With spring officially arriving last weekend, this house could pretty much assume that soup would be a rarity for a few months. I’m just not the kind to put a hot pot on the stove during the spring and summer, unless we have some unseasonably cool weather. My husband, on the other hand, would welcome a cup of hot chili or soup almost any day of the year.
But just as soon as spring finally decided to peek out, it disappeared.
Gone.
Nowhere to be found.
When we awoke Wednesday morning, it was to the broadcast of yet another winter storm warning. The midwest was cold and once again blanketed in snow. It’s been one heckuva white winter in these parts!
But you know the saying…“if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”…
So I made soup!
I found this Lasagna Soup recipe in our local Kowalski’s Markets magazine, originally from the cookbook 300 Sensational Soups. I’ve always had good luck with recipes that Kowalski’s prints, but what especially caught my eye was that Chef Sarah Molten named 300 Sensational Soups as one of the top cookbooks of the year on Good Morning America’s Top 10 List for 2008. And one of the book’s co-authors is a local Minnesotan. I really felt the need to taste this soup!
The soup is truly like lasagna in a bowl. The flavors are lovely. And the cheesy concoction that gets hot soup ladeled over it in your bowl is yum! Kinda like this Chicken Tortilla Soup with its hidden mozzarella surprise. Only in Italian this time!
I substituted mafalda pasta for the recipe’s fusilli, because aren’t they just the cutest mini lasagna looking noodles you ever did see? I couldn’t resist!
And after picking up 300 Sensational Soups, I know I will be trying more recipes from this book. There are many calling my name.
But, next week, folks…I promise you’ll be seeing spring around here. Even if all I see outside is white.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
- 3 c. chopped onions
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 T. tomato paste
- 1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 c. chicken stock
- 8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta
- 1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 oz. ricotta
- 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- pinch of freshly ground pepper
- 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
Preparation
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, 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. 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 and absorb all the soup broth. You may even want to consider cooking the noodles separately, and then adding some to individual bowls before ladling the soup over them. This would be an especially smart move if you are anticipating any leftovers. Right before serving, stir in the basil 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.
Source
Source: Adapted from 300 Sensational Soups by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds, as seen in the February-April 2011 edition of At Home with Kowalski's magazine from Kowalski’s Markets.
I’m linking up with:
Cheryl at TidyMom for “I’m Lovin’ It”
Kim at Quit Eating Out for “Saturday Swap”
Rachel at A Southern Fairytale for “Mouthwatering Mondays”.
This is RIDICULOUSLY, ABSURDLY Delicious. I am so serious!!! I am eating this as I type and I think my mouth has taken a trip to heaven!!! Thank you so much for sharing this FABULOUS recipe. I don’t do “chunky” tomatoes well, but I love the flavor they add to recipes and so I just put mine through the blender. And the “dollop” of cheesy yum at the bottom…I just don’t have words…HEAVENLY!!!
What a delicious meal! I made this last night for my boyfriend and best friend! What a hit! I also have a food blog and linked back to this recipe from my blog (http://msfishfood.blogspot.com/2011/12/ill-take-blame.html) Thanks for a great meal I will continue to make!
So if you dont like ricotta would cottage cheese work as a substitute?
Hi Jen! If you like cottage cheese in your lasagna, I’m sure that would be fine. But I think it would get loosened up in the soup, where the ricotta keeps more of a form. I might also try some fresh mozzarella, cubed. It would get melty and gooey with the hot soup.
Lasagna Soup.
I used 1 # spicy Italian sausage and 1# mild.
I used at least double the noodles and I didn’t add basil because I didn’t have any. And I didn’t salt and pepper it.
Thanks, Laura – hope you liked it!
Having this for “linner” as I type this and it is heaven in our mouths!! Perfect for a rainy dreary wintery Arizona day
Do you think it would still turn out super delish if I kept the sausage out and substituted veg broth for chicken?
Curious of your opinion, thanks dear!
