Lasagna Soup

In preparation for the snow last week I decided to pick up enough ingredients to make several soups. And although all of the soups were delish, the lasagna soup beat them all by far. I can't believe I waited this long to try out this recipe. Matt and I loved it, even though he refuses to call it "lasagna soup" since it technically doesn't call for lasagna noodles. Anyway, I have to share this one with y'all. It would just be selfish of me not to!

Lasagna Soup Adapted from Damn Delicious

Ingredients
    8 ounces elbows pasta
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 pound ground turkey, ground beef or Italian sausage     3 cloves garlic, minced
    1 onion, diced
    2 teaspoons oregano
    1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    2 tablespoons tomato paste
    4 cups chicken stock
    1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
    2 bay leaves
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
    1/4 cup fresh basil leaves     For the ricotta mixture
    8 ounces ricotta
    1/2 cup grated Parmesan
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
    In a small bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan, salt and pepper, to taste; set aside. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add meat to the skillet and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the meat as it cooks; drain excess fat. Add garlic, onion, oregano and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in tomato paste until well combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chicken stock, diced tomatoes and bay leaves; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in pasta. Serve immediately with a heaping spoonful of the ricotta mixture, sprinkled with mozzarella and basil.

I think I now prefer my lasagna in soup form. It's that good.