In this quiet week between holidays, you don’t feel like knocking yourself out in the kitchen; but still need a hot comforting bowl of something on these cold, rainy nights. There are several versions of this on the internet, but this recent one from Elie Krieger had a couple of healthy updates that made sense. A satisfying soup with all the flavors of everyone’s favorite lasagna that comes together quickly and and will fill your house with the enticing odors of sausage, tomatoes, garlic and herbs. Elie uses broken lasagna sheets for the pasta, which I did the first time. The second time I made this I used fusilli pasta, which I much preferred ; better texture and easier to scoop in your spoon.
Spinach stirred in at the end of cooking adds color and nutrition, and makes this a one dish meal. Each bowl is topped with a dollop of ricotta, Parmesan and fresh basil. A dear friend came down with Covid the week before Christmas which meant quarantining from her family – a grandmother’s nightmare ! A delivery of this soup dropped on her doorstep (don’t forget the toppings) was the best I could do to commiserate.
1 Tbs. olive oil
8 ounces sweet Italian-style chicken sausage, casings removed
1 medium yellow onion (about 8 ounces), diced
3 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. fine sea or table salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
One 15-ounce can no-salt added crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
4 ounces lasagna sheets, broken into pieces (about 5 noodles)
3 cups (2 ounces) lightly packed fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup ricotta cheese (part-skim or whole)
1/4 cup (scant 1-ounce) grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons
In a large heavy soup pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the sausage and onion and cook, stirring frequently and breaking up sausage with the spoon as it cooks, until the onion has softened and the sausage is browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds, then stir in the tomato paste, oregano, basil, salt and pepper.
Add the broth, crushed tomatoes and water (swirl it around the empty tomato can to get all the tomato flavor out) and bring to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are al dente and the soup has reduced slightly, about 15 minutes. Stir in the spinach and remove from the heat.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top each portion with a dollop of ricotta, then sprinkle with Parmesan and basil and serve. Serves 4.
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