Hello, Stina! I think substituting those ingredients will still make for a delicious soup. It will just be a bit different. I’d love to know your thoughts once you try it.
Oh my goodness…this soup was so good! My new favorite soup. Perfect for a damp Iowa night. I used turkey sausage because we had my parents over and they prefer to not eat pork or beef and it was delicious. I can’t wait to make it again. So delicious – thanks so much for sharing!
I’m so happy you liked this soup, Amy – thanks for letting me know!
Hi Farmgirl,
I loved this recipe and thought I would give it a try! It turned out to be a failed attempt because silly me used a slow cooker and the pasta turned to starchy mush! (oh well such is cooking!) but you gave me inspiration to make another themed soup! The rest of the soup still tasted fine so i pulled out the pasta and added corn and beans and turned it into a Mexican taco soup, which was very amazing! thank you for the inspiration my final modified recipe for Healthy Taco Soup is at (i credited you):
http://skinnyhealthylifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/12/turkey-taco-soup.html
Thanks Dee Dee
Dee Dee recently posted..Turkey Taco Soup
Would making this in a crock pot work if the noodles were added in the last 30 or so minutes? I love slow cooker recipes, so if I could do that with this soup as well I’d love to!
(Totally making this soup tonight though! 
)
Although I have not made it in a crockpot, I do believe it would work well. Please let me know how it goes, thanks!
This soup is out of this world good. It comes together quickly and has a lot of flavor. It’s a big hit!
Yay! Thanks for letting me know, Mandy!
This is now our family’s absolute favorite recipe. It is delicious! It is quick, easy, and soooooo satisfying. One of my daughters is lactose intolerant, the other loves cheese. Having the cheese put in individual bowls makes this recipe work for both. The only modification I make to the recipe is that I use a whole can of tomato paste.
Thank you, thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’m so glad you can make this work for your whole family!! Thanks, Karen.
What other noodles would work with this soup? The two you mentioned are quite pricey and hard to find at my local grocery store.
Hi Wendye – I would try rotini!
I just wanted to thank you for a yummy recipe. I found it through pinterest and finally made it last night. It was a winner! Thanks so much.
Have a Merry Christmas!
So happy to hear you liked it, Carolyn! And Merry Christmas to you, too!
i made this tonight, but since my husband is not a ricotta fan i used some sour cream instead (about 4 oz)….SO good! and it had rave reviews from the 2 and 4 year old in the house too
thanks for sharing!
So happy your whole family liked this, Adrienne!
This was an awesome dish! I think the leftovers were almost better than the original! I’ll definitely make it again!
Heather recently posted..Lasagna Soup
Wonderful! Thanks for letting me know. I just put the ingredients on our grocery list to make this weekend again!
yumm! this looks so ridiculously good! I love to make soups when it’s cold out… which I’m still waiting for some snow in Wisconsin, but when it comes, this soup will definitely be first on my list to make! and gorgeous pictures by the way!
http://adashofmegnut.blogspot.com
Thanks, Megan – I hope you like it!!
I made a vegetarian version and it turned out delightful and tasty! I used faux sausage (usually I avoid fake meats but I knew this would need some ompf) and veggie broth. So tasty and perfect for the cold (relatively speaking, I’m in Texas) weather.
Hello Mariah – There are so many ways to tweak this great recipe – I’m so glad you found your own way to enjoy it!
The Lasagna Soup is an A+. My whole family loves, loves, loves, this soup. I have made it 2 times already and everyone wants the recipe. The one think I did different is I don’t put the noodles in the sauce as they get to mushy, so I cooked them separate. Thanks so much for sharing this fantastic recipe.
Is this spicy at all? Thinking of omitting the red pepper flakes..
Hi Debbie! My girls don’t like much for heat, and they never complain about the amount of red pepper flakes in this recipe. But if you’re unsure, just omit – it will still be great!
Has anyone ever tried ground beef instead of sausage?
