Lasagna Soup

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot (6-quart minimum)
• •Wooden spoon
• •Ladle
• •Microplane or fine grater for garlic

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown the sausage

   Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. When it shimmers, add the sausage, breaking it into rough crumbles with a wooden spoon. Cook undisturbed for three to four minutes to develop a proper crust on the bottom. Stir and continue cooking until deeply browned throughout, another five to six minutes. The sausage should have golden edges and the pot should be developing a dark fond on the bottom.

   Crowding cold meat into a pan creates steam. Work in batches if your pot isn't large enough to hold the sausage in a single layer.
2. 2

   Build the aromatic base

   Reduce heat to medium. Add the diced onion and celery to the pot with the sausage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns translucent and golden at the edges, about six minutes. The vegetables will absorb rendered fat and pick up flavor from the fond. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about one minute. Garlic burns in seconds. Stay attentive.

3. 3

   Toast the tomato paste

   Clear a space in the center of the pot and add the tomato paste directly to the hot surface. Let it sizzle and darken for sixty to ninety seconds, stirring only the paste. This concentrates the tomato flavor and removes the raw, tinny taste. Once it deepens to brick red and smells slightly caramelized, stir it into the vegetables and meat.

4. 4

   Add liquids and simmer

   Pour in the crushed tomatoes, scraping up every bit of fond from the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken stock, oregano, dried basil, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for fifteen minutes, allowing flavors to meld and the broth to develop body.

   Homemade stock transforms this soup from good to memorable. Even a quick thirty-minute stock from chicken backs and vegetable scraps outperforms anything from a box.
5. 5

   Cook the pasta

   Add the broken lasagna noodles directly to the simmering soup. Stir gently to prevent sticking. Cook until the pasta is tender but retains pleasant resistance, eight to ten minutes depending on your noodles. The irregular shapes will cook unevenly, which is part of the charm. Taste a few pieces from different parts of the pot.

6. 6

   Prepare the ricotta mixture

   While the pasta cooks, stir together the ricotta, Parmesan, basil chiffonade, grated garlic, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper. The mixture should be creamy and well combined, with visible flecks of green basil throughout. This is your finishing touch, the element that makes each bowl feel complete.

7. 7

   Finish with spinach

   Remove the bay leaves. Add the spinach to the pot in handfuls, stirring after each addition until wilted. This takes about two minutes total. The greens will turn bright and tender almost instantly. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. The soup should be robust, savory, slightly acidic from the tomatoes.

8. 8

   Serve with ceremony

   Ladle the soup into deep bowls, ensuring each portion receives a generous share of sausage, pasta, and spinach. Drop a large spoonful of the herbed ricotta into the center of each bowl. It will sit like a cloud on the surface. Scatter additional Parmesan and a few fresh basil leaves over the top. Serve immediately with crusty bread for dunking.

   The ricotta melts slowly as you eat, creating ribbons of cream throughout the broth. Don't stir it in at once. Let each spoonful be different.

Chef Tips

• •Sweet Italian sausage produces a mellower soup. Hot sausage adds kick. I use half and half for balance, but follow your palate.
• •San Marzano tomatoes are worth seeking out. Their lower acidity and sweeter flesh produce a more refined broth. Regular crushed tomatoes work, but the difference is notable.
• •If your stock is unsalted, you'll need more salt than you expect. Season in stages: once after adding liquids, again after the pasta cooks, and a final check before serving.
• •Fresh mozzarella can replace the ricotta for a stringier, more authentic lasagna experience. Tear it into rough pieces and drop them into the hot soup just before serving.
• •For a meatless version, substitute crumbled firm tofu or a medley of mushrooms for the sausage. Brown them aggressively to develop similar depth.

Advance Preparation

• •The soup base without pasta can be made three days ahead and refrigerated. The flavors deepen considerably overnight.
• •For freezing, prepare the soup through step four, before adding pasta. Cool completely, transfer to freezer containers, and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, bring to a simmer, then add pasta and continue with the recipe.
• •The ricotta mixture can be prepared one day ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving for easier dolloping.
• •If you must add pasta to the full batch, know that leftovers will have softer noodles as they continue absorbing broth. Some prefer this. I cook pasta separately for meal-prep purposes and add it to individual portions when reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 438g)