Lasagna Soup topped with Basil Garlic Ricotta

Ever want the flavors of something but don't want all the hassle of making it? Yea me too, I knew there had to be an easier way to get the hearty cheesy flavors of lasagna without spending all day cooking. So my Deconstructed Lasagna Soup was born! Now I could have mixed the cheese in but then I thought it would seem more like a non baked pasta dish, so instead I topped each bowl with a ball of Basil Garlic Ricotta cheese. I kept the cheese cold so when it hit the warm soup it melted and mixed in nicely.


Ricotta Topping:
1cup Ricotta cheese
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
3 tbsp Basil-fresh (DO NOT USE DRIED), chopped

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well

2. Prepare a small plate or sheet pan with foil or wax/parchment paper. With a spoon, cookie scoop, melon baller, or in my case I used a round 1tbsp to scoop balls of cheese. Place on prepared sheet/plate and refrigerate until needed.

Soup Ingredients:

3lbs Ground Turkey (Turkey Sausage- cut from casings or a mix of the two would be tasty too)
1 medium Onion, diced
5-6 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp Dried Basil
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste
2- 15oz cans Italian seasoned Diced Tomatoes
2- 15oz cans Tomato Sauce
32 oz Chicken Stock
2- 10oz boxes frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and squeezed of all moisture
1 box Bow Tie Pasta (yes there are two boxes in the picture but I only used one)

1. Brown and drain meat, add in onion and garlic, season with dried Basil, Italian Seasoning, Red Pepper Flakes, Salt and Pepper, cook until onions are soft.

2. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and chicken stock, simmer for 15-20 minutes

3. Add Spinach and Pasta continue to simmer until pasta is cooked.
**SIDE NOTE: this is how I made it this time, but in the future I will most likely keep the pasta separate as it drank up most of the broth!!**

Now what is Lasagna without the garlic bread you may be asking? Well of course I had to serve something.....*thinks* but to me making garlic bread just seemed like it would be to bulky of a side for this hearty soup. So I decided on Bread sticks! (Although crusty Ciabatta toasted and rubbed with tomato and garlic sprinkled with Asiago cheese does sound good too....)

Ingredients:
1 package refrigerated bread stick dough
1 compound butter mixture (1 stick butter, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, 4-5 Garlic Cloves-minced)
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1. On prepared sheet pans place bread stick dough.
2. Slater with compound butter.
3. Top with Mozzarella Cheese
4. Bake 375 degrees for 13min

All that is left to do now is serve! Ladle soup into bowls and place a ball of the ricotta mixture in the center, make sure you use a spatula to do this as the warmth from your hands will ruin the shape of the balls you made when you try to pick them up.

In my opinion this came out really well, it was warm and really hearty and 1/4th of the work of actually making lasagna, not to mention clean up was a breeze! As I mentioned earlier in the post the pasta did drink most of the broth so I will need to add more tomato sauce and chicken broth when I go to reheat it. So next time instead of this being a one pot meal, I will break out another pot and keep the pasta separate until I am ready to dish it out.

Oh, and this recipe could easily be cut in half. I just have the habit of cooking for an army. Left overs make great gifts, or freeze nicely (if planning on freezing I would leave the pasta out until you are ready to thaw and eat)

 Enjoy!
<3 Laura ^.^