Description
Hearty Paula Deen lasagna soup combines classic Italian flavors with comforting midwest warmth. Cheese-laden broth and tender pasta create a satisfying meal you’ll savor to the last spoonful.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ lb (226 g) lean ground beef
- ½ lb (226 g) ground Italian sausage
- 10 oz (283 g) ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 7 cups (1.66 l) low sodium chicken broth
- 9 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
- 1 recipe homemade marinara sauce (or 24 oz/680 g marinara sauce)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups (60 g) fresh spinach leaves
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsps tomato paste
- 2 tbsps fresh parsley, chopped (or 2 tsps dried)
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried oregano leaves
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- fresh basil, for serving
Instructions
- Meat Preparation: Brown ground beef and Italian sausage in a large pot over medium-high heat, seasoning with salt and pepper. Drain excess fat and set meat aside.
- Aromatic Foundation: Without cleaning the pot, sauté onions in olive oil until caramelized, then add garlic and cook until fragrant, releasing their essential flavors.
- Liquid Composition: Combine tomato paste, marinara sauce, red pepper flakes, parsley, oregano, basil, and chicken broth with the reserved meat. Bring to a vigorous boil, creating a robust soup base.
- Pasta Integration: Fracture lasagna noodles into rustic fragments and immerse in the bubbling liquid. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta reaches perfect tenderness.
- Final Embellishments: Incorporate spinach leaves, allowing them to delicately wilt into the soup. Simultaneously, whisk ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese in a separate bowl until smoothly blended.
- Serving Presentation: Distribute the steaming soup into individual bowls, topping each with a lavish spoonful of the cheese mixture. Adorn with fresh basil leaves for an elegant, aromatic finish.
Notes
- Meat Selection Tip: Choose lean ground beef with 85% or 90% meat content to minimize excessive grease and ensure a cleaner, more flavorful soup base.
- Pasta Perfection: Break lasagna noodles into uneven, rustic pieces to create an authentic, homemade texture that captures the soup’s essence.
- Cheese Blending Strategy: Allow cheese mixture to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before adding to hot soup, ensuring smoother integration and preventing clumping.
- Flavor Enhancement Hack: Toast dried herbs briefly in the pot before adding liquid ingredients to intensify their aromatic qualities and develop deeper, more complex taste profiles.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 850 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg