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”.
I love this dish! Especially the cheesy yum in the bottom of the bowl. This dish still tastes great as leftovers. It’s a must-try dish!
Thanks, Lesa – so happy you liked it, too!
Just made the Lasagna Soup. I used lasagna noodles which I broke up a little and cooked seperate from the rest of the recipe. My husband and son said to keep this one – it’s a ‘make it again’!!!
Thanks!!!
I made this tonight. I had to cook it ahead of time since we had an activity this evening. When I took it out of the refrigerator there was no broth! I had to add water and it was still good! But I’m wondering what happened?! I should also tell you I skipped the meat and added zuchinni! Yum!
Maybe next time ill cook the noodles seperate, so they don’t absorb the broth?
Hi Katie – the noodles do absorb the broth if not eaten right away. There have been a few comments on this post already where that has been addressed. But tonight I finally went ahead and added more info to the recipe about this very thing. Yes, if you don’t plan to eat it all right away, and in the first sitting, I would cook the noodles separately! I’ve thought about adding zucchini myself – thanks for letting me know. Glad you liked the soup!
Silly me! I didn’t read the other posts! I will try that next time! The zuchinni was really good in it. I added it when you cook the onions. I also used veggie broth and it was still REALLY good! I can’t wait to make it again! Thank you for the recipe!
I’m glad for your original comment. I NEEDED to update the recipe!
Have a great day!
I’m wandering if anyone has tried this crockpot-style? I’m wanting to make this tonight and I could even put it in the fridge in the crockpot overnight and take it to work with me in the morning. All of my coworkers are eager to try this recipe and I Thot I would bring it and put it on warm until lunch
Hello Amber! I have gotten questions about it, and believe that some have tried this in a crockpot, but I haven’t heard back from them or done it myself. My only caution would be to keep the noodles separate. They will get mushy if left in the soap overnight and then warmed up tomorrow. Just boil the noodles separately. After draining, I would suggest drizzling a bit of olive oil and giving them a toss so they don’t stick together so much. Then just have the noodles on the side for people to add to their bowl before ladling in the soup. I served it this way twice over the weekend & it works great. Hope you like it!
We had this wonderful soup at our niece’s wedding reception. Thanks, Aunt Vicki, Aunt Loralee, and Jenny, for cooking it up.
Now, has anyone tried making it with Boca Burger?
Aunt Carol
Wow, at a wedding reception? That’s awesome! So glad you liked it!
i am trying it with boca crumbles tonight! and I know it will be amazing ( we do not eat meat)
I’m sure you’re fully aware how much this photo has been pinned on Pinterest. I’ve seen it repinned so many times with excellent reviews attached so we had to try it. I made it for dinner last night and the hubby and I were impressed, it was SO yummy. We were both skeptical, as lasagna soup sounds a little funky but it was so so good. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad you liked it, too! Thanks for letting me know!
this seems like an epic idea! Must try!
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This was seriously one of the best soups I have ever made. Will definitely be making it regularly. Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks for letting me know, Jen. So happy you like it, too!
My friend made this for our families about a month and a half ago and it was soooooooo good. I have since made it a couple of times, as well as turned a few friends on to it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you for letting me know, Carrie. I’m so happy you are enjoying it.
Sign me up for that soup! YUMMMM.
Love the blog design too Brenda. Looks awesome!!
xoxo
Heather | Farmgirl Gourmet recently posted..Butternut Squash Olive Oil Cake with Clementine Glaze
Thank you so much, Heather! So nice to hear from you, hope all is well!
Brenda – love this recipe!! Thank you for sharing!!
Any idea how many calories is in one bowl?
Thanks!!
This was so delicious! It is definitely a recipe I will keep!
Hi – made this yesterday for our Souper Bowl party and kept it all but the noodles and the cheesy yum in the crockpot on warm/low. Fresh dried herbs are the key. Even the vegan said it smelled so good! I would definitely double this recipe and make for office potlucks because it’s unique and everyone (pretty much!) loves lasagne! BTW, littler kids love farfalle pastas if you can’t find mini-lasagne.
So glad you liked it, too!
Loved this! Delish and so perfect for Superbowl! Will be making it again, and again….
So glad you liked it, too, Susan!
Mmmmmmm! I used chicken sausage and part skim ricotta and mozzarella. Fantastic!
So glad you liked this, Stacie!
That. Looks. Yummy.
I absolutely love this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
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So glad you liked it, too, Ruth!
I made this recipe for the second time tonight! Absolutely delicious. I do not like sausage and substittuted ground beef which is delicious!
Wonderful! I have experimented with different levels of sausage and beef, and have found that it lacks a bit of the extra flavor when I use all beef, so I usually end up seasoning the soup a bit more then. So glad you liked this, too!
I made this recipe last night and it was REALLY delicious! Made the noodles separately from soup, like suggested. I realize that with all the noodles and cheese it’s just ridiculously delicious- but if you wanted to omit/reduce either of those elements for calories, just the soup part stands on its own. Will probably add some diced bell peppers and mushrooms next time! Mmmmm going to be eating leftovers for lunch today! Thank you!
I LOVE mushrooms in my lasagna, and have made this soup with that addition, too. I love the versatility of this recipe. So glad you liked it. Lucky you, lunch leftovers!
This was fantastic! My husband loved it! Thank you so much for sharing this!
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Pinned this on Pinterest and waited for a Texas cool down to try it. Made it last night and it was a huge hit with the family, especially my mother-in-law! Thanks for sharing!
So glad you liked this, Missy – thanks for letting me know!
