thought it was delicious. Turns out, it was a recipe from one of her favorite cooking sites, Carlsbad Cravings. 

It was a frigidly cold weekend. We watched Brooke play three basketball games during a tournament. 

That evening, we took Kinley and watched her compete in tennis match play at an indoor tennis facility. I'm sure she wasn't cold, but even indoors, Randy and I were chilly and half hoped that leftover lasagna soup would be on the table when we got her back home.  (It wasn't, and Jill served an equally tasty evening meal that night.)

A birthday shopping trip to Kansas City for a recent 13-year-old was also on the weekend agenda. If Jill is going to KC, she usually takes a cooler so she can take a side trip to Trader Joe's. I always enjoy tagging along with either Jill or Susan because it's so different from what I'm used to. 

On this trip, I kept my eyes out for items that might survive the long trip back to south central Kansas. Because the lasagna soup was so fresh on our minds, both Jill and I thought Trader Joe's gigli pasta would be a great substitute instead of breaking apart lasagna noodles that was suggested in the original Carlsbad Cravings recipe. (Jill had used wagon wheel pasta, which was great, too, but we thought the gigli pasta even resembled miniature lasagna noodles.) 

So I bought a bag of that, plus the Trader Joe brand of spaghetti sauce to use. I also bought a loaf of tasty-looking focaccia bread. (I can make my own - and have - but this looked too good to pass up. Click HERE for the recipe I've used in the past.)

I was only home a day or so before I made the recipe myself. Even though it MAY have tasted better when someone else made it, it was delicious yet again, and I know it will be a go-to recipe during soup season. The leftovers were just as tasty.

Easy Lasagna Soup

From Carlsbad Cravings via Jill

 

1 pound lean ground beef or half Italian sausage (I used hamburger)
1 yellow onion, diced
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
¼ – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (opt. - I didn't use)
1 24-oz. jar good quality tomato-based pasta sauce
8-10 cups low sodium chicken broth, divided
1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tsp EACH dried parsley, dried oregano, salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 whole bay leaf 

10 uncooked lasagna noodles, broken into approx. 1-2 inch pieces*
1/2 cup heavy cream, optional

 

Cheese Garnish (optional)

Shredded or shaved mozzarella cheese

Freshly finely grated or shaved Parmesan cheese 

Ricotta cheese

 

** NOTE:

You may use 2 1/2 cups of smaller shaped pasta instead of broken lasagna sheets. I used gigli noodles that had the look and curve of lasagna sheets without having to break apart noodles. If gigli noodles aren't readily available - like they aren't here - any pasta shape will work.

To make soup: Heat large Dutch oven/large soup pot over medium high heat. Add beef and onion and cook, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and onions tender. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for 30 seconds. Drain off any excess fat.

 

Add spaghetti sauce, 6 cups chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, sugar, spices, bay leaf and lasagna noodles. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until lasagna noodles are tender, stirring occasionally (approximately 20-30 minutes). 

Discard bay leaf and stir in heavy cream (optional) and 2-4 cups chicken broth to reach desired consistency. Garnish individual servings with desired amount of cheeses. Note: I did use the cream.

 

To reheat, you may have to add a little more chicken broth - or even a splash of water. Pasta in soup tends to soak up the moisture after sitting.