Lasagna Soup

This quick and healthy lasagna soup recipe has all the comforting flavors of classic lasagna with plenty of tomatoes, Italian turkey sausage and lasagna noodles broken into bite-size bits. A dollop of mozzarella and Parmesan adds a creamy finishing touch. Serve this soup with a green salad and crusty bread to sop up what’s left in the bowl for an easy healthy dinner that’s ready in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion 
• 6 ounces hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 (28 ounce) can no-salt added crushed tomatoes
• 4 cups water 
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 
• 1 tablespoon sugar 
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 ½ lasagna noodles (about 6 ounces), preferably whole-wheat, broken into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• ¾ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese 
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost translucent, about 5 minutes. Push onions to one side of the pot and add sausage to the other side. Cook, breaking up the sausage into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste is heated through, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, water, broth, sugar and salt; bring to a boil over high heat. Add lasagna noodles and stir to separate. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is just cooked through but not completely soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar.
• Meanwhile, combine ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan in a small bowl; set aside.
• Ladle the soup into 6 bowls. Top each serving with a dollop of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with basil.

Enjoy – see you in the Kitchen!