Lasagna Soup

I made this soup last week and I think it’s now officially my favorite soup, or at least in the top 5.  It was so easy and has so much flavor.  Mr. C thought the concept of lasagna soup was just plain weird, but even he was a fan, and he told me it was even better the second day for leftovers.  If you’re looking for a hearty soup to warm you up, then look no further.  There’s even a cheesy surprise at the bottom of the bowl which just puts this soup over the top.

I do want to mention that the picture shows the leftover soup which was less brothy than the night I made it.  I meant to take a photo the first night we ate the soup but honestly it smelled (and tasted) so good that I got side-tracked and gobbled up my bowl of soup before I realized that I hadn't taken a photo.

The recipe is below and you can also find a printable version here.

Lasagna Soup

Yield: 8 servings

Adapted from: a farmgirl’s dabbles, from the cookbook 300 sensational soups

2 tsp. olive oil

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage

½ lb. ground beef

3 c. chopped yellow onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. dried oregano

½ - 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

2 T. tomato paste

2 bay leaves

6 c. chicken broth

4 c. pasta (I used campanelle)

½ c. fresh basil leaves, chiffonaide

Salt and pepper, to taste

8 oz. skim ricotta

½ c. grated parmesan cheese

1 c. mozzarella cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in large pot.  Add sausage and beef and brown.

Add onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 6 minutes.  Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute.

Add tomato paste, stir well, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until tomato paste turns a rusty brown color. 

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock and stir.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the “cheesy surprise” by mixing the ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, and salt and pepper in a bowl. 

Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente (do not overcook pasta).  Remove from heat when pasta is al dente.  Stir in basil and add salt, pepper, and any additional red pepper flakes as needed.

To serve, place a spoonful of the “cheesy surprise” in each bowl before filling with soup.

Organization Challenge: Cleaning Chart

Over the past year I've been making an effort to organize our home a bit more.  In general, it's fairly organized, but there are those areas that need upkeep, ones that were overlooked, or areas that just some adjustments due to our changing needs.  Instead of waiting for the perfect time to present itself for me to organize a closet or drawer, I realized I needed to just do it.  One day when I opened the junk drawer I spent a few minutes tidying it up and moved out anything we didn't need.  Our "junk drawer" looks great now, and although it's full of mis-matched things, I can find exactly what I'm looking for quickly.  It's made my life easier and it makes me happy when I reach in and see how organized everything is.  Over the next few weeks (maybe months), I'll be sharing with you the areas I've recently tackled, challenging you to spend a little time organizing those troubling areas in your home, and sharing some tips.

To start out my new cleaning challenge, I decided to make a cleaning chart with daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, and quarterly tasks.  Mr. C has been telling me for years that while I can just look around and know what needs to be done, it’s not so easy for him (apparently it’s a guy thing?) so the chart was partially aimed at addressing this.  We have busy lives and I don’t always remember when I last cleaned something so the list ideally was also supposed to save time by reminding us what needed to be done and what things are priorities.

We sat down together and came up with a list of things that need to be addressed, either things that we just do so often, or things we should be doing on a more regular schedule.  I didn’t include things like laundry, linens, or trash because those things are already done very regularly and aren’t really an issue.

As I’ve begun using the list I’ve found some things that need to be adjusted, but I’m really enjoying having a list to work off of and being able to check off a box when I’ve completed a task is the best feeling!  Obviously everyone’s list will be a little different; you just have to figure out what works for you. If you're interested in a copy of my list, you can download it online here.