Soup for my soul...

It's been a while since my last post - Im sorry.  I mentioned in my first post that I may not be consistent.  I might inundate my blog with posts or go weeks and months at a time without posting.  I LOVE my new job but I had training one week which completely consumed my time for a while.  We are also working on a few house projects and Josh started new hours at work so I guess you can just say....LIFE happened.  

Hands down, fall is my most favorite time of year.  I love the color of the trees, the smell of the air, having the windows open, apple cider donuts, and the pumpkin patch.  I was so excited for this last weekend. I had looked forward to it ALL week.  I had someone on the phone at work ask me what I was doing and I said "I'm going to cook soup...it's finally cold enough here that I can do that and I am so excited!"  Not to mention that both of my teams (Missouri Tigers and Kansas City Chiefs) were playing and both still stand as undefeated!  It was going to be a great weekend filled with family time, delicious soup, football and brisk air.   

I am a blog junkie.  I love writing my blogs but I also LOVE to read other people blogs.  I can literally sit for hours (while Josh watches sports) and read blogs.  I received a "new blog post" notification from one of my favorite recipe bloggers a couple weeks ago for Lasagna Soup.  Oh-em-gee...my mouth waters just thinking about it.  I knew that's just what I wanted to make for my "first fall meal."  Of course I put my own twist on it...

Lasagna Soup 

I apololgize for not having more photos.  #slacker - I promise it's delicious! 

INGREDIENTS

Soup:
• 1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage (I used turkey sausage- its amazing and has great flavor!)
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste (I used 4)
• 2 cans of Italian tomatoes, undrained
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 tablespoons dried basil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 pound fusilli noodles, cooked and drained
Cheese topping:
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large 4-quart pot, add the Italian sausage and cook over medium heat, breaking the pieces up with a wooden spoon or spatula while it cooks. I prefer the sausage in fairly small pieces. After about 3-4 minutes, add the onion. Cook the sausage and onion together, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is cooked through and the onions are soft,a bout 5-7 minutes. Drain any excess grease, if desired. Stir in the garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes and tomato paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the diced tomatoes with their juices, bay leaves and chicken broth. Add the basil, if using dried (if using fresh basil, add it in the next step).
2. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste and the fresh basil, if using.
3. For the cheese mixture, in a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and basil. Set aside.
4. To serve the soup, add a scoop of cooked pasta noodles to a bowl. Top with a ladle or two of soup and dollop with a generous spoonful of the cheese mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Serve immediately.

I hope you've enjoyed this post from my kitchen!
Until next time...