Is there anything more comforting that a steaming bowl of yummy goodness on a cold night? I don’t think so. Yesterday was the first super cold evening we’ve had this year, and man did I have a hankering for Lasagna Soup. Luckily, I had all the ingredients and the fam was happy to indulge my desire. Enter a hot, delicious dinner that really served up all the flavors of a homemade lasagna without all the work. This takes about 20 minutes to prep and an hour to boil/simmer. So all in all, a pretty easy and arguably fast weeknight dinner since much of it is hands off.

Recipe

• 1 lb ground beef (can also sub in turkey, sausage, pork or chicken)
• 8 cups of low sodium chicken broth
• 1 onion – diced
• 1 package of mushrooms – sliced
• 4 garlic cloves – minced
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1/2 jar of pasta sauce – jarred or homemade
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 1 parmesan rind (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs – basil, thyme and sage (can sub in dried – about 1tsp each or to taste)
• 1-2 cups of chopped kale
• 10 lasagna noodles broken into pieces
• Ricotta cheese
• Parmesan Cheese

Brown the meat and pour off the drippings. Add in the onions and mushrooms and cook until soft. Toss in your garlic then saute until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with red wine (you can also use water or broth) and scrape up all those delicious browned bits of fond. Once the wine has evaporated/been soaked up, add in the herbs and tomato paste and cook until caramelized – about 5 minutes.

Grab your parmesan rind, canned tomatoes and add them to the pot. Cook for 10 minutes on medium heat. Next, pour in the sauce and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 50 minutes. Add your noodles to the pot – if they are no boil noodles they should soften up within a few minutes. If they are full boil noodles, you may need to crank the heat up so it starts to gently bubble.

Once your noodles are cooked it’s time to dish up! Add a spoonful (or two!) of ricotta and parmesan cheese to a bowl and ladle in your soup. Garnish with additional cheese or herbs if desired. This is delicious with focaccia, crusty bread or some rolls!

Bon Appetit!