Yes, I’ve been told some have tried that & liked it. We are actually making this soup today using a combo of half Italian pork sausage, half ground beef. I think you could use whatever you like, and it will be great. I personally really like the Italian pork sausage, but it’s a very versatile recipe. Hope you like it!
I can’t wait to try this, it looks awesome. I also love the bowl it is pictured in. Do you know where I could find them?
I can’t wait to try this recipe, it looks wonderful. Do you know where I may be able to find the stoneware you have it in. I love it.
That bowl is a 1-of-a-kind, made by a potter I work with, Wayne Branum. He does beautiful work! I hope you like the soup!!
I cannot wait to try this. Cooking it for my boyfriend’s family tomorrow night! I will let you know what I think! Thanks for the recipe!
Kat McLeod recently posted..I’m in love with….
We are making this today, too!
Hope you like it!
This sounds amazing.
Happy New Year from Cape Cod. Just made this soup and it was FABULOUS! Have already sent the link to 3 friends. Thank you!
So glad you liked it, and thanks for sharing it! Happy New Year to you, too!
Made this for the family on Christmas day and everyone loved it. I don’t usually cook, but this recipe was super easy to follow.
Wonderful! So glad everyone liked it!
This soup is delicious! I made it for a group of friends and everyone asked for the recipe before they left. When they came into the house they said it even smelled good outside. Easy to follow recipe and all the ingredients are easy to find.
Thank you, Sue – so glad you liked it!
Made this tonight for dinner…..we LOVED it!!! I will be adding this as a permanent recipe! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful soup, glad I found it on pinterest.com!
Thanks for letting me know, Darcey – happy you liked it!!
We tried this soup and absolutely love it! I am not a fan of chunky tomatoes so pureed them to solve that. I substitued mini farfalle for pasta and thought it worked fine. It’s a keeper! Thanks for sharing!
So glad you liked it, Lynne!!
This soup is beyond amazing! Thank you so much for posting it! My boyfriend & I love it! I’m definitely adding lasagna soup into my recipe book! I did make a few tweaks to the recipe…I used rotini noodles, italian-style diced tomatoes, & mild italian sausage. I also didn’t add bay leaves because I didn’t have any. I will recommend this soup to everyone I know!
Thank you so much, Tierney! I’m so happy you liked this soup!
this was soooooo good…a few things i changed though…i only used a cup of onions, used farfalle pasta, and i couldnt find the fire roasted tomato so i used the garlic and basil tomatoes. i also like the on comment i saw that the person blended the diced tomatoes, ill probably do that next time. but still an amazing recipe, my tummy thanks you.
This was absolutely simple and delicious! Much less labor-intensive than making lasagna! My family LOVED IT! A new fave – thank you
)
So glad you liked it!!
Found this on pinterest and I’m so exited to make it! Planning to do so for dinner tonight. I’ll be using ground beef since I just bought a bunch, hoping it’ll be an okay substitute!
I’m a huge fan of lasagna and soup so combining the two is a dream come true! This was heaven! I’ve shared it with everyone I could and already had a co-worker make it as well (she used ground beef instead and said it was just as delicious). I made it before Christmas and I’m making another batch this weekend for the upcoming week. Thank you for sharing the delicious yumminess!
Making this right now and SO excited!! One question, do you find that the noodles get soggy/overcooked when you reheat the leftovers? Do you suggest keeping the base and noodles separate for leftovers?
Thanks!
I just made this soup on Tuesday and didn’t have any issues reheating the pot on the stove on Wednesday or microwaving the rest on Thursday.
Hi Amy! The noodles can get soggy if left to soak up the broth. If I make a double recipe, I am sure to cook the noodles separately. Great to hear from you, thanks!!
My girlfriend and I make this all the time. You did good!!! It is fun to make as a couple because there is time to hang out and drink wine in the middle. Thanks for the recipe!
Did this in the crock-pot…my house smelled glorious when I came home from a long day at work! Thank you for a great recipe….my hubby and I really enjoyed it!
Thank you for sharing! I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this soup!!! I couldn’t find the noodles in the store so I just broke up lasagna noodles and it was perfect. My daughter (who is not a big eater) ate three bowls of it last night.
This was wonderful. The cheesy yum was yum-yum-yum!! I used pre-cooked Italian meatballs and whole wheat lasagna noodles broken to small, edible pieces. Completely amazing and definitely a cold weather go-to meal! Thank you!! I’ve told everyone I know how awesome this recipe is!
I am a huge soup fan (I even eat it in the summer here in Arizona when its crazy hot outside) and this is the best soup ever!! We’re not big on ricotta in my house, so I used cottage cheese instead and its still delicious. I’ve made it 4 times in the last 2 months and everyone loves it. Fantastic recipe, I’m so glad I came across it.
We generally do not like Ricotta either, but in this recipe…it is amazing!
Just made this tonight – yum!! I thought it was delicious. I used italian chicken sausage and skipped the ricotta, and it tasted great! Thanks!!
Made this soup tonight and it was fantastic! I used a whole can of tomato paste, a little more red pepper flakes and added roasted red pepper seasoning. It had a kick but was mild enough for a 3 year old to eat… he gobbled it right down! Thanks!
This was very yummy! My kids liked it too. I accidentally put too much pasta in there so it turned out more like lasagna stew, but it was still great! I used cottage cheese as I’m not a huge fan of ricotta and it stayed together no problem. Scrumptious!
This is delicious! I just finished making it using bow tie pasta as my grocery store didn’t have the suggested kind. I haven’t even tried it over the cheese yet and I’m sold. I hope my family will enjoy it as much as I do. Great recipe!
de-to-the-lish!
definately adding to our rotation! everyone loved it including the three children. i did 1/2 sausage and 1/2 ground beef and used regular diced tomatoes to cut some heat… yummy! trying the chicken tortilla soup this evening.
sandi recently posted..and i thought she was napping
Wonderful to hear from you, Sandi! I’m so glad you liked the lasagna soup, and would love to hear what you think of the chicken tortilla soup – they’re both favorites around here. Thanks for visiting!!
hubby and i thought the tortilla soup was wonderful. don’t know what tortilla crisps are but i cut strips of tortilla’s and placed them in the oven for about five minutes so they were crispy ~ probably close to the same thing. the only thing i added was about two cups of kidney beans for more texture. and the best thing? it was a hit with the children ~~~ well, two of the three liked it. the three year old had left over spaghetti. now what soup should i try next?
sandi recently posted..and i thought she was napping
Yay!! The tortilla strips shown in the photo…I found at our local grocery store, next to salad croutons. My daughter suggests you try the Creamy Turkey or Chicken & Wild Rice Soup or the Bacon Mushroom Cheeseburger Soup next!
Made this would over Christmas break and then made it again today for the whole family that was over to my daughters birthday gathering and it was a HIT! Thanks for sharing.
So happy you liked it!
Does this REALLY call for THREE cups of onion?? Seems like alot for only 2 tsp of oil…
Yes, that’s correct. First the sausage is cooked for 5 minutes & then the onions are added to the sausage. It works great!
I’ve made this twice now since finding it on Pinterest in December – the first time I added frozen spinach after adding the pasta, the second time I added a whole bag of fresh spinach and fresh mushrooms. Both were DELICIOUS. Thanks so much for sharing this – my family enjoys it tremendously!
I love hearing about variations – thank you! So glad your family likes this, too!
I just made this and I LOVE it. I did half turkey sausage and half HOT Italian sausage and it was perfect for this cold night. Thank you so much for the recipe! It has now become a staple for the winter months!
Yay!! Thanks for letting me know!
Hello…I can’t wait to try this! How much Tom paste do I use?
2 tablespoons! Hope you like it!