Gluten Free Lasagna Soup

Is everyone ready for the holidays? Done all your shopping? Sent out your cards? Bought gifts for all your kid’s teachers? Don’t forget about your mother-in-law. Sorry if I’m stressing you out – I’m stressing me out. Let’s just do some cooking to take our minds of our to-do lists. Comfort food, yum.  Make a double batch and have it dinner ready in the refrigerator all week.

I love lasagna and I crave it in the winter when the sky gets dark at 4:30 in the afternoon.  Making it can be a daunting task – the boiling, the layering, the mixing! Too much. If you can relate, then this soup is for you. It’s super easy and different enough to seem special for company or a friend who needs a pick me up. I’ve made mine gluten free but you can use any kind of regular pasta you have in your pantry.

Here’s the gluten free pasta I use. Lasagna corte – I love to say that.  It looks like mini cooked lasagna noodles complete with the curves on the sides. Those curves help to hold all the goodness on the noodle.

I added some spinach too because I love spinach in my lasagna.  I put some in the bottom of the bowl and more on top for garnish.  After all, it is one of the world’s healthiest vegetables. You don’t even know it’s in there but it does add some beautiful color (and nutrition). Power up people!

You may be wondering why this is called lasagna soup. Well, in the bottom of the bowl you put a glorious mix of ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella with a sprinkle of salt. When you pour the hot soup on top it works magic on the cheese. Then you scoop your spoon to the bottom of the bowl. When you bring it out of the soup – instant lasagna without the layering of noodles. So cool. This is what it looks like before you put the soup in.

Please ignore the upside down reflection of me in the spoon. I am still perfecting my photography skills.

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Gluten Free Lasagna Soup

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 6

Author Karen Kelly

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped red or green pepper
• 1 -1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage
• 3 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp tomato paste I love the tube of tomato paste
• 1 28 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
• 6 cups gluten free chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 bag gluten free pasta 8 oz
• 1 -2 cups spinach julienned
• salt and pepper to taste
• For the cheesy goodness
• 8 oz ricotta
• 3/4 cup parmesan
• 1/2 cup shredded mozarella
• dash of salt

Instructions

1. Add oil to a dutch oven or large pot and heat over medium high. Add onions, peppers and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add sausage and brown until cooked through. Break into small pieces.
2. Add oregano and tomato paste. Stir.
3. Add fire roasted tomatoes, chicken broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
4. Prepare pasta according to box directions and keep separate from soup. This keeps pasta from getting soggy.
5. To serve, mix together ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella and dash of salt. Top with pasta and soup. Garnish with a healthy topping of spinach and a bit more mozarella. It will change color as the cheese on the bottom gets mixed in. Delicious.

Recipe adapted from A Farmgirl’s Dabbles.  Love her site!