Lasagna Soup
Sautéing the tomato paste with the sausage and aromatics until it darkens is the key to this soup's deep, savory flavor - it caramelizes the sugars in the paste, adding a richness that mimics a long-simmered sauce.
Ingredients
- 8 uncooked lasagna sheets broken into small pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- 2 1/4 cups mirepoix finely diced onion, celery, and carrots
- Salt and pepper
- ~3/4 lb ground Italian sausage
- 2 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
- 3/4 tsp fennel seed crushed
- 1 bay leaf optional
- 1 can tomato paste 6-oz
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups baby spinach coarsely chopped
- Mascarpone or ricotta cheese for topping
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for topping
- Fresh basil leaves for topping
Method
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mirepoix, salt and pepper; cook 4 minutes.
- Push vegetables aside, add sausage and brown until caramelized, breaking up meat.
- Add garlic, Italian seasoning, fennel seed, and tomato paste. Cook 3-5 minutes until paste darkens.
- Sprinkle flour over mixture, cook 1 minute.
- Gradually stir in chicken stock, add bay leaf. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook broken lasagna pieces in salted water. Drain, rinse, toss with 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Stir in cream, simmer until slightly thickened.
- Add spinach, cook 1-2 minutes until wilted. Remove bay leaf.
- Place pasta in bowls, ladle soup over top. Top with mascarpone, Parmesan and basil.
Notes
Can substitute ricotta for mascarpone.