Lasagna Soup

My sister-in-law came across this fantastic recipe a couple of years ago and it happens to be the first recipe I ever pinned! My husband and I can't get over the flavours in this soup. For the meat, I like to get my sausages from Rick's Fine Meats and Sausage in Cranbrook. If you haven't tried this yummy concoction yet, I highly recommend it!

Lasagna Soup

serves 4

1 tsp. olive oil
2 good-quality sausages (I like to do one hot and one mild)
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
crushed red pepper flakes to taste *be mindful of how hot your sausages are!
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 398mL can fire roasted diced tomatoes ***make SURE they're fire roasted!
1 bay leaf
3 cups vegetable stock
350g pasta *I used farfalle
handful of chopped fresh basil leaves

Cheesy Yum
3/4 cup ricotta
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
pinch of salt 
pinch of freshly ground pepper
1 cup shredded Italian cheese mix *or mozzarella

Spread sausages out on cutting board. Create a slit with a knife in each casing and empty the contents out onto the board (You can skip this step if you don't mind the casing, but I don't like it!). Discard casing. Pull apart or chop the sausage into small bite size pieces. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and add sausage to brown. Meanwhile, chop onion and garlic. Once sausage is browned, add chopped onion and garlic to the pot and cook until softened, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste and stir well. Cook for a few minutes.

Next, I like to whiz the diced tomatoes in a food processor, but this is not necessary if you like tomato chunks! Add diced tomatoes, bay leaf, and vegetable stock and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes with lid on or slightly ajar. Chop basil and set aside. About halfway through, put another pot of water on to boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente pasta. Prepare the cheesy yum by combining ricotta, parmesan, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside. Drain pasta pot and add pasta to soup pot right before serving. Stir in the chopped basil.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle with some shredded cheese on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese. Enjoy :)

Adapted from 300 Sensational Soups...I may have to get myself a copy of this cookbook!