Lasagna Soup

I  have a really delicious soup recipe to share with you today. And yes, it contains ground beef. Maybe I should rename my blog to Nully Baby and Ground Beef Recipes. I have seen this recipe for Lasagna Soup floating around the web for a long time and I am so glad I finally made it! Adam and I both loved it. One note....you must use the ricotta/parmesan topping with it. Otherwise, it won't really taste like lasagna. I made sure to get a little bit of the cheese topping and parsley in each bite, and it truly tasted like lasagna. Perfect when served with sourdough bread on a rainy day.

 

 

Lasagna Soup

 

4 ounces small pasta (I used whole wheat shells)

1/2 pound ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon tomato paste

4 cups chicken stock

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained 

2 bay leaves

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

3 ounces ricotta cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan

parsley, finely chopped 

 

 

In a small bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan, salt and pepper, to taste; set aside.

 

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions, or until al dente. Drain well and set aside.

 

Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. Add ground beef to the skillet and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the meat as it cooks; drain excess fat.

 

Add garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste until well combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chicken stock, diced tomatoes and bay leaves; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.

 

Remove bay leaves and stir in reserved pasta. Serve immediately with a heaping spoonful of the ricotta mixture, sprinkled with parsley.

 

Serves 4

PS: Use your leftover ricotta to make ricotta pancakes the next morning! Don't ask me what to make with the leftover tomato paste.