The Much-Anticipated Lasagna Soup Recipe

Here it is. I promise it's worth making.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage (bulk or with casings removed)--I used turkey sausage to make it healthier
2 onions, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes (Next time I'll blend these up so Matthew can't pick them out)

6 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

8 ounces fusilli pasta (I used rotini)

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil

8 ounces ricotta

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pinch of pepper

2 cups shredded mozzarella (I used low fat)

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and saute, breaking it up into small pieces, until the sausage is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Drain excess fat from the pot. Add the onions and saute until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, and rep pepper flakes and saute for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and saute' until the paste turns a rusty brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the broth, and the bay leaves and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

2. Add the pasta, then increase the heat to medium-high and boil the soup until the pasta is tender to the bite, following the time recommendations on the pasta package. Discard the bay leaves, then stir in the basil. If desired, season with salt and black pepper to taste.

3. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, the 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the pinch of black pepper. To serve, place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture in each bowl, sprinkle with some of the mozzarella, and ladle the soup on top. Makes about 13 cups.

It's divine. Enjoy! And let me know if you make it!!!!