Joys Lasagna Soup

By JoyT

Very good on a cool day! This is going to be our “new” New Years Eve meal tradition! It is delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 pound of Italian sausage 1/2 hot and 1/2 Mild Italian
• 2 cups of diced onions
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1 cup of diced or shreded carrots
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 t dried oregano
• 1/2 t dried basil
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 2 (14oz) cans of diced or crushed tomatoes
• 1 (14oz) can of tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cup of dried Campanelle pasta
• 2 cups fresh spinach or 1 cup frozen spinach (drained)
• 1 pint of Ricotta Cheese
• 12 oz. Provolone/Mozzarella cheese (shredded)
• 1/2 cup Fresh Basil leaves rolled and sliced into thin strips

Preparation

Step 1

First, brown 1 pound of Italian sausage.
Remove it from the casings brown in large frying pan.
When the sausage is browned, add in the 2 cups of diced onions, one cup of diced or shredded carrots, 1/2 cup celery, and then 5 cloves of minced garlic.

Once the onions and carrots have softened a bit, add in 1/4t crushed red pepper flakes, 1/2t dried oregano, and 1/2t dried basil. Set pan aside.

In a 6 qt dutch oven pan, pour in 4 cups of chicken broth, one large can of crushed tomatoes, and one regular (14 oz.) can of tomato sauce. Then add the Sausage and vegetables.

Once that comes to a boil, add in 1 1/2 cup of dried pasta.

Simmer 10-12 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked. Then add in 2 cups fresh spinach. Stir in the spinach and let it simmer for one or two minutes until the spinach is wilted.

Remove from the heat.

To serve, pour a little bit of the liquid in the bottom of a bowl. (This keeps the Ricotta from melting solidly onto the bowl). Drop a dollop of Ricotta Cheese and a small handful of shredded provolone-mozzarella mix. Ladle on the soup, and top with shredded Parmesan and fresh basil.