Lasagna Soup

It's been rainy and a bit chilly here lately so I've been in a soup mood. I've seen a numerous recipes for Lasagna soup and they’ve sounded good so I played around and made my own version. It was delicious, a bit spicy and all three of us enjoyed it very much.  If you’re a bit sensitive to spice I’d recommend using half hot and half sweet sausage to cut down on the spice a bit.  I served the soup with a nice slice of garlic Texas toast and it was a delicious, hearty and filling meal.

Lasagna Soup 

• 1 TBS. olive oil 
• 2 large onions, diced
• 1 pound hot Italian sausage (pork or turkey), removed from the casing
• 8 large cloves garlic, minced
• 4 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 tap. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper 
• One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, Italian style seasoned with garlic, basil & oregano
• Two 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
• 6 cups Cheaters Chicken Soup or low sodium chicken broth
• 6 ounces mini Farfalle pasta
• 1 pound fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
  
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan 
• pinch of salt
• a couple grinds of fresh pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped basil
  

In a stockpot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until caramelized. Add the sausage and garlic and cook, breaking up the sausage with a spoon until sausage is browned. Add zucchini, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, diced tomatoes with the juice, tomato sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for 25 minutes. Add the pasta and cook according to pasta directions until pasta is done, about 8 minutes. Stir in fresh basil and spinach allowing them to wilt into the soup.

In a small bowl combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, pepper and 2 TBS fresh chopped basil. To serve, ladle soup into bowl and add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture to each bowl.

Enjoy!