I’ve told you time and time again, that Lloyd and I just aren’t pasta people.
I know we’re in the minority on this one. And no, we are not on an Atkins diet in this house! Unless of course, the Atkins diet has been modified to include caramel apple cookies, fudgy pumpkin swirl brownies, orange and white chocolate chip scones, and BBQ chicken pizza. If that’s the case, then yes, we are totally dieting in this house.
Lloyd claims to be particular about which shapes of pasta he will eat. He enjoys tortellini and ravioli, obviously because they are stuffed with cheese. If you were to ask him, he “only likes ziti,” not spaghetti. Truly, he means he prefers short or tube-shaped pasta to long pasta. My favorite shapes are the fun ones like gemelli, fusilli and farfalle, which are all acceptable in Lloyd’s diet. Dishes made with these carbtastic goodies are always much more appealing in my eyes.
One pasta dish Lloyd never turns down? Lasagna.
When I saw this recipe for lasagna soup on Baked Bree, I was intrigued. Sort of like my BBQ Chicken Pizza Soup, it seemed so crazy that it just might work. With a few tweaks, I was able to lighten it up to make a winning combo of the ultimate Italian comfort food in a soup with a rich tomato broth. We enjoyed this soup just as the weather began to turn chilly here in New England. I made it on a picturesque fall day, when the leaves were turning and the breeze was blowing them through my yard. Cooking in my cozy clothes with the aroma from this soup bubbling away made for a wonderful afternoon.
Lasagna Soup
Adapted from A Farm Girl’s Dabbles
Serves 8
Ingredients
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2 tsp olive oil
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3 C chopped onions
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1.5 lbs. sweet Italian turkey sausage, cut into bite size pieces, casings removed
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5 garlic cloves, minced
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2 tsp dried oregano
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dash crushed red pepper flakes
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2 Tbsp tomato paste
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28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
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2 bay leaves
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8 C chicken stock
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6 oz. whole wheat fusilli pasta
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1/2 C fresh basil leaves, chopped
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salt and pepper, to taste
Cheese Topping
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8 oz. part-skim ricotta
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1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese
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pinch of freshly ground pepper
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2 C reduced-fat or fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
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Heat olive over in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, and cook until soft. Add sausage and brown until almost cooked through.
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Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for one minute.
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Add tomato paste, stirring well to incorporate.
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Add tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
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Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. (Pasta will get mushy if it simmer too long.)
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Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheese topping. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.
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Place a dollop of the topping over each serving, and sprinkle with mozzarella. Place under broiler to brown, or wait until cheese has melted to serve.
*Tips: You will likely need to add extra broth to the leftovers, as the pasta will absorb a lot of the liquid. Alternatively, you could boil the pasta separately, and add them to the soup before serving.*
Make this soup according to your tastes! It can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the meat. Some of my swaps included subbing turkey sausage, whole wheat pasta, and lower-fat cheeses. The result was spectacular, and we certainly didn’t miss any of the extra fat or calories.
Less labor intensive than traditional lasagna, this soup is a great substitute for the real deal. It takes everything you love about your Italian grandmother’s signature dish and eases the process. Brimming with familiar flavors (but minus the heaviness of lasagna) this soup is sure to win over any crowd.
Oooh looks and sounds incredible!
Omg this looks INCREDIBLE Liz!! Soooo bookmarked!!!
I’ll be right over with my tupperware
Mmmmm
@Katrina @ In Katrina’s Kitchen, If only there were leftovers!
@Claire, Just as delicious as it looks!
@Shannon Promise it is!
This looks amazing!! I can’t wait to make it
@Estela @ Weekly Bite, It takes some serious prep but it’s SO worth the effort!
This soup looks and sounds all kinds of wonderful and comforting. I’m a pasta (and soup) lover so the title of this post alone already won me over.
Love this soup!!!
Oh my gosh, this looks amazing! I am always on the hunt for new soup recipes – I can’t wait to try this!
What a great idea! This is genius. It looks and sounds so good. I am totally making this!
Lasagna soup? Are you kidding me? This is genious! Love it! Where have you and your blog been all my life? ha! Can’t wait to try this! YUM!!! I might like the leftovers that absorb alot of the liquid. I like my soup to have juts a little liquid. Weird.
This recipe will be made in a kitchen in Denmark in the very near future! It just looks perfect – I can’t wait to try it.
And thanks for a great blog – I really enjoy it
@Lone, Thank you!
@STUFT Mama, Then don’t add extra broth!
@Dee at Deelicious Sweets, It’s delish!
@Chocolate, Cheese and Wine, Different and delicious!
@Belinda @zomppa, Thanks!
@Jean (Lemons and Anchovies), This is a soup for you, then!
Oh my….this sounds like heaven! SO SO GOOD!
love this idea! i’ve done deconstructed lasagna before as a casserole type thing, but not as soup!
Wow you’re all over the out-of-the-box soups these days!
Now that looks amazing. I will never undersand how you’re not a pasta person. Carbs for everyone! <—My campaign slogan should I run for president.
I haven’t seen lasagna soup before. What a fun idea!
@Barbara @ Barbara Bakes, A bit out of the box!
@Lindsay @ Schnoodle Soup, It doesn’t fill me! But this was more my style!
@Emily @ A Cambridge Story, Totally fashion forward. That’s me.
@brandi, It’s different and wonderful!
@Lauren, It was a little like heaven.
Wow, that looks so, so good! I’ve never had lasagna soup, but I am a ladle-on-the-sauce-kinda girl and bet this would be delicious
That sounds crazy good! And so much lighter than eating a big fat slab of lasagna!
Lasagna as a soup?!?! Diabolical! Totally making this! Pinned it and buzzed it!
Crazzzzzy…. I can’t even believe it. It’s almost too good to be true. acck!
I’ve never seen lasagna soup before. Looks delicious and love the flavors. Will def have to try!
What a splendid idea! I have never heard of lasagna soup before but it sure does look amazing!
Absolutely fab looking dish!! Bookmarked
This looks amazing! And believe it or not, Manatee and I are with you guys- we are just not pasta people. Especially Manatee! I bet he would love this soup though. We’ll have to try it. Thanks for sharing!
Holy Cow – that is some kind of soup! Thanks SO much for sharing! I’ve bookmarked and buzzed!
I’m with you on pasta in general. I’ll eat it but it doesn’t get me excited. However, I love soup so this looks like a keeper.
Ha! Our husbands must know eachother. My husband only likes certain pasta shapes too. He doesn’t like any shapes that are too “noodley” as he would say. I’m still not sure exactly what that means. I really loved the idea of your bbq chicken pizza soup, and I really love this one too. One of the only pasta dishes my husband requests is lasagna. We don’t make it often because it’s so heavy though. I really can’t wait to try this soup!
@Alyssa, Right, it’s all pasta! Although, I’m a bit guilty myself…
@Salad in a Jar, I hope you’ll try it!
@Ann, Thanks, hope you try it and love it!
@Kimberly (Badger Girl), Hope you try it, too!
@easyfoodsmith,
@Mellissa (sevimel), Why thank ya!
@Jen at The Three Little Piglets, Exactly!
Oh this looks amazing and like comfort in a bowl. I totally want this!
Hey Liz! I just wanted to let you know that I loved your soup so much that I recently made it and just posted about it! Thanks again for sharing it, I really loved it!