Lasagna soup. Sounds weird, tastes good. This recipe was originally from a copy of Family Fun magazine. I was intrigued to see if it really did taste just like lasagna, and Lo! It sure did.
I adapted the original recipe to make it vegetarian. The veggie sausage I used had a spicy kick, so you may omit the pepper flakes to scale it back if you use the same brand. My husband gave this two very manly thumbs up.
Vegetarian Lasagna Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil (plus more if needed)
1 package Italian Style Smart Sausages (by Lightlife)
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
6 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
8 oz fusilli pasta
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
8 oz ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 tablespoon salt
pinch of pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add diced veggie sausages to the pot, break up/crumble with wooden spoon, and heat thoroughly. (Because veggie sausages don’t have the same fat as meat, you may need to add more oil so they don’t burn.) Add onions and sauté until softened. Add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and sauté until the paste turns a rusty brown, approx 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the vegetable broth, and the bay leaves and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Add the pasta, then increase the heat to medium-high and boil the soup until the pasta is tender. Discard the bay leaves, then stir in the basil. Season with black pepper to taste.
In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan salt, and pepper. After ladling the soup in serving bowls, add a dollop of this mixture to the top of each bowl and sprinkle with mozzarella before serving. Makes about 13 cups.
Enjoy!
~julee~
