Soup Week! Dinner #5: Lasagna Soup

Tonight we rounded out soup with with a recipe that was no so popular with the kids but very popular with the adults. I should have known better and substituted something else for the mild italian sausage because it was a very strong flavor and the girls just weren't fans. Everything else in the soup is right up their alley (and the cheese topping it wonderful!) so I will probably try it again with either regular sausage or ground beef.

Lasagna Soup
From Closet Cooking

1 T oil
1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 C chicken broth
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
1 t oregano
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb pasta
4 oz ricotta
1/2 C grated Parmesan
2 C shredded mozzarella
1 handful basil, chopped

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.
Add the sausage and cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes, breaking it apart as you go. Set aside.
Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, sausage, oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes, and remove from heat.
Mix the ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella and serve the soup garnished with a tablespoon of the mixture along with the basil.