Do you add mozarella to the cheesy yum? The instructions don’t specify. Thanks!
Hi Mallorie – if you look at the last paragraph in the preparation instructions, it says, “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.” Hope you like it!
O.M.G This tastes so wonderful. I’m 17 and heading off to college next year , so I’m trying to boost my recipe book so I can be self sufficient. i’m gonna blow them away with this dish. thanx!
So happy you liked this, too – thanks for letting me know!
I tried to make this soup and I am sad! There was no substance to it, it was just meat and tomatoes? I had to throw it out and make something else for dinner. I was vey excited to make this dish and while i was in the process it wasnt thickening up and didnt look like soup at all. Very sad
I made this tonight and cut the recipe in half as we are a family of two. I ended up adding almost all of a 15 oz can of regular diced tomatoes to sweeten it up a bit and baked the mozzarella cheese on top of the soup. I didn’t have fresh basil so I used dried and it turned out good. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Made this tonight and it turned out great! Only thing I did differently was add some Philadelphia Cooking Creme Italian Cheese & Herb to the cheese mixture. I wanted it to have more flavor and it was a great addition. I would have sworn I had just made lasagna, it was that good. Mine wasn’t quite as soupy and it’s because I didn’t add as much chicken stock, so it resembles lasagna more than soup, but still great! I will DEFINITELY be making this again. Thanks!
Found this on Pinterest, and I’m so glad I did! It was WONDERFUL! My family loved it- thanks for the great recipe.
Made it tonight and it was sooooo good! Only changes I made were to use vegetable broth (it was cheaper than chicken), turkey Italian sausage, and I added a bunch of kale. Great recipe!
I found this on Pinterest and I am so thankful I did. I had my Brother and Sister over for dinner and we made this. YUMMMMMMMMMMMMM is all I have to say. This soup was outstanding. I even put a link up on my facebook for everyone to come to your site and get the recipe.
The only thing I changed was, subsitituting the sausage with Portabella mushrooms cut in cubes. It kept that meaty characteristic to the soup.
Just made it again for my Mom and her Hubby!! They loved it and left with a copy of the recipe!!
Yay! Thanks for sharing!
Made this recently. Absolutely fantastic. The cheesy part makes it. Big hit with the family!
I made this today and it was excellent. I subbed ground turkey for the sausage and added a few extra spices and some salt. Perfect for a rainy cold day in Texas!
I love this soup! It converts so well to a vegetarian dish.
hi Brenda!
thank you so much for sharing this recipe – i made it tonight for the first time and it’s delish! one of the best soups i’ve ever had.
: )
Lisa
So happy you liked it, too!
Hi,
I am a vegetarian and I really want to try this recipe. I would be thankful if anyone can suggest which vegetables to replace the italian sausage with.
Hello Anna – I know many people have made this and left the meat out. Really, just use the veggies in the recipe, plus any others that you especially like.
Thanks a ton Brenda
this recipe is amazing! Ive made it a few times now and it’s received rave reviews. I also blogged it and listed your site as my resource. I really love your blog. I hope mine gorws up to be fantastic like yours one day.
xoxo
So nice to hear from you, Barbie – so glad you liked this soup, too – and thanks for your kind words about my site!
I made this tonight and LOVED IT. I didn’t change anything about the recipe and found it to be so so flavorful. Thank you for sharing
This dish was hit. My children just loved it. Thank you for sharing you recipe with us.
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Curious I make my lasagna with cottage cheese the way my mom used to make it because I dont like ricotta chesse… anyone think that would work in this soup would love to taste the flavors in this soup..
This is pretty much the best soup I have ever had. My husband could not stop raving about it. (In fact I just heard him say it again in the other room!) Thank you Pinterest for pointing me your way!
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P.S. Your photography is stunning!
Dawn (Dawn’s Recipes) recently posted..Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
Thank you, Dawn. So glad you and your husband liked the soup, too!
ah this sounds amazing! will definitely share on my facebook page!
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Im not a big soup person but this has to be by far the BEST soup ive ever tasted.. MUST TRY!!
this was amazing!!!! i used smoked sausage instead and it was awesome. my 50 pound 3rd grader who eats NOTHING lol just ate 3 bowls!!! your awesome i love you lol!!!
Yes, it’s hot outside. Yes, I even live in Florida…but omg was this soup ever tasty! If you are considering making it, pinning it, printing it, whatever…do it now!!!! A fantastic recipe, followed as written. Thanks for sharing…
I saw this recipe on Pinterest, and it looked like a winner. I was not disappointed after I made it tonight for dinner. Both my kids AND my husband loved it. The kids actually gave me applause after dinner! Thanks for sharing the fab recipe.
A
I just made this for dinner! OMG, I love it!! It’s so yummy and filling too! Thank you for the recipe! Will be cooking this from time to time from now on LOL.
I was wondering about freezing if… I could use a ice tray to keep the cheese seperate but can I freeze plain noodles? I am a freezer nut for easy lunches… Please advise
I was just gonna make lasagna tonight, but this looks even better! thanks for sharing!
Hope you like it, too!
Hi there. I just found this recipe on Pinterest and can’t wait to make it when the weather cools off. Looking forward to browsing through your blog! – Kathryn
I hope you like it, too!
I am 14 years old and I love pinterest and all of the great recipes because I love to cook and bake. This recipe was so easy to make and so delicious!! My whole family loved it and is definitely going to be a regular meal from now on! It tastes just like lasagna which was a surprise to me! Thanks for the great idea!
I featured this recipe as part of a roundup of soup on my blog. Great recipe, I can’t wait to try it!!
Julia
Thank you, Julia!