Lasagna "Soup"

I love lasagna, but I am not a fan of making it. I saw a recipe for a lasagna soup and thought it was a great idea, it looked simple enough and I was craving something hot and comforting. I looked at a couple of different recipes and ended up making up my own.

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef
1 small to medium yellow onion chopped
½ medium to large green pepper chopped
2 carrots grated
¾ cup grated zucchini
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
3-4 tbsp Italian seasoning (if you use Italian seasoned tomatoes and tomato sauce, you will need less or none at all)
2 cups water or chicken stock (this will make a very thick soup, increase if you would like more liquid in you soup)
½ box of lasagna noodles, broken into bite sized pieces
Ricotta cheese


How to:
1. In a saucepan brown the ground beef. Drain away the excess fat.
2. Add in the vegetables (onion, carrot, green pepper and zucchini), sauté with meat until the vegetables are starting to soften. (5 min)
3. Mix in the tomatoes and tomato sauce, adding the Italian seasoning to taste.
4. Add the water or chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Once the mixture reaches a boil add in the pasta and cook until el dante.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with a spoonful of ricotta and enjoy!

Reviews:

I love this soup, and it is sure to become a regular meal in my house. It made lots, and we had leftovers for work the next day. A friend stopped by just as I was finished and he couldn’t leave without trying a bowl after smelling it.

Next time I make this I will probably add more vegetables including yellow and red peppers.

Variation: Baked Lasagna Soup:

Once the soup is cooked, but in an oven safe bowl and mix in the ricotta cheese. Top with a little shredded chedder or mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 until the cheese is bubbly.